In 1931, Božo Kos, one of Slovenia's most innovative and distinctive illustrators, was born in Maribor.

Božo started making money in high school by writing articles for Večer newspaper. Once he wrote a story for which no appropriate picture was available, so he drew a picture himself. From there on he wrote less and less and drew more and more.

During his studies of physics, Božo Kos supported himself by drawing caricatures for a humorous magazine called Pavliha and other newspapers and magazines. After his graduation he even became chief editor of Pavliha and also of a children’s magazine, Ciciban.

Božo Kos’ illustrations can also be seen in the House of Experiments (Hiša eksperimentov) on Trubarjeva Street in Ljubljana, a place where many laws of nature can be tested on ready to use appliances. The House of Experiments is directed by Miha Kos, Božo’s son, a scientist and learning enthusiast.

Božo Kos died in 2009.

In the Slovenian capital St. Martin’s Day (Martinovanje) will be celebrated with The Ljubljana Wine Route on Saturday, November 9.

More than 450 wines from over 90 producers will be on offer in the streets and squares of the Old Town, while visitors will be able to choose from a variety of local produce and dishes as well. 

In Slovenia and Croatia St. Martin’s Day, November 11, is mostly celebrated as a wine holiday. Until this date, wine is considered as unclean and sinful, which then turns into real wine upon receiving a blessing.

Given that St. Martin’s Day originates in pre-Christian traditions and was later, just like many other folk festivals, adapted to fit Christianity, it is perhaps not that surprising that the blessing of wine is a rather humorous procedure performed by a talented villager dressed up as a bishop.

Wine blessing and then tasting is usually accompanied by festive dish such as a roasted goose or duck, chestnuts and thin dried flatbread called mlinci.  

As for the Ljubljana Wine Route, visitors will have to place a €10 deposit for a wine-tasting glass, which they get back if the glass is returned in one piece, and coupons (5 minimum) will be sold for wine at a price of €1 per coupon/glass.

For more information, please visit the event’s website.

The other day we presented STAGE II, a fascinating interactive map produced by SURS (Statistični urad Republike Slovenije - the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia). However, while pretty to look at some data is best expressed in other ways, and if you’d prefer to read a text-based summary then don’t worry, SURS has got that covered, offering reports on each of Slovenia’s 212 municipalities.

Your journey begins at the level of statistical regions. There are 12 of these in total, in varied size with regard to geographic area and the number of municipalities they contain. Podravska, for example, has 41 municipalities, while Zasavska just four.

Go down to the next level – in the example at the top of this page hit “Region has 25 municipalities” – and you’ll get a profile of the region, along with a population pyramid to show the demographics, which are not great anywhere in Slovenia, but still better than elsewhere in the former Yugoslavia.

See the list of names on the left and you can then visit each municipality in turn. For illustrative purposes I chose Logatec, because I’m moving there at the end of the month. Here I can learn, for example:

• The mean age of people in Logatec [in 2016] was 39.9 years, which was lower than the national average (42.9).
• The population density was 80 people per square kilometre, which was lower than the national average 102 people per square kilometre.
• Among people aged 15–64 (i.e. working age population) about 65% were persons in employment (i.e. persons in paid employment or self-employed persons), which is more than national average (60%).
• In 2015, there were 343 dwellings per 1,000 population. About 69% of dwellings had at least three rooms. Average size of dwellings in the municipality was 90 m2.

Find out more about where you live here, while all our stories on statistics in Slovenia are here

Keep up with the daily news in Slovenia by checking the morning headlines here. What to find out what happened last week in Slovenia? Look no further.

The following schedule was prepared by the STA:

MONDAY, 4 November
        SHANGHAI, China - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek will start a multi-day visit to China.
        LJUBLJANA - A Slovenian-Japanese forum will be held to debate the development concept Society 5.0.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary inquiry investigating suspected abuse of office at the bad bank will interrogate the former CEO's of NLB and NKBM banks, Janko Medja and Aleš Hauc.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor will host a debate on the feasibility of a National Council-backed proposal to split up Slovenia into administrative provinces.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - A ceremony will be held to mark Slovenian Judiciary Day.
        VIENNA, Austria - The Week of Slovenian Literature will commence with an exhibition on Slovenian contemporary illustration.
        
