Opening of the Banka Slovenije museum
Like Slovenia itself, this year sees Banka Slovenije celebrate the 30th anniversary of its founding. To mark the occasion, Banka Slovenije is opening a museum. The Banka Slovenije museum was officially opened in a ceremony attended by President Borut Pahor and Governor Boštjan Vasle. The museum aims to showcase the central bank’s key tasks, and its impact on everyday life and the daily decisions made by individuals. The governor and the president both took the opportunity to highlight some important milestones in the country’s history, in which Banka Slovenije has played an important role. With an eye on the challenges that lie ahead, they both emphasised the need for better financial education for children and young people, in which the newly opened Banka Slovenije museum aims to play its part.
The museum is aimed first and foremost at children and young people, but boasts enough informative and interesting content to be attractive to all generations. Using educational games and interactive exhibits, Banka Slovenije hopes to make visitors more familiar with the work of the central bank, and to give them a chance to learn about its history. Visitors to the museum can learn about the key milestones in Banka Slovenije’s story, with a focus on the tolar as Slovenia’s first national currency. They can learn about the role of gold in central banking, and handle a genuine gold bar, learn how to tell genuine banknotes from counterfeits, see how euro coins differ in each country of the Eurosystem, discover how damaged and worn-out banknotes are destroyed, be photographed with two million euros, and learn why low inflation is important and even test themselves at managing price stability.
“I congratulate Banka Slovenije for the splendid idea of setting up a museum to mark the wonderful jubilee of the bank and the country, and for giving the public the chance to learn about what you do, which I am sure will have great appeal,” said President Pahor in his address to mark the occasion. He reiterated that the establishment of Banka Slovenije was a crucial decision in the creation of an independent state, and noted that this was a time of bold and far-reaching decisions, which were taken despite the political, economic, financial and human risks. “When now we look back at those decisions, we should be proud of the intuition that was such a feature of the times and the people, in addition to knowledge, wisdom and courage,” said the president.
As the first visitor to the Banka Slovenije museum, he also received a medal, which was issued by Banka Slovenije to mark the 30th anniversary of its founding, and which will be on sale in the second half of the year.
In his welcoming address Mr Vasle said: “Looking back at the last 30 years gives us the opportunity to see that we have materially contributed to the development of the country, and have been a part of numerous significant milestones for Slovenia.” He particularly emphasised the importance of financial literacy, which central banks, including Banka Slovenije, are increasingly seeing as one of their key responsibilities. “In this context I hope the Banka Slovenije museum will attract plenty of the young and curious, and also older visitors who are interested in our work, and particularly in the impact our decisions have on the lives of individuals,” he said.
The museum is now open, and is complying with all current restrictions and requirements in connection with Covid-19. Entrance is free of charge, but needs to be arranged for groups in advance.
