Of eleven illuminated manuscripts preserved from the time of the charterhouse , most notable is a transcription of St . Augustine ’ s The City of God from 1347 .
A flair of nobility . Photo Jaka Blasutto .
St . Augustine ’ s De Civitate Dei , National and University Library , The Manuscripts , Ms . 2 .
In the 19th century , the merchant and industrialist Franc Galle 6 bought the Bistra estate and gave it the appearance of a fine manor it has kept to this day . The former monastery cemetery was turned into a park and the house decorated with stylish furniture , paintings and hunting trophies , giving it a sophisticated flair .
After being nationalized at the end of WWII , the Bistra estate was passed over to the national Forestry Institute which prompted the foundation of the Forestry , Woodworking and Hunting Museum . The Technical Museum of Slovenia was established in 1951 , and within two years , the first forestry , woodworking and hunting collections were opened to the public . Today , over 6,000 m2 are dedicated to the display of permanent collections on agriculture , road vehicles , water-powered machinery , forestry , woodworking , wildlife & hunting , fishing , textiles , printing and electrical engineering .
THE AMERICANS IN SLOVENIA AND VICE VERSA
At this point , we will zoom in on some objects from our collections that were either used by or influenced everyday life of Slovenians and are directly or indirectly related to the United States .
Forestry and woodworking collections have the longest standing in our museum . Covering three fifth of its territory , Slovenia can easily be styled the land of forests . In terms of forest density , it is only second to Finland and Sweden in Europe . Two of the major topics addressed by the permanent exhibition are the significance of
forest as a source of energy and its social benefits , especially in modern times .
Sawmilling was an important economic acti- vity already back in the times of the charterhouse which traded in timber . Today , several karst springs of the Bistra river provide perfect natural conditions and scenery for water-powered machinery , such as the veneer and Venetian sawmill .
6 Galle was a reputable Ljubljana bourgeois family involved in different business activities . In 1911 , they built a hydropower plant on their estate in Bistra . Renovated and modernized to maintain its operation , this over 100 years old power plant still generates electrical energy . Enough to fully meet the museum ’ s needs .
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