TUESDAY, 5 November
        PRAGUE, Czechia - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec will attend the second summit of the Friends of Cohesion, a group of 16 EU member states.
        BLED - The International Resource Panel will be in session, with Foreign Minister Miro Cerar on hand for the keynote address.
        LJUBLJANA - Energy group Petrol is scheduled to release Q3 financial statements.
        LJUBLJANA - Manager Association will host a conference on ethical business.

WEDNESDAY, 6 November
        OSLO, Norway - President Borut Pahor will start a two-day state visit to Norway.
        HANOI, Vietnam - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek will start a multi-day visit to Vietnam.
        VIENNA, Austria - Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar will attend a meeting of the Salzburg Forum; until 7 November.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Home Policy committee will debate a draft resolution on Slovenia's digital transformation.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Heath Committee will debate amendments to the healthcare and health insurance act.
        NOVO MESTO - An international conference on agricultural cooperation between Siberia and southeast Slovenia.
        LJUBLJANA - The Employment Service will release registered unemployment figures for November.

THURSDAY, 7 November
        GENEVA, Switzerland - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec will attend the latest meeting in the framework of the Strategic Dialogue on Western Balkans.
        AMMAN, Jordan - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar will start a multi-day working visit to Jordan.
        LJUBLJANA - Weekly cabinet session.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Defence Committee will debate the planned purchase of armoured personnel carriers for the army at the request of the Left.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for Oversight of Public Finances will debate staffing at state-owned companies after the resignation of the board of energy group Petrol.
        LJUBLJANA - Telekom Slovenije is scheduled to release its Q3 financial statements.
        
FRIDAY, 8 November
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - Slovenian bankers will gather for a Bank Association meeting dedicated to the impact of monetary policy on macroeconomic policies and the financial system.

SATURDAY, 9 November
        VELENJE - The coalition Social Democrats (SD) will hold a convention dedicated to reforming their platform.

SUNDAY, 10 November
        No major events scheduled.

If you're not in town for the week of this guide (4 - 10 November, 2019) 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 Slovenia here.

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We’re well in to autumn now, and since Ljubljana is a city in a forest the changes to the trees have a great on its character. Last week the leaves were especially beautiful, still more on the branches than the streets, and it was good weather for brisk walks in appropriate clothing.

The darkness, though, is upon us, and the winter will hit hardest after that, so be sure to practice some self-care in the days, weeks and months ahead, and get out when you can for some light and life.

One way to do that this week, and for the rest of the month, is to explore the world of events and activities that’s being offered as part of November Gourmet Ljubljana, with some details here. The focal event in the coming week is the traditional St Martin’s Day (Martinovanje) celebration of the new wine. This happens across Slovenia, but in the capital the day becomes the Ljubljana Wine Route (Ljubljanska vinska pot) and occurs in the Old Town, where there’ll be dozens of stalls set up selling wine, along with related food. A real street party with an atmosphere even non-drinkers can enjoy.

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.

Monday Cankarjev dom is hosting Iberi, a six-person vocal and instrumental ensemble that explores the emotional potential of age-old polyphony and traditional instruments, bringing new life to Georgian music.

The annual Month of Design continues until 8 November, with details here.

Thursday Kino Šiška has a show by the Hungarian violinist and zither player Félix Lajkó and his band. The same evening there’s a free show (tickets) at Križanke with Vladimir Ačimović, piano & Emilija Mladenović, cello, playing Mendelssohn, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Rachmaninov, and others. Another concert Thursday ids at  Cankarjev dom with the British cellist Natalie Clein and the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, playing Elgar and Mahler.

Friday evening, 21:00, Ljubljana Castle has a concert by Maja Založnik & Moonshine, with tickets €7. Saturday you can get a taste of San Remo at Cankarjev dom, with the arrival on stage of Anna Oxa. Saturday night at K4 you can relive the glory days with Techno Oldies Goldies, with techno from Dojaja, Organon, and E.B.King, and psytrance from Agent Mushroom and Sun Wu-Kong.

