MONDAY, 17 February BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar will attend a meeting of the EU's Foreign Affairs Council and attend an EU Commission donor conference for Albania. BRUSSELS, Belgium - Finance Minister Andrej Bertoncelj will attend a meeting of EU finance ministers dedicated to the winter economic forecast of the European Commission and guidelines for enhancing the economic and monetary union; until 18 February. LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Office will release wage data for December.
TUESDAY, 18 February LJUBLJANA - The National Culture Council, an advisory body, is expected to debate the draft National Culture Programme for 2020-2027, a key strategic document. LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Health Committee will debate Slovenia's preparedness for a possible coronavirus outbreak.
WEDNESDAY, 19 February LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Public Finance Oversight Commission will debate a report on the performance of the fund for the decommissioning of the Krško nuclear power plant in 2018. LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Agriculture, Forestry and Food Committee will discuss the possibilities for increasing the use of geothermal energy in agriculture, tourism and energy generation.
THURSDAY, 20 February BRUSSELS, Belgium - PM Marjan Šarec will attend an EU summit dedicated to the bloc's next seven-year budget; until 21 February. LJUBLJANA - Weekly government session. LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary inquiry into the financing of political parties will interview former Banka Slovenije Governor Boštjan Jazbec. LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary health and infrastructure committees will debate pollution in the central Soča Valley as a result of the co-incineration of waste. VIENNA, Austria - Culture Minister Zoran Poznič will pay a visit to Austria as part of composer Hugo Wolf Year; until 21 February. LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Office will release the consumer confidence index for February.
FRIDAY, 21 February STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar will pay a working visit to Sweden; until 22 February.
SATURDAY, 22 February LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian entrant for the Eurovision song contest will be selected.
SUNDAY, 23 February CERKNICA/PTUJ/CERKNO... - Carnival festivities will draw to a close with processions and costume parties held in cities and towns across Slovenia.
If you're not in town for the week of this guide (17 - 23 February, 2020) then you can see all the editions here, and if there's event or activity you want to promote in a future edition of What's on in Ljubljana please get in touch with me at flanner(at)total-slovenia-news.com or try and find me on Facebook. If you want something a little different and easy to print, then a comprehensive PDF of events for the next seven days, as prepared by Ljubljana Tourism, is here. If you're in town and want to follow the news then check out our regular morning headlines for Sloveniahere.
The big event this week takes place on Saturday, 22/02, starting 11:00 in Prešeren Square and snaking its way around the downtown area. It’s the annual Dragon Carnival, part of Pust and Shrovetide, with face masks and costumes, cracking whips and ringing bells. The main thing is the parade that leads to a live entertainment programme in Kongresni trg, but the real appeal is the atmosphere, with many in the crowds dressed up in the outfits of their dreams and taking full advantage of this pagan festival to show their true colours. You’ll see all the major ethnographic figures associated with Pust and have a wonderful time, weather permitting, with lots of great photos to be taken.
Photo: JL Flanner
Photo: JL Flanner
Bi-Flamenko, the flamenco biennial, is on until the 18th, with videos and other details here.
Wednesday, 19/02, The nomadic artistic duo hackedepicciotto, formed by Einstürzende Neubauten bassist Alexander Hacke and famed Berlin Love Parade cofounder Danielle de Picciotto, is back at Kino Šiška to promote their new album, The Current. The same evening Cankarjev dom has a show from Mnozil Brass.
Thursday the German composer and conductor Johannes Kalitzke is in town, leading the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, with music from Liszt and Paul Hindemith.
Friday 5K HD are visiting from Austria, taking the stage at Kino Šiška. The same evening is Jazz at the Castle, and this week it’s Midnight Lightnin', a Tribute to Jimi Hendrix. Friday also sees Guilty Pleasures at Metelkova’s Gala Hala, with DJ’s playing Rihanna, M.I.A., Rosalia, Usher, Sean Paul, Kylie Minogue, Destiny’s Child, D’Angelo, Nelly Furtado, Nelly, Rasta, Relja, and the like. Same evening Rog on Trubarjeva cesta is offering Red Techno, which Facebook says starts at 23:59. A lot of DJs with be there, and all the money raised from the voluntary contribution entrance fee will go towards preserving the space. Shown below is footage from an original 90s techno / competitive chewing gum event, for older readers.
Friday and Saturday Plesni Teater Ljubljana / Dance Theatre Ljubljana (Prijateljeva 2a) has Uroš Kaurin & Vito Weis: HEROJ 3.0 - Več kot besede. You can see HEROJ 1.0 below, in Slovene with English subtitles.
Thursday to Sunday Kinoteka has a short Nicolas Cage season, with five movies from the ‘90s, including Snake Eyes, Con Air, Leaving Las Vegas, The Rock and Face Off. New or newish movies in town this week also include the following.
A new book is came out recently that tells some of the stories of Trubarjeva cesta – you can learn more about it here. If you want to buy a copy, look / ask around on your next visit to the street.
Still open until 5 March, 2020, Magic Ice-rink Lumpi Park offers 600 m2 of the covered ice surface and 180 m of ice-skating paths which enable you to skate through the Sports park Savsko naselje, at Kranjčeva ulica 24. Details here.
How much do tourists spend in Slovenia? Find out here
You may have heard about Free Tour Ljubljana, the tour company that’s #1 on TripAdvisor for the city and gives away its main product. What’s the deal with that? Find out here.
