Lectarija isn't your usual museum shop. While it does offer many interesting items for sale, it's first and foremost a museum object and work of art in itself, as all of the furnishings - from the large cabinets lining all four walls to the round stone table in the centre to the one-of-a-kind wooden chandelier hanging overhead - are all the work of famed architect Jože Plečnik. Originally opened on Kongresni Trg just prior to the outbreak of WWII, the shop was owned by the Freyer family, selling a variety of traditional Slovene crafts, including beeswax candles and 'Lectar' gingerbread cookies, which is where the name derives from. What's more, the intimate little shop served as a kind of informal meeting place for Slovene artists and intellectuals, who would come to discuss ongoing events whilst munching on cookies and sipping honey liqueur, with Plečnik himself being one of the most frequent visitors.

After the war, the shop was nationalised, and went on to sell different products, with Plečnik's priceless pieces slowly becoming worse for wear as the decades passed. Following Slovene independence, ownership was returned to the Freyer family, who donated all of the furnishings to the Slovene Ethnographic Museum. Now restored to their former glory and once again serving their original purpose, the shop is a must see even if you're not interested in making a purchase. You will be tempted, however, as the antique wooden cabinets contain a treasure trove of unique works from local designers, many of which incorporate elements of the museum's exhibitions, as well as traditional Slovene crafts.