Technical Museum of Slovenia Collections

Aquafarming has a rich history as fish were an important fasting food. So nearly each mansion or monastery had its own pond. At the end of the 19th century, when the waters were already affected by pollution, they began to engage more seriously in salmonid aquaculture on Slovenian territory, following the example of neighbouring countries. Visitors can view the technology of breeding salmonid fish species in a separate room. The first hatchery was supposedly arranged in 1876 in Fürštov rovt near Idrija. Much attention was paid to the artificial breeding of fish by the Carniola Fishermen’s Association, which arranged the first hatchery at Rakovnik near Ljubljana in 1881. Then followed the fish farms in Maribor and Celje, and in 1921 the Aquaculture Institute in Bohinjska Bistrica was established. Aquaculture activity expanded after World War II.
Today, fishermen invest millions of juvenile fish raised in fish farms and streams every year, thus mitigating the consequences of pollution of Slovenian waters.
A special place is also dedicated to Professor Ivan Franke, a renowned fisheries expert, the father of Slovenian fishing and a pioneer of Slovenian aquaculture.