How much do tourists spend in Slovenia? Find out here

New or recent movies on this week include the following, with links to all the cinemas in the regular listings (scroll down):

Learn Slovene with memes, here

Interested in Slovenian craft beer? Find out what’s new with Damir, of Lajbah and more.

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 my recent visit here.

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.

Photo: JL Flanner

Ljubljana is forecast to be the fastest-warming city in the world over the next few decades.

You're in the town of Slavoj Žižek, but do you find yourself lost when conversation turns to the philosopher? If so, check out our collection of quotes and clips to learn more.

Screenshot from YouTube

Contents

• Cinemas and films
• Clubbing
• Live music
• Theatre and dance
• Harm reduction and drug testing
• Things to do with children
• LGBT+ Ljubljana
• Ljubljana Castle
• Museums and galleries
• Other things to do in Ljubljana
• Daytrips
• Getting around
• Emergencies

Cinemas and films

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.

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Looking for a souvenir you'll really enjoy? Take a look at Broken Bones Gin, the first gin made in Ljubljana (learn more here, and try it at the Central Market or selected downtown bars).

Photo: Genius loci d.o.o.

Know that big triangular building behind the train station? Learn what's inside here.

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.

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Live music

Balassi Institute – Free Hungarian music, when available, from the Hungarian cultural institute just a short walk downriver from Dragon Bridge.

Cankerjev dom – The main arts venue in the country hosts classical, opera jazz, folk and occassinally pop.

Cvetličarna – Regional pop and rock concerts can be found here.

Channel Zero – This Metelkova venue sees live shows from punk and rock bands, as well as others.

Gala Hala – Another Metelkova venue with indie bands of various styles.

Kino Šiška – One of the top live venues in the city, with a varied programme that include indie, rock, pop, experimental, hip hop, and so on.

Klub Gromka – Live music is often metal, from sludge to stoner, death to thrash, while punk bands also appear, as do others.

Križanke – The venue that hosts the Ljubljana Festival often has classical music, and some rock, in the open air.

Ljubljana Castle – Jazz, funk and pop every Friday night.

Orto Bar– The home of live rock, metal, punk and other guitar-based genres.

Pinelina dnevna soba – LIve music is rare here, but it does happen.

Slovenska filharmonija– Classical music in the centre of town.

SNG Opera and Ballet - As the name suggests, here you'll find the best of opera and ballet in the country.

Španski borci - While dance is more common here, they also have some contemporary and experimental music shows.

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Slovenska cesta, 1959. Wikimedia. See more pictures of Old Ljubljana here

Theatre and dance

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.

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Harm reduction and drug testing

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.CBD is legal, though, and our retailer of choice can be found on Trubarjeva cesta - read more about Sena Flora here.

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Photo: Igor Andjelič. See more of his work here

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 to six 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.

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LGBT+ Ljubljana

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.

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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 until 17 November Mighty Guardians of the Past: Castles in the Slovenian Lands, a presentation that delivers on the promise of its title.

I try and get up there every Saturday morning to clear my head and move my feet on the trails, and never tire of that end of the hill. 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.

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Museums and galleries

Most public galleries and museums are closed on Mondays, although not the National Museum.

From 15 October to 17 November various venues around town will be hosting events related to Transform 2019: Trans-form:action, featuring students from academies from Zagreb, Sofia, Bucharest, Skopje, Istanbul and Ljubljana. Details.

Bežigrajska galerija 2 – Take a trip to Vodovodna cesta 3 between 3 October and 13 November you can see “selected works by the Prešeren awards recipients originating from Slovenian Istria, coming from the collections of the Piran Coastal Galleries and the Prešeren Award Winners of Fine Arts Gallery Kranj.” The free to enter show includes the following work.

Živko Marušič, Ujetniki dima III, 1986, oil on canvas, 130 x 148 cm © Marko Tušek

Cankerjev dom – On until 3 March 2020 there's an exhibition on Ancient Greek Science and Technology. Details here.

Plečnik's desk. Photo: JL Flanner

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. On until January 2020 you can see plans and models for some of the things Plečnik planned but never built in Ljubljana. Take a look at some pictures here.

