Technical Museum of Slovenia Collections

On the ground floor, adjacent to the chapel, stands the permanent exhibition “Caution, electricity!”. The central part is represented by important historical exhibit pieces from three power plants, built in the early beginnings of electrification of Slovenia. The oldest exhibited pieces are the switchboard and the generator from the hydroelectric power plant in Jelendol near Tržič, erected in 1895 by Julij Born, the owner of the local forests and the Puterhof mansion. The power plant, which was used to drive the sawmill and for illumination of the manor, operated until 1956. The most of the exhibition’s space is taken up by the steam engine and generator from the Mestna erlektrarna Ljubljana (Ljubljana power plant). This power plant started operating on January 1, 1898 and was the largest public power plant of the time in this area.
A special gem for visitors is the stunningly well preserved equipment of the small hydroelectric power plant Bistra, built in 1911 by its then owner Franc Galle. Ever since TMS took over, this power plant was frequently renovated and thanks to that it is still fully functional. A historical overview of the construction of power plants on Slovenian territory from the beginning to the present day is presented in four short films.
The key phenomena from the field of electricity and magnetism, necessary for a basic understanding of how electricity is generated, are explained by interactive experiments equipped with witty illustrations. Also, you will find a brief presentation of six important individuals and their discoveries that contributed to the development of electrification as we know it today.

We invite you to join us on a virtual walk through the exhibition.