Art and culture

UNESCO in the Škofja Loka Area

Every six years, the medieval town centre and colourful streets of Škofja Loka become the setting for the Škofja Loka Passion Play, staged in accordance with the directions contained in Europe’s oldest surviving prompt book. The Passion Play joins the lacemaking tradition of the Škofja Loka area on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Škofja Loka Passion Play

The Škofja Loka Passion Play was written in 1721 by Pater Romuald Marušič. The biggest outdoor theatre production in Slovenia, consisting of 13 scenes from Christ’s Passion, is staged every six years in Škofja Loka’s old town centre. Up to 1,000 performers bring to life a baroque spectacle for an audience of more than 20,000 visitors from all over the world. Since 2016, the Škofja Loka Passion Play has appeared on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. A permanent exhibition on the Škofja Loka Passion Play is on view at Loka Museum.

Lacemaking

Thelacemaking tradition in Železniki, Žiri, Škofja Loka and Gorenja Vasdates all the way back to the 17th century. Skilled lacemakers still make lace by hand today, using wooden bobbins around which they wind their threads.Whether featuring floral designs or geometric patterns, bobbin lace makes a unique gift from places where the lacemaking tradition is alive and well and continues to be passed on from generation to generation. In view of its cultural importance, Slovenia’s lacemaking heritage has been inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Capuchin Library

Containing a copy of the Dalmatin Bible, incunabula (books printed before 1500) and many other bibliographic treasures, Škofja Loka’s Capuchin Library is considered one of the most valuable libraries in Slovenia. To visit it, make your way to the Capuchin monastery in Škofja Loka and ring the bell.