In 1945 Bistra was declared the National possession and a Technical Museum was founded in 1951.

Bistra was first founded in the 13th century as the Carthusian Monastery. In 1826 the property was bought by a Merchant and Factory owner Franc Galle who had turned the building into a Chateau by removing the last remains of the Monastery. The estate comprised more than 1200 ha of land, four wood saws, a mill and hunting hut.