Alma’s House

This is also true for the Grmada and Celjska koča hills near Celje. When taking the right hiking trail, you can follow 183 high steps to reach the Pečovnik House where Alma M. Karlin lived with her girlfriend Thea at the end of her exciting life. In 1919, at the age of twenty, something that she called a powerful force encouraged her to go travelling around the globe for eight years. Following the example of Christopher Columbus, she travelled to all the continents, except Antarctica, completely on her own. Along the way, she spent her time writing, translating and teaching. As a woman travelling without money in early 20^th century, she often found herself in uneasy and dangerous situations. She stood face to face with the cannibals in Papua New Guinea, where hardly any European, let alone a European lady, had ever gone before. Eight years later and full of impressions, she got off the train at the station of her hometown Celje with her suitcase in one hand and her Erika typewriter in the other.

Where Thea and Alma once planted those exotic seeds that the latter brought from her world travels, today a soft green lawn grows, and a tree rises near the house. Existing since the 19^th century, this house is used as a memorial museum today. The exhibition called Alma M. Karlin’s Lonely Journey presents different life spans of her as a traveler, polyglot and theosophist, from whom even in today’s world one can learn about freedom of thought and openness. At the Celje Regional Museum, you can see another exhibition called Paths of Alma M. Karlin.

In case of bed weather, the house is closed. Outside the opening hours it is open by prior arrangement and payment at TIC Celje:

+386 (0)3 42 87 936 or

tic.celje@celje.si

Free of charge.