Management of the House Museums in Slovenia: A Study

Abstract

House museums represent a distinct type of cultural heritage monument, distinguished by their authenticity as memorial sites associated with notable individuals or co-creators. The fundamental design of such memorial sites originates from spaces defined by natural and humanistic characteristics. These spaces, globally stable yet constantly changing in details, hold significant potential for preserving the link between the past and the present. Experiencing the space where historical events occurred enhances the understanding of their true value and thus objectifying potential memory. This underscores the important social and political role of house museums, which indirectly influence the relationship with the local community, the preservation of collective memory and heritage in its original environment. In Slovenia, the most common type of house museums are those associated with notable personalities and are categorised as representative historical houses. The first publicly accessible house museum in Slovenia, converted in 1939 in Vrba, was the birthplace of Slovenia's greatest poet – France Prešeren. Subsequent house museums followed the musealisation concept implemented in Prešeren's birthplace by Fran Saleški Finžgar. However, there is a lack of museological research and studies related to house museums in Slovenia, which affects their naming and evaluation, as the distinction between individual houses remains unclear. Various terms such as 'house museum', 'memorial house', 'birth house', 'literary museum', 'historical house', 'biographical museum', 'ethnographic house', 'homestead', and 'memorial room' are used interchangeably, and these museums are often labelled as museums, open-air museums or monuments. This research focuses on the management of house museums in Slovenia. A questionnaire was devised to be completed by the managers of thirty house museums, the aim of which was to: compile a list of all publicly accessible house museums in Slovenia, collect basic management information and, most importantly, examine cooperation between managers, museums, house owners, the Ministry of Culture, municipalities, Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, and the interested public.