This year's European Heritage Days in Slovenia will be dedicated to Primož Trubar, marking the 500th anniversary of birth of this Protestant reformer who wrote and published the first Slovenian book in 1550. The opening ceremony dubbed "Primož Trubar and His Time" will be held on Saturday in his hometown Raščica.

The activities on the estate where Trubar was born will start early in the afternoon featuring workshops, tours across Raščica and Trubar's estate, activities for children and the openings of several exhibitions.

Numerous events dedicated to Trubar's life and work will be organised in and around Slovenia. The highlights in Ljubljana include the exhibitions "Primus, 1508-1586, Primož Trubar" at the City Museum and "Koga briga knjiga?" (Who Cares About Books?) at the National Archive.

Kamnik will host two exhibitions on Protestantism and Trubar, while Krško will also pay tribute to two other important Protestants, Jurij Dalmatin, who translated the Bible in 1584, and Adam Bohorič, who wrote the first Slovenian book of grammar.

In Murska Sobota and Velenje, exhibitions will deal with various aspects of Trubar's life and work. The Slovenian minority in Italy will honour the European Heritage Days with an exhibition entitled "Vsem Slovencem" (To All Slovenians) in Cividale del Friuli, near Udine.

In a church near Laško, a concert of Gregorian and Lutheran chants will be held, while a concert at Turjak Castle will feature mezzosoprano Barbara Jernejčič. Vocal group Erato will perform at Škofja Loka Castle.

In addition, creative workshops, lectures and various cultural events dealing with Trubar and his time will take place across the country.

The European Heritage Days, a traditional event sponsored by the Council of Europe and the European Commission, run in 49 European countries across Europe. This year's novelty is the forum on European cultural heritage, which will be held in Brussels from 23 to 24 October.

In Slovenia, the event is organised by the National Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage and runs in 40 cities and towns across the country. Last year, European Heritage Days were dedicated to architect Jože Plečnik, marking the 135th anniversary of his birth and the 50th anniversary of his death.

Source: STA