At the Ljubljana Castle the Museum of Puppetry has opened its doors, displaying all milestones of the Slovenian puppetry history.

It is a multifaceted project that, in addition to exhibiting Slovenian puppets, establishes systematic care in the field of Slovenian puppetry heritage with over a century long tradition. The new acquisition targets a broad audience, it is a breath of fresh air in the capital’s cultural life, and with its educational-interactive content it will have an impact on the development of cultural tourism.

For visitors the most interesting aspects of the project are the permanent exhibition at the Museum of Puppetry and the Castle Theatre – space has been dedicated to the great puppetry artists and their heroes above the Estates Hall of the Ljubljana Castle. Visitors will learn about the most important milestones of Slovenian puppetry history and get acquainted with various puppetry techniques. After viewing the exhibition they will be able to try their hand at puppetry. As a complementary activity to the museum exhibition puppet performances based on revised versions of the original puppet theatre plays will be staged and the visitors will be able to see them at regular show hours at the new Castle Theatre.

The new Puppet Path leads from Krek Square along the funicular railway to both locations – it is an artistic installation with mechanically operated puppet scenes that symbolically links the two participating institutions, bringing together the exhibition and the theatre profession, and inviting visitors to view the Museum of Puppetry. At the museum store a line of museum products will be available to visitors alongside a wide selection of publications on the topic of puppetry heritage and art.

The Museum of Puppetry is suitable for visitors of all ages, it is an important enrichment of the museum-exhibition programme and an addition to four permanent exhibitions at the Ljubljana Castle. It opens new opportunities to discover puppetry art and its heritage. Numerous educational and fun cultural-artistic programmes for different target groups are being prepared for the next school year, which will undoubtedly attract many families and organised groups of children from schools and kindergartens.

As far as the value of the project of cultural infrastructure renovation and the establishment of the Museum of Puppetry is concerned, The City of Ljubljana has allocated 1,098,616.99 euros, the European Regional Development Fund 1,527,075.10 euros and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia 269,483.84 euros.