Selšček has around 140 inhabitants. There is a church, there are farms and houses, there is a bus stop and there is a little square with a new water fountain, benches and a table, bike stand and statue. The little village lies, 640 metre high, between the forests on the plateau Menisija, less than thirty kilometres south of Ljubljana. There is one road in Selšček and, despite that it is a main road which connects the Ljubljana Marshes with Cerknica, it is a quiet road.
On the road you could easily pass by Selšček without even noticing it. But that would be a shame because this little village has something unique. You have to pay attention to it. I often didn’t but recently it suddenly caught my eye. The houses in Selšček carry big number signs which have, besides the number, a painting on it. It’s not something new, to see ornamented signs on houses but it is striking when every sign carries the same design, with each time a different painting.
I stopped and soon spotted the two information signs which tell the story behind the paintings of Selšček. With the signs, this little village pays tribute to its most famous inhabitant from the past; Maksim Gaspari who was born here in 1883. It are his paintings which adorn the signs.
Maksim Gaspari was a painter and illustrator most known for his postcards with rural scenes. His work gives us today insight in the way of life in rural Slovenia at the turn of the 19th century. Watching life in Selšček now, it seems not much has changed though.
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