Summer Exhibition Preserving Thoughts

NUK Exhibition Hall

7 July – 9 August 2025

For over 250 years, the National and University Library of Slovenia (NUK) has been committed to providing the Slovenian nation with spiritual wealth and fostering the creation of new knowledge. Through dedicated collection development, NUK has built the national collection of Slovenians (slovenica), a core scholarly collection, and a wide range of special library materials. Today, we preserve over 3,000,000 units of material.

A selection of this diverse and remarkable material is on display in the exhibition hall until 9 August. The exhibited items were chosen by curators of the Manuscript Collection, the Collection of Rare and Early Printed Books, the Music Collection, the Map Collection, the Picture Collection, the Collection of Ephemera and Grey Literature, the Film Collection, and the Collection of Library Materials by Slovenians Abroad.

The exhibition highlights unique and intriguing items such as:

the diary of Josipina Urbančič Turnograjska,
a dedication by Ivan Cankar to Ada Kristan,
a gift edition facsimile of Beethoven’s 6th Symphony,
four once-banned books from the D-collection,
Tractatus insignis De reintegrationo feudorum, bound in manuscript,
a minimalist yet elegant 1673 edition of Schönleben’s Tractatus geminus de mysteriis Dominicae passionis,
a printed tourist map of Slovenia published nearly 30 years ago for promotional use.
A special glimpse into past lifestyles is offered through advertising materials and image collections from Gorenje and Kolinska, fashion catalogues from Alpina, Astibo, Kroja, and Mura, and nostalgic invitations to Bled, Rimske Toplice, and Piran. And yes—we haven't forgotten football either.

The rich, colourful and diverse material in NUK’s collections tells layered, vivid stories:
About the times in which it was created, and the fates it encountered. About the secrets and ideas it preserves. About its owners and past lives. And about us—and those who came before us.

NUK’s collections remain a vital part of the answer to the question: how do we preserve thoughts? The library’s history and its mission are also presented on the walls of the exhibition hall.