Širčeva Homestead – the birthplace of creativity and historical memory
In the heart of Žalec, on Šlandrov trg, stands a building that is far more than a 17th‑century architectural relic. The Širčeva Homestead, bearing the year 1669 in its historical fabric, is a place where personal stories intertwine with collective memory, where art meets history, and where local identity connects with the broader Slovenian cultural sphere. As the birthplace of composer Friderik Širca – better known by his artistic name Risto Savin – it has become a symbol of creativity that transcends time and place.
Risto Savin, born on 11 July 1859, is one of those Slovenian artists whose life followed an unusual path. His career in the Austro‑Hungarian army, where he rose to the rank of major general, would alone be enough to secure him a place in history. Yet Savin was more than a soldier. He was a pioneer who brought Slovenian music into the modernist currents of Europe, a composer who, with his opera The Last Watch (1904), laid the foundations of modern Slovenian opera. In him, the discipline of military life met the daring spirit of artistic exploration – a rare combination that produced an extraordinary creative legacy.
On the 150th anniversary of his birth, Žalec hosted scholars and experts in 2009 who once again illuminated Savin’s dual identity: military and artistic. It is precisely this duality that makes him so compelling and significant. In his life story, one can sense the history of a nation that has long sought balance between survival and creativity, between tradition and modernity.
The Širčeva Homestead underwent a thorough renovation in 1972, but the restoration was more than a technical intervention. It was an act of respect for the past and a conscious decision to give the house a new role. Today, it houses the Risto Savin Memorial Room, which immerses visitors in the era in which the composer lived – a time when Slovenian music was searching for its identity, when European artistic movements were shifting, and when Savin was setting new standards with his work.
Yet the homestead is not merely a museum. It also hosts the Gallery of Savinja Region Artists and the Dore Klemenčič – Maj Gallery. With this, the house has become a living organism, a cultural hub that connects past and present. It is a place where generations of creators, visitors, researchers, and art lovers meet. The space that once gave life to one of Slovenia’s most important composers now gives room to new voices, new expressions, and new stories.
The Širčeva Homestead is therefore not only the birthplace of Risto Savin. It is a symbol of cultural continuity, a reminder that heritage is preserved not only by protecting walls but by keeping their meaning alive. It shows that history does not end with the life of an individual but continues in the community that knows how to value its creators. And it invites us into a space where past and present engage in a creative dialogue – a space that still breathes with Savin’s spirit.