Image: Nejc Bernik. ZRC-SAZU

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. This month there's also an exhibition with more works like the one shown below for a show described as follows: “The concept of the exhibition “Awkwardly Close” in Balassi Institute is exactly the self-conscious unease coming from artistic and content similarities between the works of Kata Bereczki, and the Slovenian artistic collective Son:DA."

City Gallery - Until 10 November you can see After the Canal, there was only "our" world: “The exhibition is an invitation to explore a variety of historical and geographical connections between Europe, especially its Easts, and the Middle East, particularly Egypt, with the Suez Canal as the trigger, while contemplating their reflections in the mirror of the present.”

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

The Faces of Ljubljana in the City Museum. Photo: JL Flanner

Drink like a pro - find gallery openings. Photo: JL Flanner

Ljubljana Castle on until 17 November Mighty Guardians of the Past: Castles in the Slovenian Lands, a presentation that delivers on the promise of its title. New at the Castle is (Un)known Ljubljana, a free to enter National Geographic exhibition with photographs of some of the lesser seen parts of the city, with one example below and more here.

MAO – The Museum of Architecture and Design has much of what you'd expect, along with some temporary shows and a good cafe.

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. The 9th Triennial of Contemporary Art U3 is also on here until 12 January 2020. Titled Dead and Alive: “The exhibition unfolds around three contradictory states of now – the dead and alive state of conceptualism, analogue and liquid materiality, and the subconscious as the battlefield of cognitive capitalism. Because – how do art and avant-garde progress? By making sensible what is beyond. At the end of the day, Dead and Alive is a quantum time search for an engaged form.” More details here, on one of the works on show below.

© Aleksandra Vajd, Collage by K. E. Graebner Nature the Unknown Acquaintance (1971) and a unit of five hand-dyed photograms titled: ‘rivalry of superior vs. inferior’, 2017

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 here. Art for the Brave New World runs until 5 January 2020: “The exhibition will present the beginnings and development of an early government art collection in Slovenia, which, despite the economic and political crisis, was created in the 1930s by artistic and professional personalities gathered around Dr Marko Natlačen, the last ban of the Drava Banovina.”

JL Flanner

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. Running until 3 November is Roma Aeterna: Masterpieces of Classical Sculpture. With sculptures from the collection of the Santarelli family in Rome, ranging from the age of the Roman Empire to that of neoclassicism. 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.  

Roma Aeterna: Masterpieces of Classical Sculpture - see above

A fragment of a Coptic textile; 5th–6th cent.:  Upper Egypt; linen, wool; National Museum of Slovenia. Photo: Tomaž Lauko

Until 24 May 2019 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 – On until the end of December 2019 is Our Little Big Sea, which takes a look at the oceans.

National Museum of Contemporary History - Tucked away in park Tivoli, you can see a permanent exhibition on Slovenians in the 20th century.

Slovene Ethnographic Museum – The museum has two permanent exhibitions. One of these is called Between Nature and Culture, and has a great collection of objects from Slovenia and around the world, well worth the trip up to the third floor to see it (as recounted here). 

Vžigalica Gallery – Nothing seems to be happening this week, but from 12 November to 1 December there's going to be a show from called SAEBORG: SLAUGHTER HOUSE 17 from the Japanese artist Saeborg which is being promoted with the following image. Details here.

SAEBORG: SLAUGHTER HOUSE 17. Photo: © DARKMOFO

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.

Volčji Potok Arboretum - Running until 3 November you can see a large collection of cacti here.

It's not a formal museum, but if you're interested in "Yugo-stalgia" then you'll enjoy a trip to Verba, a small, privately run space that's crammed with objects and pop culture items from the era, and is conveniently located at the start of one of the short walks to the castle. It's also a great place to take pictures, if you leave a donation, and you can read more about it here.

Verba. Photo: JL Flanner

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 Ljubljana here.

Photo: JL Flanner

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Other things to do in Ljubljana

Learn more about Ljubljana with "25 things to know about Slovenia's green city of dragons", or take a look at our guide to spending from four to 48 hours here.

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.

Open Kitchen has no finished for the year, to be back sometime in spring 2020. Read more about it here.

