Ljubljana City Museum

View of the City museum that merges the historic with the contemporary

Project Details

• Project Name: Ljubljana City Museum
• Client: City Museum, Ljubljana
• Location of site: Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Project Type: museum
• Principal Designer/s: Rok Oman, Spela Videcnik
• Design Team: Rok Gerbec, Josip Konstantinovic
• Date of commencement of project: 1998
• Date of completion of project: 2004
• Site Area: 3.500 sqm
• Built-up Area: 2,650 m² (existing building); 790 m² (extension)

The museum follows a spiral iterinary

The Building

The project involved the renovation and extension of the Auersperg Palace, located in the heart of the protected historical city centre. The palace and its site have a rich history dating from the prehistoric period to Roman and medieval times with each era added a newer layer to the building.

View of the back courtyard

The function and use of the palace changed several times over the course of history resulting in the spaces being labyrinthine and disconnected. The existing organization of the floor plan was thus not suitable for accommodating a museum.

View of the interiors of the palace that now form part of the museum

View of cafe within the museum

The competition entry suggested a spiral itinerary for the visitor through the exhibition spaces and proposed the introduction of a new element connecting the wings of the palace.

Credits

• Text: Courtesy, the architect
• Photographs by Tomaz Gregoric courtesy of Ofis Architects
• Compiled and edited by Manish Mehta