While the Old Town is quaint, and full of music, where does Ljubljana really shop? One popular answer is BTC City, a vast complex of malls, entertainment facilities and more, including more than 70 different food vendors, offering everything from Slovenian to Thai, Indian to Italian, Mexican to Chinese. Check out a visit before the recent renovation was finished for some idea of what's on offer here.
You can read about all the cinemas in town here, while a selection of what’s playing this week is below, and note that kids' movies tend to be shown in dubbed versions, while non-English language movies for older viewers will have Slovenian subtitles.Parents should also pay attention to Kinobalon, which is Kinodvor's regular weekend series of film screenings and events for children, from babies on up, with special parent/child events, "first time in a cinema" screenings, and babysitting. Learn more about it here, and see the current schedule here.
Note - most children's films will be dubbed (sinhronizirano) - for subtitles look for 'podnapisi'.
Kinodvor –This is an arts cinema, not far from the train station, that shows new features as well as hosting the occassional festival.
Kinoteka – And not far from Kinodvor you can find this revival cinema, which shows art house classics along with some deep dives in the archives.
Kino Bežigrad - A relatively small theatre, but one which usually has the biggest of the new releases.
Kolosej -The multiplex out at BTC City Mall shows all the big movies, with well over a dozen titles on the schedule, although note that there are far more movies than screens, so some of the older ones mayonly be playing once or twice a week.
Komuna – The cinema in a basement behind Nama department store shows two or three different features a week, usually including the biggest titles.
Know that big triangular building behind the train station? Learn what's inside here.
Photo: Genius loci d.o.o.
Clubbing
Compared to some European capitals it can seem that nightlife in Ljubljana ends rather early, especially along the river, but there are still bars that stay open late and clubs were you can dance until dawn, and perhaps the best place to stumble across something interesting is the legendary Metelkova. Be aware it's a grungy kind of place and not for all tastes, but also that there's considerable variety to found within the various clubs there, from death metal to electropop, gay cabaret to art noise. You can read "the rules" of the place here. And if you're curious about how the place started then read our story, and look at some pictures, about last year's 25th anniversary.
Božidar - DJ events aren't too common here, but when they happen they often have a big name.
Channel Zero – DJs shows here include regular dub nights as well as electronic music.
Gala Hala – Another Metelkova venue, you can sometimes hear bhangra and Bollywood here, but more often funk, hip hop, breakbeat and so on.
Klub Cirkus – The more commercial end of clubland, and a venue that aims to serve the student party scene. Expect house, anthems, and bangers.
Klub K4 – The home of techno, old and new, along with various other electronic genres,
Koncertna Dvorana Rog– There are irregular DJ sets at this underground (not literally) venue at the far end of Trubarjeva cesta, and they range from techno to goa to drum'n'bass.
Orto Bar– 80s and 90s throwback nights can often be found here, along with rock-based DJ sets.
Cankerjev dom- The main arts venue in the country always has something of interest going on.
Gledališče IGLU - IGLU Theatre – Saturday night this group is usually putting on an English improv show somewhere in town, but it’s generally promoted after this is written, so check the Facebook before putting on your shoes.
Kino Šiška – One of the top live venues in the city also hosts some dance performance, often of the more experimental variety.
Mini Teater Ljubljana –The English schedule of varied performances, for adults and children, for the month is here.
Ljubljana Puppet Theatre - Puppetry has a long and noble tradition in Slovenia, and you can see performances for children and adults (including non-puppet shows) drawing from the Theatre's rich repetoire as well as new productons.
SNG Opera and Ballet - As the name suggests, here you'll find the best of opera and ballet in the country.
Španski borci - The home ofcontemporary dance(and the EnKnapGroup) in Slovenia.
Pocket Teater Studio– There are regular flamenco evenings at perhaps the smallest venue town, but note that the number of seats is very limited, and thus you should make a reservation via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 070 325 522.
Alcoholics Anonymous has an English language meeting every Tuesday, 19:00 in Poljane – email for more details: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Drogart is an organization that aims to minimise harm on the party scene, and offers drug-testing services and reports on their webpage. It’s in Slovene, but you can Google translate it or work things out yourself, and our story on the group is here.You can find the latest warnings on fake drugs and high strength pills and powders (in Slovene) here. However, be aware that all the usual drugs are illegal in Slovenia.
Looking for something different to eat? Trubajeva cesta, running right by Dragon Bridge, has the greatest concentration of "ethnic food" places in Ljubljana, and thus perhaps the country. Check out our walk through guide as of June 2019.
In warmer days than you'll see this week. Photo: JL Flanner
Things to do with children
You can find our Top 12 list of things to do with kids in Ljubljana here. If want to read more about the philosophy behind the wonderful House of Experiments look here, while our trip to the Museum of Illusions is documented here, and there’s always riverside walks, pizza and ice cream. With regard to the latter, take a look at our guide tosix places that serve good ice cream in winter, and thus are serious about the dessert.
Mini Teater Ljubljana – The season sees a lot of puppet performances for children, in Slovene, at this theatre not far from Križanke. The English schedule for the month is here.
Ljubljana Puppet Theatre - The puppet theatre near the Central Market and next to the Castle funicular has a full programme or shows, for children and adults, with the schedule here.
If you're looking for more general links on "gay Slovenia", including a history of the scene and various projects, then you can find that here, while our stories about the community can be found here.
