About the House Museum Nerd:
House museum blog isn’t a project.
It’s a path.
A path through walls, words, objects, and silences.
And if someone finds themselves in those spaces –
I guess I’m heading the right way.
Who Is the House Museum Nerd?
Hi, I’m Matjaž Koman— the voice behind House Museum Nerd.
Actor by degree. Puppeteer by heart. Cultural operator by profession.
House museum nerd by soul.
This blog is my personal tribute to house museums – not as buildings, but as spaces filled with stories, absences, textures, and ghosts.
I used to spend my days on stage.
As an actor and director, I worked in theaters across Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia – and to this day, when time allows, I perform as a puppeteer at Gledališče Makarenko.
I had the honor of learning from legendary actors like Anton Petje, Stevo Žigon, and Predrag Ejdus.
They taught me that absence can speak louder than dialogue – a truth I meet again and again in the stillness of house museums.
For the last 10 years, I’ve been the director of the Institute for Tourism and Culture of Žirovnica, managing four of the most iconic house museums in Slovenia:
-
and the Anton Janša’s Apiary.
Every day, I’m inspired by my team: Urška, Janez, Lea, Irena, Urša, Urban, and Petra. Thanks to them, these spaces breathe.
I’m also a third-year PhD student in Heritology at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana.
Under the mentorship of brilliant and reflective scholars – ddr. Verena Vidrih Perko, dr. Jelka Pirkovič, and dr. Nikola Krstović – I research house museum management and their role in preserving collective memory.
And for the soul?
Music.
From Puccini to Lou Reed, from Yo La Tengo to Zdravko Čolić.
My best advice?
Find a great concert abroad – and then visit a house museum nearby.
It works everytime.
House museum nerd
The Ultimate House Museum Guide for Nerds – a personal project exploring the beauty, strangeness and magic of house museums around the world. Matjaž Koman