The production and processing of metals on Slovenian soil has a
very wide-ranging history. The roots of this rich tradition date back five
millennia into the past, all the way back to the time of the pile-dwellers at
the Ljubljana Marshes. Metallurgical activities eventually grew into one of the
most important as well as most prosperous industries in Slovenia. This is,
after all, still true today, as evidenced by their share in the national
budget, internationally recognizable products of local industry,
ground-breaking technical innovations and research achievements.
In order to draw attention to the often-overlooked role of
metallurgy in the public, colleagues at the National Museum of Slovenia and the
Department of Materials and Metallurgy of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and
Engineering in Ljubljana joined forces on the occasion of the 100th anniversary
of the University of Ljubljana. The aim of the exhibition project The Song
of Metal is to draw attention to the rich technical heritage, which is
unfortunately not known well enough, and which has been systematically
collected by the National Museum of Slovenia over almost two centuries of the
institution’s existence. At the same time, cutting-edge knowledge gathered
under the auspices of the University of Ljubljana, where metallurgy has
established itself as one of the oldest courses of study, is also presented.
The colourful exhibition layout is upgraded with the sample products by
leading Slovenian companies that compete on the fiercely competitive
international market with great success – for example, in the automotive
industry and even space technologies.
Author of the banner photo: Jaka Ivanc