Klub Monokel– This lesbian bar in Metelkova is open every Friday, although sometimes there are other events
Klub Tiffany –And the gay bar next door is also open on Fridays. Other things coulds also be planned, so click on the name to find out.
Pritličje – This seems to be the only "always open" LGBT-friendly cafe / bar / events space in town, and perhaps the country, so it's a good thing it's such a good one, open from morning to night, and with fliers and posters letting you know what's happening outside the narrow confines of, say, a general interest online what's on... guide.
Screenshot from Google Maps, showing the location of the Castle vineyard
Ljubljana Castle
The city’s main attraction is said to be the top tourist draw in the country overall, and to my mind it earns a spot near the top just for the history and views. But beyond that the current owners, the City of Ljubljana, have laid out a varied, interesting and enjoyable programme of events, one that rewards regular revisits.
On all 2020 is an Exhibition of Slovenian History, included in the price of a Castle ticket, that takes you through prehistory and the Romans, the Middle and early Modern Ages, the 19th century and WWI, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and WWII, Yugoslavia, independence and after. On until 22 March 2020 you can enjoy an inflatable spatial installation from Nina Koželj (free to enter).
At one of Castle hill there's a many walking and jogging paths, with good views of the city. At the other end, where the Castle sits, there’s a lot more than fresh air on offer. There are guided tours, restaurants, a café, Castle museum, puppet museum, a Watchtower you can climb to the highest point in the city, art shows, dances, live music, movies under the stars, festival days and more – enough to reward multiple trips up the hill through the year. All of these activities and events can be found on the Castle website, while on TSN you can see “25 things to know about Ljubljana Castle” here, and “Ten Ways to Enjoy Ljubljana Castle” here.
Most public galleries and museums are closed on Mondays, although not the National Museum.
Aksioma – On from 19 February 9 March is The Abstraction of Nature by Anna Ridler – “Anna Ridler’s work stands out for her effort to establish a feedback loop between herself and the machine, producing work that displays and thematises the amount of human labour involved in the process, from coding, to producing a dataset, to educating the machine.”
Bežigrajska galerija 2 – Take a trip to Vodovodna cesta 3 and you'll find nothing this week, according to the schedule, as the place will be between exhibitions.
Plečnik’s House is worth a visit if you want to learn more about the architect who gave Ljubljana much of its character, and it's also in a really nice part of town, Trnovo, just a short walk or cycle upriver. Read about our guided tour here. Until 10 May you can see History of the Future. Archetypes of Plečnik's architecture – summarising the ideas of selected Plečnik works.
Balassi Institute – The Hungarian culture centre is next to a Spar and Hofer, and not far from Dragon Bridge, and always has something interesting going on. Learn more here.
City Gallery – On until 5 April there’s a show from Vlado Martek, called Exhibition with Many Titles, the second part of a retrospective exhibition by the Croatian conceptual artist.
City Museum – The Museum in French Revolution Square an interesting permanent exhibition on the history of Ljubljana, from prehistoric times to the present day, with many artefacts, models and so on that bring the story alive.You can read about my visit here. On until August 2020 there’s Book. Reason. Knowledge. From Protestantism to Enlightenment (1500–1800), which presents the processes and events that encouraged and fostered the cultural and spiritual development in Ljubljana from the end of the 15th to the beginning of the 19th century – from humanism and Protestantism to the Enlightenment. More on that here.
The Faces of Ljubljana in the City Museum. Photo: JL Flanner
Drink like a pro - find gallery openings. Photo: JL Flanner
Galerija Kapelica –Eirik Brandal: Electonicsculpture is on until 17 March, with the promotional image shown below.
Galerija Vžigalica – Until 15 March you can enjoy Counter:Movement / Gegen:Bewegung, an exhibition of contemporary artistic positions in Carinthia, selected by the Klagenfurt University Cultural Centre – the Universitätskulturzentrum UNIKUM.
MAO – The Museum of Architecture and Design has much of what you'd expect, along with some temporary shows and a good cafe. On until 31 January 2021 is An Object and a Collection, showing part of the museum’s valuable and extensive collection of objects related to architecture, design, and photography of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Moderna galerija – The main branch of this gallery, to be found near the entrance to Tivoli Park, has a good collection of modern art, as well a nice café in the basement.
Alan Ford was recently at the National Gallery - read more about this comic book here.
National Gallery – The country’s main gallery has “the best” of what’s on offer from the Middle Ages to non-contemporary modern visual arts, and is in a great location for exploring other areas, just by Tivoli Park and opposite the main branch of the Moderna galerija. You can read about our visit to the room containing sacred art from the Middle Ages
The real Robba Fountain can be found in the entrance to the National Gallery - the one you see in the Old Town is a genuine fake, as seen below and reported here.
Photo: JL Flanner
National Museum of Slovenia – There’s plenty to see in the permanent collection here, from Roman times, Egypt and more. Meanwhile, the museum's Metelkova branch, located between one branch of the Moderna galerija and the Ethnographic Museum has some rooms on Church art, furniture and weapons, with the latter including more guns than you'll see anywhere else in town, and quite a thrill if coming from a nation where such objects are not household items. A Millennia of Metallurgy in Slovenia is on until 3 May 2020.
A fragment of a Coptic textile; 5th–6th cent.: Upper Egypt; linen, wool; National Museum of Slovenia. Photo: Tomaž Lauko
Until 24 May 2020 you can see Coptic Textiles from the Collection of the National Museum of Slovenia at the branch in the Metelkova museum quarter, by the Ethnographic Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Details.
