The Situlae Festival, organised by the Dolenjski Museum Novo Mesto, has received recognition as an example of good practice in contemporary cultural and artistic creativity at the 15th Advisory Forum on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe. The recognition was awarded as part of the Iron Age Danube Route, which connects areas with a rich Iron Age heritage across the wider Danube region.
The Situlae Festival is a festival celebrating prehistoric life and cuisine, organised by the Dolenjski Museum Novo Mesto since 2016. Over the years, it has developed into a distinctive way of presenting Iron Age heritage through experiences that bring together archaeology, culture, art, cuisine, traditional crafts and creativity.
What makes the festival special is that it does not present heritage solely through museum objects and expert content, but brings it closer to visitors through direct experience. Reconstructions of Iron Age life, traditional crafts, culinary activities, creative workshops and an artistic programme allow visitors to encounter Novo Mesto’s rich heritage in a contemporary, accessible and engaging way.
The recognition highlights precisely this approach – demonstrating how rich archaeological heritage can be connected with contemporary cultural and artistic creativity while actively involving the local community and visitors. The Situlae Festival therefore represents an important example of contemporary interpretation of Europe’s shared Iron Age heritage.
Novo Mesto has a particularly important place in this context. As many as 16 bronze situlae have been discovered in the area of the city, nine of them decorated with figural scenes. This represents one of the largest concentrations of Iron Age situlae in Europe. Situlae are therefore one of the most recognisable symbols of Novo Mesto’s archaeological heritage and an important part of its cultural identity.
The recognition was presented to the Dolenjski Museum at the 15th annual Advisory Forum on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (15th Advisory Forum on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe), held in Yerevan from 23 to 25 September 2026. The forum provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge, experience and good practices in the field of cultural routes and the preservation and presentation of European heritage.
The Situlae Festival has thus gained recognition at a wider European level as an example of how archaeological heritage can inspire contemporary creativity, bring communities together and create new experiences for visitors.
