As part of events on the occasion of Slovenia's Presidency to the European Union, the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia is putting on an exhibition entitled Carniolan Provincial Privileges 1338–1736. The exhibition will be open between 3 April and 4 May 2008, with the majority of the exhibition being staged at the Narodni dom Gallery of the National Gallery of Slovenia in Ljubljana, and a part also on show in the Pentagonal Tower of Ljubljana Castle.
The exhibition will showcase original parchment documents and printed privileges (handbindings) of provincial princes, by which rights and privileges were granted to Carniolan nobility and later the provincial estates in Carniola, (Windic) March and Metlika, as well as Istria. These privileges represent the very beginning of the constitution of the provincial estates.
“Estate” privileges were granted through inheritance, and the provincial prince was required to pledge his respect for the provincial privileges gained up to that time. The verbal acceptance was followed up in written form, which will be on view in the exhibition in individual glass cases.
The exhibition will be supplemented by images of provincial princes, as well as the throne upon which sat Austrian Archduke Karl II. when he was granted the Carniolan provincial estates through inheritance in 1564 in Ljubljana.
The authors of the exhibition, Dr. Andrej Nared and Jure Volčjak, have also compiled a visually and otherwise interesting catalogue which presents the development of Carniola and its provincial estates, further Carniolan provincial privileges (handbindings) 1338–1736, two basic privileges from 1338 and 1365 have also been published and translated, with the catalogue part presenting the registers of the exhibited documents and their depiction.
An exhibition of the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia
Co-organized by
National Gallery of Slovenia, Festival Ljubljana
Authors
Andrej Nared, Jure Volčjak
Layout
Dane Petek
Translation
Alenka Hren
Project coordination
Mojca Jenko, NG
Andrej Nared, Jure Volčjak, ARS
Technical support
Jože Raspet
Original exhibits by
Archives of the Republic of Slovenia, National Gallery of Slovenia, National Museum of Slovenia
Reproductions
Mladinska knjiga založba archive; Archives of the Republic of Slovenia (Milan Bizjak, Peter Hribar); Kärntner Landesarchiv; National Gallery of Slovenia (Bojan Salaj); National Museum of Slovenia (Tomaž Lauko); Österreichische Nationalbibliothek; Österreichisches Staatsarchiv/Haus-, Hof- und Staatsarchiv
3 April–4 May 2008
Narodni dom Gallery
Cankarjeva 20
1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia
Part of the exhibition will be on display at the Pentagonal Tower of Ljubljana Castle between 3–29 April 2008.