Natural History Museum – Until 18 June 2020 there’s Enlightened Natural Sciences: Scopoli and Zois, looking at the lives and legacies of two pioneering naturalists, on the both Slovene and global scales, Sigismondo (Žiga) Zois and Giovanni Antonio Scopoli.
Union Experience – The Ljubljana-based brewer has a museum showing the history of the company, with the ticket also including access to part of the factory and a few samples of the product. You can read about our visit here.
Alternative Ljubljana isn't a museum or gallery, as such, but instead turns the city streets into a museum and gallery. Learn more about their tours of street art, history and LGBT Ljubljanahere.
If you like the city's architecture then check out this great book, Let’s See the City - Ljubljana: Architectural Walks & Tours, with our review here and a page from the book shown above. We took a walk with one of the authors who showed us how much there is to learn and enjoy if you slow down and pay attention - read about that here.
Ljubljana has some beautiful buildings from the early 20th century, in the Secessionist style, like the one below. Learn where to find them here.
Some view of the city you can only get from the river. If you'd like to take a boat ride then read about my experience here. If you'd like to spend an evening painting with others, then take a look at Design with Wine, which organises painting parties on Trubarjeva cesta,
If you want to see some antiques, then check out the wonderful Antika Carniola, as discussed here. The man behind it, Jaka Prijatelj, has a fine eye for life on this street, as you can see on his Facebook account.
Photo: JL Flanner
If you’re in town and want to go jogging or walking in nature, why not take another look at the Castle, with a brief guide to the trails here. If you want something bigger, head to Tivoli Park.
And if you're bored with the Old Town, why not take a walk, cycle or boat ride to nearby Špica and enjoy the riverside life. Learn more about that here.
Prefer to have someone else stretch you? The check out the totally legit massages you can get from Sense Wellness - either in one of their spas or in you home, office or hotel. (And - to repeat - these are legit and non-sexual in nature)
There are some golf courses near Ljubljana, but even ones further away are not far, as seen in our list of all the golf courses in Slovenia, which usually run until the first snow.
If you want to get a Ljubljana Tourist Card, which gives you travel on the city buses and entry to a lot of attractions, then you can read more about that here, and if you want to use the bike share system, as useful for visitors as it is for residents, then you can learn more by clicking this. Visitors with reduced mobility will be pleased to find that downtown Ljubljana is generally rated as good with regard to accessibility, and that there’s a free, city-sponsored app called Ljubljana by Wheelchair highlighting cafés, attractions and so on with ramps, disabled bathrooms and Eurokey facilities, which you can read about and download here. Manual wheelchair users can also borrow, for free, an attachment that will motorise their equipment, as reported here.
Screenshot from a Twitter video
If you’re driving into town and don’t know where to park, our guide to how to park in Ljubljana is here.
Ljubljana is a small and relatively safe city, but if need to contact the police then there’s a special number for foreigners, and that’s 113.
Photo: JL Flanner
There aren't many places to eat after midnight, and most of them are by the train station, as reported here.
Want / need cigarettes but the stores have closed? Here's an incomplete list of bars downtown that will satisfy your craving for the demon weed. While if you’re having trouble with the ATMs then here’s a guide to the Slovene you’ll see on screen. If you get a hangover then find out where to get paracetamol (and prescription drugs) in Ljubljana here, while details on emergency birth control can be found here.
What follows is a weekly review of events involving Slovenia, as prepared by the STA.
If you’d like to keep up on the daily headlines then follow those here, or get all our stories in your feed on Facebook.
FRIDAY, 7 February LJUBLJANA - The Democrats (SDS), the largest party in parliament, started formal talks in a bid to form coalition with the Modern Centre Party (SMC) and the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS), both junior partners in the outgoing coalition, and opposition New Slovenia (NSi). LJUBLJANA - Slovenia posted a trade gap of EUR 564 million in 2019 as growth in goods imports outpaced growth in exports. Exports rose by 8.5% to EUR 33.47 billion and imports increased by 10.9% to EUR 34.04 billion, the Statistics Office said. BRUSSELS, Belgium - Outgoing PM Marjan Šarec was adamant that Slovenia would insist on its position that drastic cuts to cohesion funds planned under the Finnish proposal for the EU's next long-term budget were unacceptable, as he discussed the issue with EU Council President Charles Michel. BRUSSELS, Belgium - PM Marjan Šarec expressed "moderate realism" about the arbitration implementation impasse with Croatia, saying that if both countries had elections the same year, there would be more time to reflect on the issue in a more relaxed manner. LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian police released data showing a total of 16,099 illegal crossings of the border for 2019, almost 74% more than in 2018. Citizens of Pakistan were involved in a total of 4,101 illegal crossings, followed by citizens of Algeria (1,892) and Afghanistan (1,733). LJUBLJANA- The Prešeren Prizes, the top national accolades in arts and culture, were conferred on the eve of Culture Day. The two lifetime achievement prizes went to photographer Stojan Kerbler and choreographer and dancer Milko Šparemblek. LJUBLJANA - A day after DeSUS head Aleksandra Pivec received death threats warning her not to join an SDS-led coalition, the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) said a package containing an unknown powder had been sent to the party headquarters. The powder turned out to be harmless. LJUBLJANA - The newly opened Ljubljana mosque hosted the first prayer. With 3,000-4,000 Muslim worshippers attending, some had to be put up in a number of other venues apart from the prayer hall. WASHINGTON, US - Foreign Ministry State Secretary Dobran Božič concluded a working visit to Washington where met Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Keith Krach and Assistant Secretary of European Affairs Phil Reeker. LJUBLJANA - Health officials warned that flu season was in full swing and that the disease was widespread, with some deeming the situation unprecedented and borderline extreme. The majority of patients are children aged up to 14.
