The National Museum of Slovenia and the Department of Materials and Metallurgy at the University of Ljubljana share a long and fruitful history of professional collaboration. The initiative to launch a joint exhibition project to commemorate the centennial of the University of Ljubljana was gradually embraced by the museum.
The acquisition and processing of metals in the Slovenian territory have a remarkably rich and dynamic history. The roots of this heritage reach back five millennia, to the Pile Dwellers of the Ljubljana Marshes. Over time, metallurgical activities evolved into one of the most important and pioneering industrial sectors in Slovenia. This remains true even today, as evidenced by their contribution to the national economy, internationally recognized products of the domestic industry, groundbreaking technical innovations, and scientific achievements.
To highlight the often overlooked role of metallurgy in society, the colleagues of the National Museum of Slovenia and the Department of Materials and Metallurgy, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of Ljubljana, joined forces to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the University of Ljubljana.
Through the exhibition project “The Song of Metal – Millennia of Metallurgy in Slovenia”, we draw attention to the rich yet insufficiently known technical heritage that the National Museum of Slovenia has been systematically collecting for nearly two centuries of its existence. At the same time, we showcase the cutting-edge expertise developed under the auspices of the University of Ljubljana, where metallurgy has been established as one of its oldest academic disciplines.
The colorful exhibition display is further enriched with sample products from leading Slovenian companies, which successfully compete on the international market — from the automotive industry to space technologies.
