Pleterje Open-Air Museum

A working farmstead dating back to 1833.

Our home is located in a beautiful valley at the foot of the Gorjanci Mountains, where the spirit of our ancestors’ past still lives on in the quiet.

Nestled in a fairy-tale forest stand wooden cottages with thatched roofs, complemented by farm buildings—a barn, a pigsty with an outhouse, a fruit drying shed, a wooden well, and a hayrack. A babbling brook winds its way past young willows that bend their branches and mysteriously shroud our little estate. Here, life is still lively and vibrant. This is thanks to the friendly animal residents of the mysterious farmstead: the dog Lev, the dog Matilda, the piglet Pepe, the goats Broomhilda, Rozi, and the little billy goat Hugo, the cats Nero and Mu, the ferrets Vinko and Lenčka, and many other animals who write the cheerful stories of everyday life. In their company, there is never a dull moment. They cheerfully welcome guests who come to visit to discover a piece of those values that are today almost forgotten or lost: love, simplicity, kindness, honesty, and playfulness.

The Pleterje Open-Air Museum is a remarkable gem showcasing examples of traditional folk architecture in the Dolenjska region and was established with the aim of preserving endangered indigenous wooden structures from the past.

Animals on the Farm

Do you have small children? Do you live in an apartment and don’t have room for animals? Then be sure to visit our farm, which has become a home to many real animals.  Here, your children will be able to get up close and personal with goats, chickens, rabbits, dogs, cats, ferrets, and all the other animals, which they can also pet and play with.

Animals and agriculture have been closely linked since ancient times. People raised animals for food, clothing, footwear, medicine, and items for specific tasks. Animal manure was used to make the soil more fertile. Horses and oxen were used to pull heavy loads.

On some old farms, people and animals literally lived side by side in the same room. Usually, however, animals were housed in separate barns and stables. In the spring, the animals grazed outside in the meadows or on the common land.

The animals on the farm are friendly and used to being around children.