Hribar Villa

In the centre of Cerklje na Gorenjskem stands Hribar Villa, the former summer residence of Ivan Hribar – long-serving Mayor of Ljubljana, diplomat, businessman and one of the most prominent figures in Slovenian history.

In 1886 Ivan Hribar bought what was then the Lukež house and turned it into his favourite summer residence. He entrusted the conversion of the old stone farmhouse to the provincial engineer Jan Vladimír Hráský, who also made his name as a builder of the Ljubljana Opera House and the National Hall (Narodni dom) in Celje. The renovation gave the villa its distinctive appearance, with a richly decorated wooden façade and elements of the Art Nouveau style fashionable at the time.

Hribar liked to return to Cerklje, and at the turn of the 20th century his villa was also a meeting place for members of the intellectual and cultural elite of the day. After his death the building went through various periods and stood largely empty for decades, until the Municipality of Cerklje na Gorenjskem bought it and restored it thoroughly.

At the end of 2025 Hribar Villa came back to life as the municipal museum. Its permanent exhibitions present the life and legacy of Ivan Hribar, the history of Cerklje and the surrounding area, and important periods of Slovenian history. The villa itself is also worth the visit for its architecture, preserved wooden features and the atmosphere of a former bourgeois residence. Restored, Hribar Villa now lives again as a place of history, culture and encounter, keeping alive the memory of a man who left his mark on both Cerklje and the wider Slovenian lands. The museum in Hribar Villa can be visited on a guided tour, booked in advance.