The Swiss Alpine Museum in Bern will launch an exhibition on Mount Triglav, the national symbol of Slovenia. Opening on 29 January, the exhibition will feature items, documents, and photographs testifying to the significance of the mountain.

Triglav, at 2,864 metres Slovenia's highest peak, brims with myths, stories, and allegories. According to the Swiss Alpine Museum, the same goes for the Matterhorn in Switzerland, the hosting country of the exhibition Biwak#15 - Triglav.

The main exhibit will be a model of Triglav with the Aljaž Tower on top, a storm shelter on the mountain's summit. The tower has survived countless changes in the political climate. As the museum put it, different leaders throughout history have painted it in their own selected colours to shine on the Slovenian territory.

The exhibition will also feature documents on the political and social aspects of the highest Slovenian peak. Among others, it will outline the background of a mass event which saw hundreds of women climb Triglav. The event has so far taken place 50 times.

Several chronicles of today's mountaineers will also be featured. Perhaps the most famous is that of Franjo Potočnik, who has climbed the mountain a thousand times, and of Janez Gartner, who has worked as a weather observer on Triglav for 38 years.

Today, Triglav is a famous "pilgrimage" destination. There is a saying that one becomes a true Slovenian, when they reach the top of the mountain. Climbers who get to the top for the first time, must hit their behinds three times with their hand or a rope.

The exhibition, which will close 28 March, is a joint effort of the National Museum of Slovenia, the Slovenian Alpine Museum, the Embassy of Slovenia in Bern, Slovenian public broadcaster RTV Slovenia, and the Alpine Association of Slovenia. (STA)