Slovenj Gradec - A City Surrounded by Art

Slovenj Gradec is a lively connection to the past and the wealth of cultural heritage, forming the foundation of its cultural development and central element of its local identity, even in the present time. It lies between the silent echo of the most famous episode in medieval history, embodied by the artistic treasures of the town parish church, dedicated in 1251 to St. Elizabeth, the Hungarian princess and Thuringian duchess, protector of the poor and beggars. The town also pays respectful homage to the internationally renowned composer Hugo Wolf, the unrivaled master of late romantic art song, born in 1860 in a house on the central square of Slovenj Gradec.

The artistic tradition of medieval woodcarvers and Baroque masters has flowed into the internationally renowned activity of the Gallery of Fine Arts, which, especially through events under the patronage of the United Nations, has firmly established Slovenj Gradec far beyond the borders of its homeland and permanently marked it as a city of peace and international communication. The crowning achievement of these efforts is a document through which in 1989, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Pérez de Cuéllar, included Slovenj Gradec among the honorary recipients of the title Messenger of Peace.