Cultural institutions around Slovenia will hold an open day on Wednesday to remember the birth of poet France Prešeren (1800-1849). Visitors will be able to go to more than 350 shows, exhibitions, concerts, guided tours, lectures, workshops and other events free of charge at 65 venues.
Most of the events as part of what is known as the Merry Day of Culture will take place in Ljubljana.
A special ceremony will be held at the Ministry of Culture where a facsimile of one of the few preserved coloured copies of "Gratae Posteritati", an autobiographical work by the 16th century Hasbsburg diplomat Žiga von Herberstein, will be handed over to the Ljubljana National and University Library, the Maribor University Library and the Ptuj Archives.
In addition to workshops and guided tours, the National Gallery will present a painting for the blind and visually impaired which will become a part of the permanent collection.
The Ljubljana City Museum invites the visitors to take a look at the "Emona: A City of the Empire" multi-sensory exhibition, which marks 2,000 years since the establishment the Roman-era predecessor of Ljubljana.
Urša Karer of the Ljubljana City Museum has told the STA that the open day is welcome both for institutions, which learn more about what interests the visitors, and for people who would otherwise not make the visit.
Free theatre shows will also be staged in the SNG Drama Ljubljana, the Ljubljana City Theatre, the Mladinsko Theatre and Mini teater as well as in the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre.
Guided tours will be organised at the Ljubljana Castle, the National and University Library and the Viba film studio in Ljubljana.
A number of free events will also take place in the country's second-largest city. The Maribor Regional Museum will open a painting depot, while the SNG Maribor opera and ballet house and the Puppet Theatre will stage free shows.
The Celje Archive will open an exhibition of documents on Barbara of Cilli (1391/92-1451), the Holy Roman Empress between 1433 and 1437, while the refurbished hall of the Velenje culture centre will be opened on the occasion.
Cinemas around the country will meanwhile screen free of charge social drama "Inferno" the latest film by acclaimed director Vinko Möderndorfer.
The Merry Day of Culture was launched by the Culture Ministry in 2000 as part of celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Prešeren, who was born on 3 December.
The day of Prešeren's death, 8 February, is officially marked as Day of Culture, a bank holiday.
Source: SloveniaTimes
