»Wherever I go, always and everywhere, I am accompanied by the powerful sound of the Kolpa River, which flows under the Vinica Castle over a damp, and the soft murmur of the Dobreč Well, hidden near Dragatuš in the world’s quietest dale.«
Oton Župančič
In the house, we carefully preserve the memory of one of the most important Slovenian literary artists, Oton Župančič (1878–1949). The noted poet was born in Vinica. From 1880 to 1892, he spent his childhood on the homestead that stood where Župančičev Hram is today. The estate and the straw-covered house in Dragatuš was given to Oton’s mother as a dowry. She and her husband opened a shop and an inn. But the times were hard and the business was not booming; that’s why, they sold the homestead after twelve years and went to look for fortune in Ljubljana with their children – 14-year-old Oton, 11-year-old Otokar and 6-year-old Marica.
In the memorial room, devoted to the great poet, we keep the original of the contract of sale that was signed by Franc Zupančič and Jožef Štefanič in 1892. We will share with you some interesting facts from the poet’s life in Dragatuš. We will also show you two manuscripts: a letter that Župančič sent to the Štefanič family from Ljubljana in 1942 and the poem Sreča skače, vince se preliva (Joy jumps, wine is poured), which was not published in his poetry collections and which he dedicated to a black-eyed barmaid, when he was visiting Dragatuš.
