Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Cekin Mansion on the northern edge of Tivoli Park houses the Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia. The mansion is named after Laurenz Szőgyény, the husband of Ivana Lamberg, who was given the building. The name Szőgyény was Slovenized by the townspeople into Cekin.

The mansion was commissioned in 1720 by Leopold Lamberg based on plans by the Viennese Baroque architect Fischer von Erlach. During the last years of the French occupation of Ljubljana from 1812 to 1813, it was used as a temporary residence by Eugène de Beauharnais, the viceroy of Italy and the commander of the Napoleonic armies in the Illyrian Provinces. In the mid-19th century, the mansion was purchased by the Slovenian patriot Peter Kosler, who lived there until his death. After World War II, the mansion was nationalized by the Communist authorities of the People's Republic of Slovenia. From 1990 to 1992, the mansion was renovated by the engineer Jurij Kobe, who also added a communication tower. For his work, he received the Plečnik Award, the most prestigious Slovenian award in architecture.

Since 1951, the mansion has housed the Museum of Contemporary History. The museum includes collections from World War I, the interwar period, World War II, postwar Yugoslavia, and independent Slovenia. This includes many historical items, including archives, artworks, and photographs.

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Details

Founded: 1720
Category: Museums in Slovenia

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Viktoria Yatskovskaya (11 months ago)
Local history museum, was surprisingly empty on a sunday. 5 EUR admission, 3 for students.
Peter Larsen (2 years ago)
Compact but extensive journey through Slovenia's history since 1914, in Slovenian and English. Very quiet on the day, so excellent access to the exhibits and explanations. The museum is located in the Tivoli Park, where many key events themselves took place, adding a layer of poignancy
Betta Rautio (2 years ago)
This is quite a fascinating museum if you have time to study, read, and contemplate. It is not a museum you can bustle through in 30 minutes. We spent a good two hours but we learned so much about what happened in Slovenia from War War I forward. The displays are written in English. There is seating throughout and the restroom is clean. We walked through Trivoli Park to arrive at the Palace where the museum is located. It was a fine way to cool off and wasn’t crowded. We also received Pensioner discounts. Recommend if you are interested in history. Not really a place small children would enjoy I’m my opinion. So be prepared to navigate stairs.
Jessica E (2 years ago)
This was my favourite museum/gallery in the city, as so many had hinted at historic events but not really explained them and I was left not understanding the significance. After this visit I felt really well informed about the more recent history of Slovenia, with all my questions answered. The displays are arranged in chronological order, and are a mix of photos, text, video, sound, and interactive elements. There is a fair bit of reading, but it's all really interesting. I was surprised at how few visitors there were, as for me this was a highlight. However, I would caution that I think it would be inaccessible for younger (primary age) children. There's no air con, so although it's a respite from outside temperatures, it's still warm.
Igor C. (2 years ago)
It's a very interesting museum about the history of Slovenia in the 20th century. With the permanent exhibition you can see how Slovenia went throughout the past century starting from Austro-Hungarian empire, following by the period of the kingdom of Yugoslavia, WW2 and German/Italian occupations, Tito's Yugoslavia and finishing with the most recent history of its independence. The displays are very informative and interesting to read. The exhibits displayed in the museum are very impressive and allow you better immerse into the time periods. Highly recommended if you are interested to learn about the history of Slovenia.
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