SATURDAY, 8 February LJUBLJANA - Poems by France Prešeren were read at several events on Culture Day, as Slovenia paid tribute to its most celebrated poet. A number of museums and galleries were open free of charge. BELGRADE - MEP Tanja Fajon (S&D/SD), the chair of the European Parliament's Delegation to Serbia, vowed that the bloc would continue assisting the country in ensuring a fair election in April, as she paid a visit to Serbia together with European Commissioner for Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi and Rapporteur for Serbia Vladimir Bilčik (EPP).
SUNDAY, 9 February VALENCIA, Spain - Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) the Tour of Valencia 2020, having won stages two and four of the race earlier this week.
MONDAY, 10 February ANKARA, Turkey - Outgoing Foreign Minister Miro Cerar called for a strengthening of trust between the EU and Turkey, including in the fight against illegal migration, as he met his counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara at the outset of a two-day official visit to the country. The next day he attended a business conference in Istanbul. LJUBLJANA - Ksenija Klampfer, the outgoing labour minister, announced she was quitting the SMC in protest against the party entering coalition talks with the SDS. Moreover, Miro Cerar, the former leader of the SMC, ruled out being part of a government led by SDS leader Janez Janša. LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Foreign Ministry condemned a smear campaign in which the Italian neo-Fascist movement CasaPound put up banners describing World War II Partisans as assassins, issuing a protest following a recent attempt to deny the suffering of Slovenians at the hands of Fascists. SKOPJE, Macedonia - Speaker Dejan Židan started a two-day visit to North Macedonia by meeting his host and counterpart Talat Xhaferi. The pair confirmed excellent bilateral relations and expressed support for closer economic cooperation. LJUBLJANA - The SDS threatened outgoing PM Marjan Šarec with a lawsuit unless he apologised for stating last month on public TV Slovenija that the SDS "being financed by Hungary". LJUBLJANA - After the appointment of Nada Drobne Popovič as the CEO of energy group Petrol in January, the supervisory board filled the remaining two vacancies on the management board by appointing Matija Bitenc and Jože Bajuk board members effective on 11 March. LJUBLJANA - Strong winds, in particular in the east of the country, toppled trees, damaged roofs and disrupted power supply 9 and 10 February. A motorist was killed when a tree fell on his car. LJUBLJANA - The National Bureau of Investigation arrested five police officers operating at the Gruškovje and Zavrč border crossings with Croatia suspected of having accepted bribes for stamping the passports of third-country Schengen zone residents to allow them to prolong their stay beyond the permitted 90-day period. LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's industrial output increased by 3% last year, the sixth consecutive year of growth. The growth was driven by a 3.4% growth in manufacturing, while the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply industries and mining slowed down.
TUESDAY, 11 February SKOPJE, North Macedonia - Parliamentary Speaker Dejan Židan addressed the North Macedonian parliament as it ratified the country's NATO accession protocol. In his speech, Židan reiterated that Slovenia supported North Macedonia's accession to both NATO and the EU. LJUBLJANA - The public broadcaster TV Slovenija reported that the National Bureau of Investigation is investigating the funding of some media outlets close to the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS). Web portal Necenzurirano.si reported on 10 February that the media had received EUR 1.5 million from Hungarians with ties to Hungarian PM Viktor Orban. LJUBLJANA - Women remain under-represented in STEM, especially at senior levels. Unconscious bias, double standards and gender stereotypes are some of the reasons why headway towards gender equality in this field remains sluggish. The University of Ljubljana, Slovenia's largest, has been dominated by men since it was established a century ago. LJUBLJANA - The newspaper Delo reported that Semenarna, the biggest seed producer in the country, had been sold for EUR 5.5 million to the Serbian Dušan Mojsilović businessman and his Agromarket company, which will make the latter one of the biggest seed producers and sellers in the region.
WEDNESDAY, 12 February LJUBLJANA - The executive committee of NSi decided to give its head Matej Tonin and his team full support in the SDS-led negotiations on a new government. Tonin now has the mandate to negotiate on the programme and staffing decisions of the potential new government. LJUBLJANA - The SMC deputy group head Igor Zorčič indicated that a snap election-entailing alliance proposed the LMŠ looked increasingly unlikely, while coalition talks with the SDS were going as expected. He also indicated that staffing questions were open not only about ministry distribution but also about the potential prime minister. LJUBLJANA - The SDS accused the LMŠ of leaking classified information to journalists about Hungarian financing of media outlets with close ties to the party. LJUBLJANA - TV Slovenija reported that a criminal complaint had been filed against chief market inspector Andrejka Grlić by tax inspectors over her interference in their cases, including stopping inspections to protect selected individuals. LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee unanimously postponed a Left-sponsored proposal to declare support to the protection of political and civil liberties in Spain. The MPs agreed that dialogue on tackling the Catalan issue between the governments in Barcelona and Madrid should be given time. LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor said after a farewell meeting with Croatian counterpart Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović that her picking Slovenia for her last visit had not been a coincidence, since Slovenia and Croatia were neighbouring and friendly countries. LJUBLJANA - Slovenian companies wondering about the future relationship with their UK partners after Brexit were assured at an event held by the British Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and the British Embassy that Britons wanted to preserve the close business ties. LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Environment Committee unanimously endorsed the proposed national environmental protection programme by 2030, despite criticism of the lack of concrete measures therein. LJUBLJANA - Environmental NGOs labelled the draft National Energy and Climate Plan not ambitious enough. Carbon neutrality by 2050 is too far off, Slovenia should aim for 2040 and should strive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than only 40% by 2030. LJUBLJANA - Staš Ravter, who was the director of the Slovenian Cinematheque between 2005 and 2010, was appointed director of the SNG Opera and Ballet theatre in Ljubljana, ending a leadership hiatus that lasted for almost two years.
