Description of the attraction
The National Gallery of Slovenia is an extensive exhibition of art from the Middle Ages to the present, based on European and Slovenian painting of a wide variety of genres and art schools. Located in the center of the capital of Slovenia in a beautiful and majestic building.
In 1918, after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the state of Slovenes, Serbs and Croats was formed. The formation of a national culture began in Slovenia. All educational institutions switched to their native language, the University of Ljubljana and the National Theater were founded. The founding of the National Gallery was a significant event on the path to the revival of Slovenian identity. At first it was placed in the Crecia Palace, near the famous triple bridge. In imperial times, it housed the Austrian administration. A year later, it was decided to move the gallery to its current building.
The building was erected at the end of the 19th century on the initiative of the Mayor of Ljubljana Ivan Hribar, who devoted a lot of effort to transforming Ljubljana into the center of all Slovenian lands. The building was intended as a Slovenian Cultural Center. All national and cultural associations were gathered under the roof of this People's House. After Slovenia gained independence, in semantic and symbolic meaning, the building turned out to be the most suitable for the National Gallery.
The original building was erected under the direction of the Czech architect František Škabrout. When it ceased to contain the collected exhibits, the northern wing was built in the nineties of the last century - designed by the famous Slovenian architect Edward Ravnikar. The West Wing has been occupied by a gymnastics club since the days of the People's House. After reconstruction in 2012, the museum occupies the entire building, and its two wings are connected by a long glass gallery. This spacious gallery houses Robb's fountain "Narcissus", a replica of which is located in the courtyards of the Town Hall.
The National Gallery possesses the largest collection of works of art created in Slovenian territory from the Middle Ages to the period of modernism. The Slovenian Baroque is perfectly represented, the paintings of local representatives of impressionism are interesting. Next to the works of Slovenian artists and sculptors, there are paintings by German, Dutch and Spanish masters. Impressive are the magnificent Gothic sculptures and copies of medieval frescoes. However, contemporary paintings and bronze installations are no less entertaining.
