The Forum of Slavic Cultures, in cooperation with the European Museum Academy, the Koper Regional Museum, and the LETS Museum – Literature Trieste, is organising the 17th International Summer School of Museology PIRANOVA, which will take place from 25 to 27 May 2026 at the Koper Regional Museum and conclude with an excursion to Trieste.

The Summer School remains committed to the core values of collaborative learning, knowledge transfer, and international exchange of experience among museum professionals, researchers, curators, and students from around the world. Through lectures, discussions, workshops, and fieldwork, it encourages critical reflection on contemporary museum practice and opens space for new interpretive approaches in cultural heritage.

This year’s theme, Museum Lab No. 1: Interpretation through Words and Technology, explores the relationship between language, interpretation, and contemporary technologies in museums. The programme addresses how museums tell stories about objects, how they communicate the meaning of heritage to visitors, and how digital tools are reshaping modes of communication with audiences.

The programme is available here.

Special attention will be given to the role of language in exhibitions – from exhibition texts and storytelling to multilingualism and the presentation of literary heritage. At the same time, the programme will explore the impact of digital technologies, virtual reality, interactive tools, and multimedia approaches on contemporary museum practices.

The Summer School will feature experts from Slovenia, Italy, the Czech Republic, and other European countries, including Massimo Negri (European Museum Academy), Henrik Zipsane (European Museum Academy), Andreja Rihter (Forum of Slavic Cultures), Laura Diamanti (IULM University / European Museum Academy), Pavel Douša (National Museum of Agriculture Prague), René Capovin (musil – Museum of Industry and Labour of Brescia), Riccardo Cepach and Cristina Fenu (LETS – Letteratura Trieste), Kristjan Sedej (Moderna galerija Ljubljana), Marko Bonin (Koper Regional Museum), Urška Purg (MUZA / ICOM Slovenia), and Matevž Straus (Arctur).

The programme also includes the workshop Words Matter, where participants will explore storytelling and different interpretive approaches in exhibition spaces through an interactive exercise.

The final day will be dedicated to an excursion to Trieste, where participants will visit the LETS Museum – Literature Trieste and take part in a literary walk through one of Europe’s key centres of modernist and multilingual literary heritage.

The call for applications is still open and will close soon. Applications are available here.

Contact: ziva.hanc@fsk.si