THURSDAY, 13 February LJUBLJANA - SDS head Janez Janša, who is trying to build a coalition, said that in terms of content, a coalition able of tackling current issues and some delays is possible. Moreover, MPs of the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) were wooed by SMC head Zdravko Počivalšek to support the Janša coalition. LJUBLJANA - The Journalists' Association (DNS) condemned in the strongest terms "intensive attacks" on journalists reporting about alleged funding for the publishers of media close to the SDS from the circles of Hungarian PM Viktor Orban. LJUBLJANA - Slovenian bishops issued a pastoral letter, calling on believers to demonstrate their patriotic duty and responsibility for the common good by casting their vote come the election or voting time. LJUBLJANA - Motorway company DARS signed a EUR 90 million 22-year loan agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) for the construction of a second tube of the Karavanke tunnel. The loan represents roughly half of the investment value of the entire project. LJUBLJANA - A tie-up between the cargo division of state-owned rail operator Slovenske Železnice and the Czech energy and industrial group EPH is expected to be wrapped up in the first quarter of the year, Slovenske Železnice director Dušan Mes told Dnevnik. LJUBLJANA- The government decided for Slovenia to send over 1.2 million face masks to China to help it contain the coronavirus outbreak. LJUBLJANA - In its winter economic forecast, the EU Commission has kept Slovenia's economic forecast unchanged at 2.7% for 2020 and 2021, more than double the eurozone average.
If you thought you saw Eddie Izzard in Ljubljana this morning – moving fast and looking cold, tired, miserable and yet resplendent in a bright rain jacket and lipstick – then you probably did. The British comedian, last seen in these parts on the Travel Man TV show on a flying visit to Slovenia (Ljubljana, Bled, Postojna), was back to spend time in the capital last night and this morning. On this trip he managed to see more than the usual tourist spots, as he was up at 4am (staying, it seems, in the Grand Hotel Union) to run marathon #14 in a 28-day project that’ll see him running the same distance each day, in a different EU capital (having started in London on January 31, aka the UK’s last day in the EU, albeit with an 11-month transition period).
Yesterday was Zagreb, today Ljubljana and tomorrow…well, the schedule isn’t posted online, but tomorrow Izzard will run another marathon, and then other…. Why? As he says on the related website:
I am attempting to run 28 marathons in 28 countries in 28 days, raising money for charities such as Unicef and their work with child refugees in Europe.
In our country and our world there has been far too much talk of division. We can change this by talking of unity.
As Europeans we have achieved so much since 1945, no matter how legal agreements might have changed over the years. Peace, friendship, trade, even love. A sharing of cultures without losing our identities. That is the true power of union.
So today, let’s start to put these divisions behind us. It is the perfect day to start something I have dreamt of doing for many years: run through 28 of the capitals of Europe.
I will attempt to run 28 marathons in 28 countries in 28 days, raising money for charity.
United, not divided, we can make humanity great again.
You can learn more about Izzard’s project here, while you can donate money here
STA, 11 February 2020 - Last week's windstorms caused extensive damage to Slovenia's forests - some 100,000 m3 of trees were felled, according to initial estimates. Due to a risk of bark beetle infestation, the authorities have urged the tree clean-up and removal to be carried out as soon as possible using precautionary measures.
Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec visited on Tuesday forest areas near Kranj in north-western Slovenia where the damage was most severe. In the Gorenjska region, some 70,000 m3 of trees were uprooted.
Pivec said that Monday's storm, which hit the north-east the most, had not been as damaging as last week's. However, in Slovenjska Bistrica the wind was uncovering roofs of more than 70 facilities, mostly apartment buildings and houses.
The minister pointed out that there had been two fatal accidents during work in forests recently, urging people to exercise extra caution and call clean-up services if they are not equipped or trained to do the work themselves.
The clean-up efforts should be sped up since the coming spring will potentially give rise to another bark beetle outbreak, with felled trees being the ideal hotspot for the development of the pest. Pivec called on forest owners to tap into EU funds for forest renewal.
The final estimates of the damage will be known in a week or two since the damage is scattered across the country. Slovenia has been quite lucky in seeing the best-case scenario given the severity of the storm, said Damjan Oražem, the head of the Forest Service.
STA, 11 February 2020 - The parliamentary Interior Affairs Committee unanimously called on the police force on Tuesday to draw up a report on the security situation in areas with Roma communities and a proposal for systemic changes to improve it.
The proposal was drawn up by a subcommittee established in May last year by Democrats (SDS) MP Anja Bah Žibert as the latest report on the state of the Roma community had shown things were improving only slowly.
Bah Žibert was succeeded as the chair of the subcommittee by Predrag Baković, a SocDems MP who dealt with Roma issue throughout his pre-parliamentary career.
