The Eco-Museum of Hop-Growing and Brewing Industry in Slovenia opened its doors to the public in November 2009. It is an important tourist asset for the entire Lower Savinja Valley, considering the fact that the tradition of hop-growing and brewing has been ongoing in this region since 1876.
The central museum, located on the premises of a former hop-drying facility, has four storeys. There, the visitor can learn about the food, garments, traditions, and numerous hop-related products and tools for the growing and processing hops. The collection was made with the help of families whose lives are connected to hop-growing. They have provided documentation, photographs, and memories. The name Eco-Museum thus derives from the tight bond between the environment and the people of the region.
The central Eco-Museum offers several Entry Information Points in all the municipalities of the Lower Savinja Valley: Braslovče, Polzela, Prebold, Tabor, Vransko, and Žalec. Every point is presented individually and displays comprehensive information about the Eco-Museum.
Various events accompany and illustrate the hop-growing tradition and local folklore: the setting up of hop poles, the hop-growers’ day, the election of the hop princess and the hop elder, the beginning of the hop-picking season, hop-picking in the traditional way, the hop trail hike, and the hop-growers’ feast.
You can visit the Eco-Museum individually or in a group, buy a souvenir in the museum shop, and later visit the beer tasting room to taste the house beer Kukec – Savinja Valley Beer or try the customary hop-pickers’ lunch.
This year novelty is 360 degrees virtual reality movie named »Green Gold experience« which really puts you in a shoes of hop picker.