Photo: Open Kitchen

Ljubljana has some beautiful buildings from the early 20^th century, in the Secessionist style, like the one below. Learn where to find them here.

Photo: Neža Loštrek

For something a little more brual, check out Republika trg / Republic Square, in the heart of the political quarter.

Photo: JL Flanner

Photo: JL Flanner

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.

visitljubjana.si

Nataraja Studio

Want to stretch and breath? Then check out our list of drop-in yoga classes for tourists, visitors and the uncommitted. We go to Nataraja Studio, by Dragon Bridge, and here's a story about it.

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.

Photo: maxpixel.net, public domain

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Daytrips

Most of Slovenia is only a few hours from Ljubljana, and you can easily visit Lake Bled, Lipica Stud Farm, Postojna Cave, Predjama Castle, the coast and other locations, while if you'd like to take a photo of from that bench in Bled, then you can learn how to get there here. If you’re looking for something more ambitious, then check out our recent guide to the 17 members of the Association of Historical Towns of Slovenia. We've also written guides on spending from four to 48 hours in Bled and Piran.

Photo: Google Image Search

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Getting around

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.

Emergencies

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.

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STA, 1 November 2019 - Slovenians will remember their dead today with ceremonies marking Day of Remembrance of the Dead, a national holiday and a work-free day being observed around the country. The main event in Ljubljana's Congress Square will be attended by the country's top officials. People will also be visiting cemeteries and lighting candles at graves.

The secular version of All Saints' Day has been marked in Slovenia as a work-free day since 1948, and as of 1959 also as a national holiday. It was renamed Day of Remembrance of the Dead in 1989.

Various remembrance and wreath-laying ceremonies are traditionally held on this day all over the country, and people visit the graves of their relatives to put flowers and light candles to remember them.

Attending today's ceremony at the Monument to the Victims of All Wars will be President Borut Pahor and Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, as well as the speakers of the lower and upper chambers of parliament, Dejan Židan and Alojz Kovšca.

Pahor will lay a wreath at the Monument to the Victims of All Wars, which was inaugurated in 2017, also accompanied by Alenka Ermenc, the chief of staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces, and Police Commissioner Tatjana Bobar.

Šarec and National Assembly Speaker Židan will also visit the monument for the victims of the 1991 independence war at Žale cemetery. Židan will also lay wreaths at the monuments to the victims of the first and second world wars there.

On the occasion of Day of Remembrance of the Dead, the Statistics Office said that, just like in 2017, more than 20,000 residents of Slovenia died last year, with deaths outnumbering births.

A total of 20,485 persons died in Slovenia in 2018, of whom 10,372 were women, and it was the year with the third highest number of deaths after the Second World War.

The average age of persons who died last year in Slovenia (77.9) was almost nine years higher than 30 years ago, with the share of persons younger than 65 who died in 2018 standing at 16.5%.

Men in Slovenia die younger than women on average, but the average age at death for men (74.1 last year) is increasing at a faster pace than that for women (81.6 last year).

While the premature mortality rate (deaths before the age of 65) is higher in men, it is decreasing for both genders. Boys born in 2018 may expect to live to the age of 78.3, and girls until the age of 84.

In almost 71% of cases of persons who died in Slovenia last year, the cause of death was related to cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms.

You can see more statistics about Slovenia here

STA, 31 October 2019 - The first of two WWII-era bombs discovered at construction sites in Maribor last week was successfully defused in the early afternoon on Thursday. Sirens signalled it was safe for residents living within a 300-metre radius to return to their homes just before 2 pm, less than two hours after the start of operation.

The 250-kilogramme bomb, one of thousands dropped on Maribor by the Allies between 1944 and 1945, was deactivated by experts of the national unit for protection against unexploded ordnance. Maribor police PR officer Miran Šadl told the press that technicians managed to unscrew both detonators.

The bomb has been found by construction workers near the Europark shopping centre, which is closed today, as Slovenia observes Reformation Day, a bank holiday.

Today's evacuation, overseen by the Civil Protection and Rescue Administration, was not too demanding, as it involved only some 80 people.