He recently told the STA that the subcommittee, which comprises MPs from areas with Roma communities, had been receiving many letters and calls from local communities and civil initiatives to address the topic, and that trust in institutions was poor.
Baković said challenges remained in education, employment, living conditions and security. Both the Roma and the majority population are unhappy with the situation, he added.
He feels that, as things currently stand, relations between the two groups are not encouraging, at least not in the south-east of the country.
"It is not like the police is not doing its work, the problems are of a more systemic nature," he said, highlighting a lack of tools to effectively penalise the bad apples in the Roma community that engage in crime and make no effort to get off of welfare.
Baković argued that the institutions the committee members addressed kept referring them back and forth to each other and that "in fact we're not operating with the goal of solving the problem but to avoid responsibility and accusations".
One of Baković's key beliefs is that it is necessary to connect members of Roma communities and the majority population. He feels very few Roma would remain in Roma settlements if they had other options.
At a gala ceremony on the National Day of Culture, also called Prešeren Day, celebrated every February 8, the pop provocateur and singer Magnifico performed a crude song that met with a mixed response on social media. Some of the most offended commentators complained about the vulgarity and disrespect for the Catholic Church expressed in the lyrics, missing the fact that this was actually a text written by “Slovenia’s greatest poet”.
While France Prešeren (1800-1849) is mostly known for the lyrics to the Slovenia’s national anthem and masterfully written sonnets, he also wrote stacks of pornographic rhymes and satirical verse.
To better understand the outcry, here is a quick translation of what Magnifico was singing to the entire nation in Gallus Hall of Cankarjev Dom last Friday:
Kako da se birtom
trebuhi rede?
Ker žrejo pijejo
vse do belega dne.
Why taverners' bellies
are growing fat?
Because they gobble and gulp
till the end of the night.
Kako da bankirjem
se trebuhi rede?
Ker nam kri pijejo
pijavke hude.
Why bankers' bellies
Are growing fat?
Because them vile leeches
suck on our blood.
Kako da se dohtarjem Trebuhi redé? Zato ki nobeden k njim prazen ne sme.
Why doctors' bellies
Are growing fat?
Because no one empty-handed
near them can get.
Kako da se uradnikom Trebuhi redé? Zato, ki se mazat Vsi radi pusté.
Why bureaucrats' bellies
are growing fat?
Because they like their hands
greasy to get.
Kako da se farjem Trebuhi redé? Za maše jim nosijo Neumne žene.
Why priests' bellies
are growing fat?
Because from dumb women
for masses they get.
Kako da se nunam Trebuhi redé? Zato ki se farjem Porivat pusté.
STA, 11 February - Women remain under-represented in scientific and technical professions, especially at senior levels. Unconscious bias, double standards and gender stereotypes are some of the reasons why headway towards gender equality in this field remains sluggish. Indeed, in some areas there has not been any progress at all.
Worldwide only about a third of research staff are women and only about 30% of women opt for programmes that fall under the umbrella of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), according to UNESCO data.
University of Nova Gorica astrophysicist Andreja Gomboc, who chairs a commission for equal opportunities in science, says low representation of women in STEM is bad not just for women but for these fields of scientific endeavour in general.
"Women significantly contribute to tackling the big issues humanity faces in the 21st century and it is necessary to create opportunities for their full participation in science. Addressing these issues requires leveraging the entire human potential," Gomboc told the STA ahead of the 11 January International Day of Girls and Women in Science.
For women, not choosing a career in STEM limits their career options since the high-tech society of today offers huge employment opportunities for STEM graduates. "If girls do not chose these fields, they don't have the opportunities."
Gomboc says gender discrimination is no longer as explicit as it used to be, but there is still a lot of bias, double standards and gender stereotypes that dissuade women from pursuing a career in science.
Slovenia's largest university, the University of Ljubljana, has been dominated by men since it was established a century ago. The latest figures show the ratio of men to women among faculty is roughly 60:40, with the share of women declining the farther up the career ladder one goes.
In 2018, there were 56% of men among assistant professors, 60% among associate professors and 69% among tenured professors, according to Aleksandra Kanjuo Mrčela, professor of sociology at the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Despite the persistent imbalance, she believes that the situation will gradually improve as the share of men has been declining. "It is expected that in the coming years the gender structure will be balanced across all job segments," she says.
Gomboc believes that in order to improve the conditions for female researchers, it is necessary to consistently comply with gender equality provisions at all levels. This does not mean men and women have to be the same, it means that "we are equal in practice, that we have equal opportunities and equally participate in all spheres of public and private life".
She says Slovenia has some good baseline solutions, for example 12-month parental leave, but new steps are being made very slowly. "We know what we have to put down in the sections on gender equality in applications for EU projects and strategy documents ... but then many ignore that."
Indeed, she says there has been a negative trends in certain areas, for example in top national awards for science. "Among last year's recipients of Zois and Puch prizes, there were only 12% of women and few women were nominated. This means that the environments in which women researchers work do not value their achievements the same way they value the achievements of their male colleagues."
Our other stories tagged “women in Slovenia” are here
Pust, carnival, also Mardi Gras, this year begins on Fat Thursday, February 20, and concludes on Ash Wednesday, February 26.
Around 1300 AD the Christian authorities, unable to get rid of the pagan festivities celebrating the end of winter and beginning of spring, pushed them into the time before Lent and the 40 days of fasting, when pretty much everyone (except perhaps the head of the house) ate very little, if at all, until Easter.
