Prešeren's house
Encyclopedia
Prešeren's birth house is a house in the village of Vrba in the Žirovnica
municipality in Slovenia. It is the house where the Slovene poet France Prešeren
was born in 1800. The Slovene theologian and archbishop
Anton Vovk
was also born in the same house in 1900. The house is a good example of an Upper Carniolian
farm house. Since 1939 it has housed a small museum collection with furnishings from the poet’s time. It was originally a 16th century wooden building with a stone built cellar. It was heavily damaged and rebuilt after a fire in 1856. It is mainly due to the efforts of Fran Saleški Finžgar
that the house was turned into a museum. It is fitted with 19th century furnishings. Of the original furniture from Prešeren's time the benches in the hallway and the main room, a wooden chest from 1837 and the actual cradle in which the baby France is alleged to have been rocked to sleep, are preserved and displayed in the museum. In 1985, a section with a collection of books was added to the museum and includes translations of Prešeren's poems into various languages, various editions of his poems and books about his life and work.
The house and the nearby church of St Mark
are on the "Cultural Heritage Route", a trail through the villages of the Žirovnica municipality. In January 2011, the house, the church of St Mark and the linden tree in the centre of the village were proclaimed cultural monuments of national importance by the Government of Slovenia
.
The museum is open to the public on weekdays from 9.00 to 16.00 (closed Mondays) and at weekends from 10.00 to 17.00.
Žirovnica
Žirovnica is a municipality in Slovenia. It is located in the historic Upper Carniola region, on the southern slope of the Karavanke mountain range, close to the border with Austria...
municipality in Slovenia. It is the house where the Slovene poet France Prešeren
France Prešeren
France Prešeren was a Slovene Romantic poet. He is considered the Slovene national poet. Although he was not a particularly prolific author, he inspired virtually all Slovene literature thereafter....
was born in 1800. The Slovene theologian and archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Anton Vovk
Anton Vovk
Archbishop Anton Vovk was born in the village of Vrba in Upper Carniola in the same house where the poet France Prešeren had been born 100 years earlier . Vovk’s father Jožef Vovk and mother Marija née Debelak died when he was young...
was also born in the same house in 1900. The house is a good example of an Upper Carniolian
Upper Carniola
Upper Carniola is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The centre of the region is Kranj, while other urban centers include Jesenice, Tržič, Škofja Loka, Kamnik, and Domžale.- Historical background :...
farm house. Since 1939 it has housed a small museum collection with furnishings from the poet’s time. It was originally a 16th century wooden building with a stone built cellar. It was heavily damaged and rebuilt after a fire in 1856. It is mainly due to the efforts of Fran Saleški Finžgar
Fran Saleški Finžgar
Fran Saleški Finžgar was a Slovene writer, playwright, translator and Roman Catholic priest.Fran Saleški Finžgar was born into a poor peasant family in the Upper Carniolan village of Doslovče , in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire...
that the house was turned into a museum. It is fitted with 19th century furnishings. Of the original furniture from Prešeren's time the benches in the hallway and the main room, a wooden chest from 1837 and the actual cradle in which the baby France is alleged to have been rocked to sleep, are preserved and displayed in the museum. In 1985, a section with a collection of books was added to the museum and includes translations of Prešeren's poems into various languages, various editions of his poems and books about his life and work.
The house and the nearby church of St Mark
St Mark's Church (Vrba)
St Mark's Church is a small church on the outskirts of the village of Vrba in Upper Carniola in Slovenia. Though it is a small and simple church, it has achieved near mythical status in Slovenia, after it was mentioned in the sonnet O Vrba by Slovene national poet France Prešeren...
are on the "Cultural Heritage Route", a trail through the villages of the Žirovnica municipality. In January 2011, the house, the church of St Mark and the linden tree in the centre of the village were proclaimed cultural monuments of national importance by the Government of Slovenia
Government of Slovenia
The Government of the Republic of Slovenia is the cabinet that excersises executive authority in Slovenia pursuant to the Constitution and the laws of Slovenia. It is also the highest administrative authority in Slovenia. It comprises the Prime Minister and 15 ministers, three of them without...
.
The museum is open to the public on weekdays from 9.00 to 16.00 (closed Mondays) and at weekends from 10.00 to 17.00.