About two dozen came to the Tabor sports hall to wait out the operation. Most of them were Bulgarian construction workers and a few families. Some brought their pets with them, fearing that a potential explosion would upset them.

"We would have probably spent the day elsewhere if weather were better. But it's raining and we're better off here," Aleksander Rotman, one of the evacuees at Tabor sports hall, told the STA.

The second bomb is to be detonated on Sunday. That operation will be more demanding. The bomb is twice as strong and located at a site that will demand the evacuation of about a thousand people, including an entire hospital wing. Another 1,000 will have to stay indoors.

While today's detonation was completed at the site of the bomb, the second bomb will have to be moved to avoid an even more extensive evacuation.

STA, 31 October 2019 - Slovenians remained among the most frugal nations in the EU in the past year and positive economic trends further boosted the savings figures. Traditional forms of saving remain dominant, but investments into shares and equity are also rising. Some uncertainty has meanwhile been caused by talk of negative interest rates and lending restrictions.

Slovenia is among the 80 countries celebrating World Savings Day on 31 October. Saving has a long tradition in the country, with the first savings bank in Ljubljana dating back to 1820 and the first bank to 1900.

The frugal character of Slovenians, whose gross household saving rate was 2.6 percentage points above the EU average of 10% last year, has contributed to EUR 55.5 billion in total household savings recorded at the end of June 2019.

Almost half, or 48% of this sum is in the form or cash savings or bank deposits - the latter stood at EUR 19.6 billion at end of June, most of which was deposited at banks in Slovenia.

Total household savings increased by EUR 4.1 billion between June 2018 and June 2019. Cash and deposit savings in the period amounted to EUR 1.9 billion, which Banka Slovenije said was the highest figure for such a period since data started being collected in the current form in 2005.

Also up substantially in this period, by almost EUR 1.7 billion, were investments in shares and other forms of equity capital.

This development was spurred by high returns at the end of last year, while traditional forms of saving have become the subject of low interest rates and even talk of the possibility of introducing negative rates on deposits.

The Slovenian Consumer Association has urged people not to get discouraged, stressing the importance of saving and urging that consumers be protected against a potential introduction of negative deposit rates. It pointed out this could lead to people withdrawing their savings and destabilising the banking system.

Meanwhile, the debt levels of Slovenian households are also among the lowest in the eurozone. Total household debt amounted to EUR 14.4 billion at the end of June. Debt to banks stood at EUR 10.4 billion, EUR 6.3 billion of which was housing loans and EUR 2.7 billion consumer loans.

Standing out in this respect has been a marked rise in consumer loans, whose growth has been exceeding 10% for several years.

In August, the year-on-year growth was 11.7% and the central bank decided to pull the brake in October. It announced it was moving from recommendations to formal restrictions while also further stiffening conditions.

The restrictions, which will become effective in November and which also involve exemptions, include maximum 84-month maturity for consumer loans, down from 120 months recommended last year.

Banks will moreover for the most part have to keep loan-to-value ratios (loan payments relative to the client's annual income) to below 50% for clients with monthly income of up to twice the gross minimum wage and below 67% for those making more than that.

The same loan-to-value ratios will also become obligatory for housing loans. Remaining only a recommendation to banks is that the ratio between the value of a loan and the value of the housing assets used to insure it should not exceed 80%.

Banka Slovenije claims the measure will not affect those who are borrowing in line with their capabilities, while the central bank's Deputy Governor Primož Dolenc has also put in question claims this would affect bank profits and seriously reduce purchasing power.

"We've conducted quite a number of studies ... and one of the minuses is a one-off effect on the profitability of banks. However, if we have healthy credit growth and keep bank portfolios clear of potentially problematic claims, this will have positive effects in the long run," Dolenc said, suggesting a similar logic applied to consumer spending.

As Slovenia’s international profile rises in terms of travel and tourism it’s well beyond time that visitors to the country were encouraged to see more than Ljubljana and Bled – with most tourists staying for less than two days and following the same routes.

