"There Stands Bled Castle!"
On 21 May 2026, the National Museum of Slovenia and the Bled Culture Institute Open a Long-Awaited New Permanent Exhibition at Bled Castle,The first part of the new permanent exhibition at Bled Castle, dedicated to the archaeology of Bled and its surroundings, has already been on display since spring 2025.
Lake Bled
There stands, there stands Bled Castle high,
The mountains stand on every side,
Below the castle lies the lake,
Guarded by villages and hills alike.
These verses are from the poem "Lake Bled", written in 1854 by Karel Dežman, one of the most prominent figures in the history of the Provincial Museum of Carniola, today’s National Museum of Slovenia. The story begins with the history of the National Museum of Slovenia, whose professional team has been responsible for the permanent exhibition at Bled Castle, managed by the Bled Culture Institute, for decades. The initiative was first proposed by Dr Jože Kastelic, then Director of the museum, who envisioned the castle as a museum.
Dr Mateja Kos Zabel, Director of the National Museum of Slovenia:
“Kastelic’s vision became a reality in 1957 with the opening of an exhibition on castle residential culture, for which the museum contributed furniture and objects from its extensive decorative arts collection. Architect Anton Bitenc played a decisive role in both implementing this concept and restoring the building. Today, we are presenting the second part of the permanent exhibition, which completes the story of the castle as a place that fulfilled many roles throughout history: administrative, judicial, economic, and cultural. It was also a centre of taste and fashion. In this way, we have established a clear narrative thread that guides visitors from the earliest settlement of the castle area through its historical significance and into the present day.”
The Director also emphasized that the permanent exhibition could only be realized through close cooperation with the Bled Culture Institute.
Mag. Lea Ferjan, Director of the Bled Culture Institute:
“The oldest castle in Slovenia is not only one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks but also a place where visitors step into a story spanning more than a thousand years of the Bled region, the Slovenian cultural space, and European history. The castle’s exhibitions and programmes are designed to engage different generations, making it an excellent destination for families. In recent years, through cooperation, mutual respect, and a shared search for solutions, we have successfully carried out renovations and enhanced the castle’s content to inspire visitors to explore Bled Castle and learn about life between the two Sava rivers through a diverse range of experiences in various castle spaces. An excellent example of such cooperation is the permanent exhibition "There Stands Bled Castle", which we created together with the National Museum of Slovenia.”
The Castle as a Centre of Economic, Administrative, and Social Power
On the first floor of the exhibition space, the museum narrative focuses on the castle as a centre of economic and social power. It presents the relationship between the lords of Bled and their subjects while also offering a glimpse into the private lives of the castle’s noble residents.
Following the archaeological presentation of Bled and its surroundings in the first part of the permanent exhibition, the second part explores the many roles Bled Castle has played throughout history and introduces several notable historical figures associated with it.
A unique feature of Bled Castle within Slovenia is that it remained under the ownership of a single institution, the Diocese of Brixen, for nearly eight centuries. A new chapter in Bled’s history began when King Henry II granted the estate to Bishop Albuin.
The team of experts from the National Museum of Slovenia faced the challenge of authentically portraying life at the castle throughout the medieval and early modern periods. Every detail was carefully considered in the creation of the figures of Bishop Albuin, King Henry II, and a scribe, designed and produced by UTOPIA FILM Studio.
Dr Alenka Miškec, Project Leader, National Museum of Slovenia:
“The creation of the figures, their clothing, and accessories was a very slow process, as every detail had to be carefully verified. The greatest challenge was reconstructing Bishop Albuin and King Henry II, particularly the scene depicting the donation charter at the beginning of the 11th century. There are very few visual sources from that period that can serve as reliable references, and the existing depictions are often highly stylized. With Bishop Albuin, every element required careful consideration, from the mitre, which differed significantly in the 11th century from those of later periods or today, to the alb, which at that time did not feature lace but was richly decorated with gold-thread embroidery. There were many such details. In reconstructing the appearance of King Henry II, we relied primarily on two exhibition catalogues about his life, published in 2002 and 2025. We based our work largely on the depiction of Henry II featured on the cover of the 2002 catalogue, as well as several contemporary representations. The figure of the scribe was somewhat easier to create, as the clothing of educated men from the late 17th century is much better documented.”
