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Welcome, dear visitors
Discover the life and work of one of the most important poets in the history of Slovenian literature. Oton Župančič was born in Vinica, a town with a rich history and cultural heritage. On the site where the poet’s birth house once stood, there is now a modern memorial museum.
The Memorial House is currently undergoing a comprehensive renovation as part of the Župančič’s World project. The project is expected to be completed in 2028, when the 150th anniversary of the poet’s birth will be marked nationally as the Year of Oton Župančič. At that time, we will invite you back to Župančič’s Bela Krajina and the world of Ciciban.
Poet, translator, master of words
Poet, playwright and translator Oton Župančič (1878–1949), one of the renowned four authors of Slovenian modernism, ranks among the most important poets in the history of Slovenian literature. At the heart of Župančič’s diverse artistic endeavours stands, without doubt, his outstanding body of poetry. His poems for adults were published in five separate collections – from the decadent Čaša opojnosti (1899) to the dramatic Zimzelen pod snegom (1945) – and also appeared in magazines, anthologies, reprints and translations.
Župančič’s masterful artistic language never addressed connoisseurs alone; it always reached much further and won over even the most demanding audience: children. That is why his pioneering work for children and young people is rightly regarded as a classic: generations have grown up with Pisanice, Mehurčki and the mischievous Ciciban. As Josip Vidmar wrote on the centenary of the poet’s birth, Župančič’s life’s work is “a mighty supporting pillar of our cultural edifice, and it has and will have lasting significance for shaping Slovenian cultural awareness”.
Dr Marijan Dović
Where to start
- Life and Work – the poet’s path from Vinica to Ljubljana.
- Chronology – the four periods of his life.
- Župančič and Bela Krajina – memories of a childhood by the Kolpa river.
- Letters and bibliography – the poet in his own words and works.