The Slovenian Tourist Board, along with the various tourist offices around the country, as well as private businesses, are making many efforts in this regard. One is getting people to see more of the country, such as with the recently launched Juliana Trail, with some of the best hikes and views in the country, and the Bike Slovenia Green tours, which take you from Kranjska Gora to Koper. But in addition to trying to broaden the range of experiences on offer there’s also a move to deepen them, so that people can get the most of out of their time in the country. One approach – and one we’ll be hearing ever more of in the run up to 2021, when Slovenia becomes a European Region of Gastronomy – is to open up the world of local food and drink.

One event that will give a taste of what’s on offer is the month-long November Gourmet programme in Ljubljana. This is a packed schedule of tastings, markets, menus, workshops, meals, discussions, and so on, which together show there’s a lot more to Slovenian food and drink than Kranjska klobasa, kremsnita and Union beer.

The full schedule can be found here, with a huge number of events over the month. It’s only in Slovene at the time of writing but easily digested by Google Translate, and when an English schedule goes up it’ll be found here. Some highlights follow below.

From 4 to 10 November a number of restaurants and cafés will highlight locally-produced, seasonal dishes for every taste, specially marked on their menus, with the names participating being Gostilna na Gradu, Hiša pod Gradom, Bistro Ek, Magda, Sputnik, Falafel, Paninoteka, Slovenska hiša, Slovenska hiša Figovec, Moji štruklji, Grand café Ljubljana, and Kodila in Landerik.

Martinovanje, St Martin’s Day, celebrates the new wine, and in Ljubljana this is marked with the wine route in the Old Town on Saturday, 9 November. Here just under 100 winemakers and food producers will be selling their wares to crowds of lively folk, getting livelier, in an event that can take you around the country in a few dozen glasses.

The following week, on 14 and 15 November, the 22^nd Slovenian Wine Festival comes to Cankarjev dom, bringing together producers, experts and enthusiasts, while Mira Šemić will present the Little Wine School on 28 November.

Slovenian craft beer has exploded on the scene and is evolving fast, with Lajbah Pub being one of the centres of experimentation and exploration in the capital. It’s thus fitting that its hosting three evening events on beer: a panel talk (13 November) and two dinner events pairing various dishes with beer (20 November), as well as with both wine and beer (27 November).

Related: Beer with Damir - Dr Orel, Karlovček, Kralj, Kromberger & Pregl

Every Sunday in November the Bistro Švicarija in Tivoli Park will offer a Ljubljana Sunday Lunch, with the food served along with classic hits from the golden age of Slovenian pop music. The same venue will also host a five-course St Martin’s Dinner, with both duck Slovenian pop songs, on 9 November.

Want to cook the classics of Slovenian cuisine? Check out our growing list of recipes

Elsewhere, there’s a meat-focused seven-course Winner, Winner, Beef Dinner at the Rashushka Food Studio (2 and 7 November), as organised by Meat Business and Karakter Distillery. Rashushka will also a special menu introducing the food of Ancient Rome on 23 November.

If you prefer to make your own food, then Rashushka Food Studio have workshop on healthy bread making (15 November), a latte art and tea workshop (16 November), and a workshop on how to use spices

The 66th Slovenian Hospitality and Tourism Convention (11 to 13 November) will include events such as live competitions, a walk through the flavours of Slovenia, lectures, and a charity gala dinner featuring the top chefs Igor Jagodic, Jure Tomič and Tomaž Kavčič, with a wine selection by Mira Šemić. The Convention will also see the presentation of the updated, second edition of the Gault & Millau Slovenia culinary guide, as well as the Gault & Millau Ljubljana / Ljubljana Quality guide to the city.

The New Taste of Ljubljana competition calls on entrants to come up with an original recipe using a set list of ingredients, and then to upload a photo of the dish to gourmet-lj.si between 2 and 13 November. As of writing we don’t know the ingredients, but will update this / write a new story when we do. The winners will then be announced at the November Gourmet Finale on 22 November.

If you prefer taking pictures to making food, then between 2 and 30 November the My Gourmet Ljubljana competition for the best culinary photo is taking place on the @gourmet_ljubljana Instagram profile. Just take a picture of some “Ljubljana food” add post it on Instagram with the #gourmetlj hashtag.

More details (in Slovene) can be found here, while the English site here should be updated soon. There’s also a Facebook page.