About us
Who we are?
Program team
dr. Sonja Bezjak, director, sonja.bezjak@muzejnorosti.eu
dr. Reinhard Padinger, secretary, reinhard.padinger@muzejnorosti.eu
Darja Farasin, president of the council, darja.farasin@muzejnorosti.eu
Elias Dorner, elias.dorner@muzejnorosti.eu
Petra Leschanz, petra.leschanz@muzejnorosti.eu
Boris Bezjak, boris.bezjak@muzejnorosti.eu
Jože Žižek, joze.zizek@muzejnorosti.eu
Monika Bezjak, monika.bezjak@muzejnorosti.eu
Andreja Divjak, andreja.divjak@muzejnorosti.eu
Mag. Saša Bezjak, academic painter and prof. art pedagogy
Metka Lampret, head of the reading club
Marta Cvajdik, gymnastics and handicrafts
Institute Council
Darja Farasin, president
dr. Igor Sapač, vice-president
dr. Vito Flaker, member
dr. Rajko Muršič, member
Elias Dorner, member
Barbara Kotnik, member
Employees
Barbara Kotnik, activity coordinator and curator educator, barbara.kotnik@muzejnorosti.eu
External team members
M BIRO, poslovno svetovanje in druge storitve. d. o. o., Slovenska Bistrica.
Support us
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Mission
The Museum of Madness strives to create a comprehensive representation of the phenomenon of madness that will be accessible and relevant to individuals and groups at both the professional and layperson levels, with the ultimate goal of broadening the concept, bringing it up to date, removing tabus, and detaching it from the process of institutionalisation. We work closely with Slovenian organisations in this field as well as similar organisations and institutions across Europe and worldwide.
Through the Museum of Madness we strive to preserve and revitalise Castle Cmurek, the building in which the State Asylum for the Mentally and Neurologically Ill at Hrastovec – Trate operated for decades, thus contributing, we hope, to the ongoing process of de-institutionalising mental illness in Slovenia.
Vision
In line with our mission, the Museum of Madness aims to create a full-spectrum cultural, professional, social and tourist centre. We aim to revive the cultural and natural heritage of the surroundings of Castle Cmurek, incentivize the potential of the local community, and integrate our work into the wider region, regardless of the national border nearby. In doing so, we respect the principles of sustainable development and care for the environment.
History
The earliest mention of Castle Crumb dates to the 12th century. The Styrian Stubenberg family governed the castle from 1401 to 1931.
In the brief period between the First and Second World Wars the owner of the castle was Anton Mally. Following World War II the Yugoslav government nationalized the castle and established a State Asylum for the Mentally and Neurologically Ill.
In 2004 the government closed the asylum on the premise that such institutions are inhumane. This was the first such facility that the Slovene government closed as part of a larger program of deinstitutionalization. We have repurposed it as a place of memory.
Recognitions
Recognition by local community Velka
The Museum of Madness institute, 2022
Moja Mura Alliance
Darja Farasin, Boris Bezjak and Sonja Bezjak for cooperation for preservation of a free-flowing Mura river
Zarja magazine, Woman of the Year nomination
dr. Sonja Bezjak, director of the Museum of Madness, 2018
Recognition by local community Velka
The Museum of Madness institute, 2016
Recognition by KUD Gabrijel Kolbič for cooperation
The Museum of Madness institute, 2016
Recognition by Fishery Association of Slovenia
Boris Bezjak, for the Mysterious World of the Mura river exhibition, 2014