From Liberation to Independence

Loka Region from 1945 to 1991

Castle Gallery and Permanent Collections
24 November 2021–25 September 2022

Exhibition curators: Petra Čeh, Biljana Ristić (head curator), Sara Šifrar Krajnik, Jože Štukl

Between 1945 and 1991, the town of Škofja Loka with the Selca and Poljane Valleys, and the Žiri Basin were part of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia and thus also part of one of the federal socialist republics forming Yugoslavia. Over the 46 years of its existence, Yugoslavia left its imprint on various areas of local economic, social and cultural life. Within the Yugoslav state, the Škofja Loka area changed, developed, grew and progressed.  

Using a variety of different topics, the exhibition outlines the characteristics and complexity of the life in a multinational state and the then socialist society. The topics are multi-layered and presented through various media (sound, video, objects, photographs), thus providing viewers with revealing insights into the period in question. Information about the national and local history is complemented with details about the everyday life, economic development with the shock labour spirit, agricultural features with technological progress, the role and position of the army and armaments with information about Yugoslavia’s state of affairs in different periods. Culture, which permeated all aspects of life at the time, is further illuminated through a dialogue with history.   

A select few chapters are presented in the Škofja Loka Museum’s permanent collections. The Crop Farming and Animal Husbandry collection now also covers the characteristics of agriculture in Yugoslavia (and the Škofja Loka area). The Škofja Loka Seigniory collection has been supplemented with a presentation of Škofja Loka’s millennial anniversary celebrations in 1973. Childhood during the time of Yugoslavia is presented as part of the Sports Collection. The chapter on the youth music scene in the Škofja Loka area is featured in the Museum Living Room