National Gallery of Slovenia

The National Gallery of Slovenia, Narodna galerija in Slovene, is the country's main museum of historical art, and it holds the most important collection of painting and sculpture from the Middle Ages to the early twentieth century. It occupies a large building on Prešernova cesta, a short walk from the centre of Ljubljana, which was constructed at the end of the nineteenth century as the home of a cultural association and was later given over to the gallery, while a modern wing was added at the beginning of the twenty-first century, so that old and new architecture stand together. The gallery itself was founded after the First World War, when the Slovene lands became part of a new state, and it has grown through purchases, gifts and transfers from churches and private collections.

The permanent exhibition follows the history of art in the Slovene lands in the context of Europe. It begins with the Middle Ages, represented by painted panels, carved wooden sculptures and fragments of altarpieces from churches across the country, many of high quality, and continues through the Renaissance and the Baroque, when Slovene lands were part of the Habsburg world and artists from Italy and Austria worked here. The Baroque section includes work by Francesco Robba, the sculptor from Venice who settled in Ljubljana and designed the Fountain of the Three Carniolan Rivers, the original of which is kept in the gallery's atrium and has been replaced by a copy in front of the Town Hall, and it is one of the highlights of a visit. Alongside Slovene artists, there are works by Italian, Austrian and Dutch masters, which put the local tradition in context.

The nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are among the strengths of the collection. Slovene painters of the period, including the landscape and portrait artists of the Romantic and realist movements, are well represented, and the gallery's rooms of Slovene Impressionism, with works by Ivan Grohar, Rihard Jakopič, Matija Jama, Matej Sternen and Ivana Kobilca, are a highlight, since they show a golden age in which Slovene painters absorbed European trends and developed a distinctive vision of light and landscape. Grohar's paintings of the Škofja Loka hills and the sower are among the best-known images in the country. The gallery also stages temporary exhibitions, has a library, a shop and a cafe, and offers guided tours and educational programmes.

Opening hours and ticket prices vary, with the gallery generally closed on Mondays and on some public holidays, so check the website before visiting. The gallery is within walking distance of the old town, with the Dragon Bridge, the Butchers' Bridge and the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation nearby, and Ljubljana Castle, Ljubljana Cathedral, Križanke and Congress Square are all close. The Free Walking Tour can provide additional context.