Pust has long been time of decadence, heavy eating (and drinking), crossdressing and, since the masks mean you have no idea who is who, the opportunity for all sorts of shenanigans, crime included.
This also isn’t a festival of political correctness, for example on the website of kurentovanje in Ptuj we learn that among traditional ethnographic characters we also find Gypsies: “Gypsies from Dornava at Ptujsko polje are unique in this region. Almost all villagers dress up in Gypsies, the habit which has been alive for decades now. They assume many different roles, such as fortune-telling, knife-grinding, music playing, chicken-stealing, and the like.”
Kurentovanje (named after perhaps best known traditional maškara – the kurent, since 2017 on UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage list) of Ptuj, the first place to begin the carnival has already started on February 7th. Please click here for more information in English on pust in Ptuj and this year’s programme.
Want a world record for the most countries visited in a short period of time? Then add Slovenia to the list. Andrej Roza Rozman has a comic poem that calls Slovenia the nation with the best location, and while that could be argued pro and con from a variety of angles, it’s an undeniable truth that Slovenia is easy to traverse and neighbours four countries. It’s even got the Tromeje (Triple Border), where it meets Italy and Austria, giving the rare opportunity to be in three countries at once.
Tromeje, or Tri confini in Italian, where can visit three countries in no time
What follows are thus the nine records in the current Guinness Book of World Records that make use of Slovenia’s strategic location to achieve feats of considerable planning and ultimate success.
In 2011 Greg Parmley, from the UK, lived his dream and became the current world record for the most music festivals visited in 30 days. Parmley went to shows in Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Switzerland and the UK. I’m not sure, but it looks like the one in Slovenia was Metal Days, then known as Metal Camp.
2013 is the year that will stay in the minds of Kasper De Wulf and Alexander Hautekiet (two Belgians) as the one in which they entered the record books with the distinction of playing the most full 18-hole rounds of golf in different countries in 24 hours. History was made when the duo teed off in Slovenia (at the Bled Golf & Country Club, which saw the lowest round of the day, 80), Austria, Germany, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
Skiing isn’t a sport associated with the UK, but that in March 2014 that didn’t stop Jamie Stevenson from enjoying the slopes in a powdery fresh 17 countries in a single month. He set out on his journey from Scotland, and then visited Spain, Andorra, France, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, and Norway.
If I told you that in 2014 Leo Tergujeff, a Finn, made history’s longest journey on a telescopic handler would you know what I was talking about? Here’s a telescopic handler:
Wikimedia: Alf van Beem, CC-by-1.0
It on one of these that Mr Tergujeff brought honour to his community by travelling 4,296 km. He started in Italy and spent a few days over the month of May to travel back to his homeland, like a salmon returning to spawn. In total he drove through Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden and Finland, seven countries overall.
Back in the heady days of 2015, when Britain’s continued engagement in the remarkable and highly beneficial EU was not in serious question, two natives of that land, Andrew Frankel and Rebecca Jackson, managed to visit the most countries on a single tank of fuel. The couple took advantage of the Schengen agreement and enjoyed freedom of movement through a total of 14 sovereign states. Starting in the Netherlands, the couple – whose automatic right to live, work and retire in many of these nations has just been lost – drove on to Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia then Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Hungary.
In 2016 a Belgian with the wonderful name of Frederik Van Overloop fully charged a Tesla Model S and set out on a 16-hour, 585.7 km journey that took in seven countries: Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia.
2016 also saw the record set for the most countries visited by bicycle in 24 hours by a team, in this case two guys, James van der Hoorn and Thomas Reynolds, both British. The pair cycled through Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, before finishing in Poland, with six countries covered
Much the same records, most countries by bicycle in 24 hours – were set for the men by the Hungarian David Kovari in 2017, peddling into Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, and Croatia, for a total of seven. The female record was set the same year, and by another Hungarian, Maja Tóth, who powered herself into five nations, namely Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia.
STA, 10 February 2020 - Strong winds, in particular in the east of the country, have been toppling trees and disrupting power supply since Sunday evening. One death case has been reported, with a tree falling on a vehicle on the Dravograd-Maribor road at around 5am, killing the driver.
Major power cuts were reported from the Zreče, Apače, Lendava and Ivančna Gorica areas, where the number of households affected totalled around 3,000, as well from the areas covered by power suppler Elektro Maribor, which spoke of roughly 7,000 households.
Elektro Celje moreover said at noon that 890 households had suffered power cuts, while the wider Celje area has also seen disruptions in the supply of drinking water as a result.
Many roofs were damaged, in particular in the north-east, in the area of Slovenjske Konjice, Velenje and Zreče.
In Šentjur a library was left without a roof, and in Ptuj, the wind blew off a part of the hospital roof. Firefighters rushed to the scene and prevented further damage. The safety of the patients and medical staff was not in jeopardy, according to the director of the hospital, Anica Užmah.
Announcing wind gusts of 70-100 km/h in the east and north-east and 70-90 km/h for other parts, the Environment Agency initially issued an orange warning - meaning the possibility of damage or accidents - for the entire country.
The alert for the north-east was upgraded to red this morning, which means people were encouraged to take active measures to prevent accidents.
Given the grave danger stemming from toppling trees, the Slovenian Forest Service has urged people to refrain from any activities in forests. The damage suffered by forests is expected to assessed in the coming days.
