Mit - Index

Mit - UVK_Sinfo_2008_11_št.15 - Index

NAturALtrails
What is a 'situla', one should ask. The situla is a metal vessel,
often with a lid, developed in Iron Age in the south-east Alps.
Due to the fact that these vessels were ornamented, one can
speak of Situla Art, developed as part of the Etruscan Art with
Oriental and Greek narrative elements. Images are embossed on
the surface and lid, and similar images have been found on belt
buckles, helmets and earrings. The majority of images on situlas
discovered in Slovenia represent a procession of horses, riders
and carriages, as well as feasts, sacrifices and duellings. Images
depict people from various classes of society. Situlas were used
as urns, and the art waned with the decline of Hallstat culture.
At present there are more than 70 situla artworks in Slovenia,
most of them found in the Dolenjska region. The most famous
among them is the 'Vaška situla' from the end of the 6th or the
beginning of the 5th century BC, named after the village VaËe,
where it was found.
FRUItS oF halF a CeNtURy oF WoRk
With the new permanent exhibition at the Dolenjska Museum,
Novo mesto and Slovenia alike have acquired the most complete
overview of archaeological finds from the Early Stone Age to
the Early Middle Ages, giving the city a first-class cultural and
tourist attraction. The exhibition celebrates more than fifty years
of work by the archaeological institutions from Dolenjska and
other Slovene regions, most of all the Dolenjska Museum and
the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia in
Novo mesto. The exhibition displays almost 1900 artefacts, which
represents less than one tenth of all the collected material.
The exhibition is arranged chronologically, displaying human
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presence in the Dolenjska region through time. Three exhibition
rooms are dedicated to the Early Iron Age, but the most important
is the one showing the burial of dukes, and artefacts of broader
European importance. Situlas take the central role, displayed in
burial units. Also on display are two Greek helmets, the only
ones found in Slovenia so far, as well as a rich glass necklace.
The Late Iron Age is represented in one room, representing the
time of the Celts. The exhibits prove that Novo mesto in those
times was one of the most important places in Europe. The
next two rooms allow us to walk through the Roman era in the
Dolenjska region and finally get acquainted with the settlements
of the Slavs.
The Dolenjska Museum in Novo mesto first opened its doors
in 1953 and ever since then the museum workers have
conscientiously collected everything connected with the history
of Novo mesto and the whole Dolenjska region. The late
archaeologist Tone Knez laid the foundations of the collection,
and his work is continued today by the archaeologist Borut
Križ. One can say that the Dolenjska Museum, and especially its
archaeological collection, are today without comparison in the
European cities. The city of Novo mesto is proud to present some
of the most important artefacts of the European archaeological
heritage.
Besides the museum and the Dolenjska Gallery, a visitor to Novo
mesto should also visit other local sites, such as the cathedral
with the famous altar painting by Tintoretto, the Franciscan
monastery with the church, and an extraordinary library, the
Božidar Jakac Gallery, the photo gallery and many others.
Visitors to Novo mesto are especially fond of the raft ride down
the Krka River.