Matjaž Grahornik is a researcher at the Milko Kos Historical Institute of the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU), where he focuses on early modern history (16th–18th centuries). He holds a PhD in Historical Sciences from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor. His research focuses primarily on the study of landownership and the social structure of the province of Styria within the former Habsburg Monarchy. He regularly works with archival sources; in addition to Slovenian institutions, he also conducts research in Austrian archives, particularly in Graz and Vienna.
Matjaž Grahornik's main area of research is the history of the province of Styria in the 17th and 18th centuries, with particular emphasis on the social and landownership aspects of that period. He pays particular attention to the study of the nobility in present-day Slovenia, especially in the area of Lower Styria, and to the role of noble families in the political, economic, and social life of that time. His work is based primarily on archival sources, particularly probate inventories as well as other administrative and ecclesiastical records.
In his research, he employs interdisciplinary and comparative approaches, including the transcription and analysis of archival sources, the inventorying of cultural heritage, and participation in national research projects. An important part of his research work has been a postdoctoral project on early modern noble probate inventories in the Landesarchiv in Graz and a basic project on modern-era parish chronicles in Styria.
His most important achievements include scholarly articles published in renowned Slovenian humanities journals and chapters in scientific monographs issued by Založba ZRC. As part of his research work, he collaborates with various institutions in Slovenia and Austria. His future research will focus on an in-depth study of noble probate inventories and modern-era parish chronicles, as well as on participation in broader international research projects.
Demografska in zemljiškoposestna podoba Dravskega polja v drugi polovici 17. stoletja [Demographic and Landownership Relations in the Dravsko polje Plain During Second Half of the 17th Century], Matjaž Grahornik. 2015. Maribor: Matjaž Grahornik.
Šola Dobrovce: zbornik ob 120-letnici šolske zgradbe v Dobrovcah [The Dobravce School: 120 Years of the School Building in Dobravce Miscellany], Matjaž Grahornik. 2015. Miklavž na Dravskem polju: Občina Miklavž na Dravskem polju.
Genealogija rodbine Glaser oziroma Glazer [Geneaelogy of the Glaser/Glazer Family], Matjaž Grahornik. 2015.
Prispevki k starejši zgodovini Miklavža na Dravskem polju do konca 16. stoletja [Contributions to the Older History of the Dravsko polje Plain Until the End of the 16th Century], Matjaž Grahornik. 2010.
- Probate inventories of Styrian social elites in the early modern period (postdoctoral research project • November 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025)
- Epidemics and healthcare in interaction. Epidemics as a public health problem in Slovenian territory from plague epidemics to the 20th century (fundamental research project • October 1, 2021 - September 30, 2025)
- Latin and German Chronicles in Slovenia (fundamental research project • September 1, 2020 - October 31, 2024)
- Izidor Cankar Award from the Slovenian Art History Society to the authors and editors of the monograph Dvorec Betnava (Založba ZRC, 2018) for in-depth multidisciplinary research on the history of the Betnava mansion, 2019.
- ARIS Award for Excellence in Science 2025 to the authors and editors of the monograph Epidemije in zdravstvo: zgodovinski pregled (Epidemics and Healthcare: A Historical Perspective; Založba ZRC, 2024).
- Member of the editorial board of the journal Kronika.
- Member of the administrative board of the Miklavž na Dravskem polju Tourist Association.
- Member of the administrative board of Lira – Association for Development.
- 2019 – Stipendien der Stipendienstiftung der Republik Österreich (Vienna, Austria, July–October 2019) Project: Zur Genealogie eines (steierischen) Adelsgeschlecht: Die Familie Herberstein. Mentor: Unv. Prof. Mag. Dr. Marija Wakounig.
- 2020 – Dr. Bojan Erhatič Scholarship, ZRC SAZU.