We celebrate culture twice a year. 3 December is known as 'That Happy Day of Slovene Culture'. On 8 February we have the National Day of Slovene Culture. This day is a national holiday. You don't have to go to school or work; but you can visit all museums, galleries, theaters and other instutitions for free. Both days are linked to our greatest poet France Prešeren.
1. FRANCE PREŠEREN (*3 December 1800 – 8 February 1849)
Prešeren was born on a farm. After he finished the Vienna School of Law, he got a job as a lawyer in Ljubljana. There he wrote most of his poems. He published only one collection of poems called 'Poezije'. His most known poem is 'Zdravljica'. The seventh stanza of this poem is the Slovenian national anthem:
 | * God's blessing on all nations, Who long and work for that bright day, When o'er earth's habitations No war, no Strife shall hold its sway; Who long to see That all men free No more shall foes, but neighbors be. |
* The children liked Prešeren very much. He would always give them money or sweet figs. They gave him a nickname: Doctor Fig.
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| His one true love was Julija. She grew up in a rich family, so they couldn't be together. He wrote her many poems, including a crown of sonnets, but she refused his love. | * What the poet looked like, we will never know. He didn't want to have his picture painted. After he died, one of the poet's daughters described him to an artist who made the painting above. |
2. IVAN CANKAR (*1876 - 1918)
Ivan Cankar was a poet, writer and playwright. He is considered as one of greatest Slovenian artists. He was born in Vrhnika to a poor family. He went to school to Ljubljana and Vienna. He never finished the university, because he became a professional writer.
* When he was 3 years old, the Cankar family house burnt down. Since then, Cankar never in his life had a home; he moved from house to house his entire life.
* The main Slovenian cultural institution is named after him: Cankarjev dom.
3. PRIMOŽ TRUBAR (*1508 - 1586)
Primož Trubar, the father of the first Slovene book, was born into a wealthy peasant family. He was educated in Trieste and Vienna. During the Reformation he became a Protestant priest. Most of his life he spent in exile in Germany, where he is buried. In one of his works he wrote: 'My dear Slovenes!' We say that this was when our nation got its name. |
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4. TONE PAVČEK (*1928 - present)
Tone Pavček is a popular Slovene poet. He is famous for writing children's poetry books. He was born near Mirna Peč, where he started school in Mirna Peč. Soon he moved to Ljubljana, where he did most of his work. Until now he has written 16 books of poems for adults and 30 of them for children.
This year he was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Here is a short poem from the nominated book:
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5. JOŽE PLEČNIK (*1872 - 1957)
Jože Plečnik is our greatest architect. He was born in Ljubljana and studied in Graz and Vienna. As a professor, he worked for 10 years in Praga, where also got a lot of inspiration.
He construsted buildings all over Slovenia, but he did his most important work in Ljubljana:
 Tromostovje (The Triple Bridge) | Križanke (Open Theatre) |
6. IVANA KOBILCA (*1861 - 1926)
Ivana Kobilca was the first Slovenian academic painter. She is famous for her portraits.
 Self portait |  Coffeedrinker |
* She had a lot of problems because she was a woman in a men's profession. She had to hide it, so she always signed her initials: I.K.
7. *ANTON AŽBE (1862 - 1905)
Anton Ažbe is the most important Slovenian painter of the 19th century. He was educated in Zagreb, Vienna and Munich. In Munich he also opened his private art school. As a Realist, he used pure colours. His most famous image is a portrait of a woman 'Zamorka' (English: 'A Gypsy').
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8. RIHARD JAKOPIČ (*1869 – 1943)
He is the most famous Slovenian impressionist. He was born in Ljubljana, but educated in Munich and Vienna. He liked painting nature; he was very careful about the sunlight.
 Rihard Jakopič |  Winter |
* He started the Slovene National Gallery.
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