Within the framework of European Capital of Culture, The Museum of Dolenjska will present the urn artistry of Novo mesto with an exhibition of documentary photography and a prestigious monograph on urns from Novo mesto. In the early Iron Age period (8th - 4th century BC), Novo mesto was a large center of population with a large fortified settlement on Marof hill, around which several barrow cemeteries and individual burial mounds have been found. The archaeological excavations, which have been taking place ever since the end of the 19th century, have revealed fifty-three earthen mounds with over thousand studied graves from the early Iron Age, which included a large number of archaeological artifacts. Among them, there are nine bronze urns that represent the height of artistic expression of Iron Age Europe. As an important contribution to global cultural heritage, urns from Novo mesto remind us of the important role Dolenjska region had in the first millennium BC in development of European culture. The urn artists from Novo mesto were among the leading creators in a period when European civilization was only emerging. As the keeper of this important heritage, The Museum of Dolenjska strives to present the public the urns whose aesthetic values still shine after so many centuries, even though they were cast in fragile bronze.
Opening Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: 9.00-17.00; Sunday: 9.00-13.00