City Museum of Ljubljana

The City Museum of Ljubljana, Mestni muzej Ljubljana, occupies the Auersperg or Turjak Palace on Gosposka ulica, a Baroque town house of the early eighteenth century that stands a few minutes from Congress Square and the river. The palace belonged to one of the great noble families of Carniola, and its stairways, courtyard and vaulted ground floor show the scale of such a residence. The building now houses the museum of the city, and it is the best single place to understand how Ljubljana developed from prehistoric lakeside settlements through a Roman colony and a medieval market town to the modern capital.

The core display, which presents the history of the city on several floors, is arranged chronologically. The earliest chapter belongs to the Ljubljana Marshes, where people lived in houses built on piles in the shallow water more than five thousand years ago. The museum shows finds from those settlements, among them one of the oldest wooden wheels with an axle ever found, a discovery from the marsh that has made the city's prehistory known across Europe. The next chapter is Roman. The colony of Emona, founded in the early first century, lay on the left bank of the river, and the museum displays inscriptions, sculptures, jewellery, coins and everyday objects from it. Medieval and early modern Ljubljana follow, with models of the city, weapons, guild objects, furniture and works of art, and the later sections trace the effects of the Habsburg period, the earthquake of 1895 and the changes of the twentieth century.

The building itself is part of the experience. In the basement, the remains of the Roman road of Emona have been preserved in situ, and visitors can walk along the ancient paving and see the layers of the later town above it. The Emona archaeological park, a series of Roman remains scattered around the modern centre, can be explored on a trail that the museum helps to interpret. The museum also keeps a memorial room devoted to the writer Ivan Cankar, who lived in Ljubljana, and it stages temporary exhibitions on subjects from art and photography to social history, so what is on view varies through the year, and it is worth checking the current programme.

The museum suits history lovers, families with older children and anyone who wants a framework for the city before walking its streets. A visit takes about an hour and a half. Because it stands in the old centre, it combines naturally with the castle, the cathedral, the market and the bridges, and it is a good option on a wet day.