Lifestyle
STA, 19 September 2019 - A survey carried out as part of a programme aimed at preventing peer violence and sexual violence at Slovenian schools has shown that 89% of school children encounter verbal, physical or relational violence.
The study was conducted among 4,500 students aged 12 to 14 from 70 primary schools.
While in the past, studies focussed on the perpetrators or victims, or those who are both, recent studies focus on the observers, children who are witnesses to violence, this being the dominant group with immense social power, psychologist Mateja Štirn said at a congress of Slovenian psychologists in Zreče on Thursday.
Results have shown that girls notice relational violence more often, while boys more frequently witness physical and on-line violence.
Older pupils and those who are doing well at school notice verbal and relational violence more frequently than younger pupils and those who are not doing so well at school. But unfortunately, they usually do not report it.
Sonja Pečjak from the psychology department at the Ljubljana Faculty of Arts noted that violence was present at all schools, only that some deal with it openly while others try to cover it up and address it only when it escalates.
As part of a comprehensive programme of violence prevention, workshops and presentations are being organised for children, teenagers, teachers and parents, starting at the kindergarten, to teach the participants how to recognise violence and how to respond to it.
According to Katarina Kocbek, one form of peer violence is on-line violence, as 97% of teenagers in the final three grades of primary school use mobile phones on a daily basis.
Results of surveys conducted in Slovenia and abroad show that as many as 50% of young people have experience with various forms of on-line violence and bullying.
This was confirmed by the study conducted in the 70 Slovenian schools. Some 43% of respondents said they have experienced at least one form of on-line violence at least once in their life, and about a third said they had committed such violence at least once.
Some 25% said they had received insulting texts or that others made insulting statements about them. The share of those whose personal data or photos were abused was the smallest.
Between 4% and 6% of respondents said they were being insulted on a regular basis, that their peers said nasty things about them behind the backs, and that they had faced exclusion.
Experts agreed that the results of the survey point to the need for more preventive programmes, and that such programmes should start as early as possible.
STA, 17 September 2019 - Lendava and Murska Sobota remembered on Tuesday local Jewish families that perished in the Holocaust, as Stolpersteine, granite cubes bearing the names of the victims, were installed in various locations around the two north-eastern cities in high-profile commemorations.
In Lendava, the "stumbling stones" with brass plates bearing the victims' names were installed in Glavna Ulica street in front of the former homes of the families Blau, Balkanyi and Schwarz.
Since Lendava is located in a bilingual area, each member of the families is remembered with two stones, one with a text in Slovenian and the other in Hungarian.
The first memorial stone was installed by German artist Gunther Demnig, who conceived the project in 1992, and Lendava Mayor Janez Magyar.
The commemoration featured a number of guests, including Jewish community representatives, the victims' relatives, and Erika Fürst as the only living Holocaust survivor from the region of Prekmurje, which used to have a thriving Jewish community before WWII.
It was also attended by Mirjana Gašpar and Beata Lazar, the authors of the book Jews in Lendava, and director of the SAZU's Science and Research Centre Oto Luthar, who comes from Prekmurje.
The president of the Jewish Community in Slovenia Boris Čerin Levy and Rabbi Ariel Haddad from Italy's Trieste were also on hand, with the prayer to be sung by cantor Isidoro Abramowicz from a synagogue in Berlin.
The artistic project of installing the commemorative stones was initiated by Demnig 27 years ago to remember the members of the Jewish community who died in Nazi concentration camps, symbolically bringing them back to their homes.
Since then, Stolpersteine have been installed in more than 610 cities in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Ukraine, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Norway.
In Slovenia, the project is coordinated by the Ljubljana Jewish Cultural Centre and by the Maribor Synagogue Centre of Jewish Cultural Heritage, whose head Boris Hajdinjak will today recount some of the stories of the deceased families.
The ceremony in Murska Sobota will be held later in the day to remember the families Berger, Hahn and Frim apart from many other Jewish victims of the Holocaust that have been forgotten until recently.
Lendava and Murska Sobota are thus joining Maribor and Ljubljana, the cities where the first memorial stones were installed in Slovenia in 2012 and 2018, respectively.
The honorary sponsor of the project in the country is President Borut Pahor.
Lean more about the Stolpersteine in Ljubljana here
STA, 16 September 2019 - Internet users reported more cases of hate speech and of videos of sexual abuse of children to the online complaint website Spletno Oko (Web Eye) in 2018 than in 2017.
A total of 350 websites were reported for allegedly featuring videos of sexual abuse, of which Spletno Oko found 45% to indeed feature such images.
The hotline website believes the cases fall under Article 176 of the penal code, which penalises presenting or publicly exhibiting pornographic material featuring minors.
Spletno Oko says that compared to 2017, the number of reports and potential criminal acts related to the sexual abuse of children increased manifold.
It partly attributes the rise to an intensive awareness campaign about child abuse and about the possibility of anonymously reporting it.
The cases were forwarded to the police, and the countries in which the contentious content had appeared, most often the US and Netherlands, were notified of it.
The majority of the cases forwarded to the police featured children aged 11 to 15.
A rise in the share of material with much younger victims, aged up to six years, was also recorded, increasing by 6 percentage points to 14%.
The share of videos showing "severe sexual abuse" content rose by 9 points to 55%, which Spletno Oko says is worrying. The majority of these victims were girls.
Hate speeches mostly related to Muslims and migrants
Internet users moreover reported 591 cases of alleged criminal acts of hate speech, slightly more than the previous year.
Spletno Oko found 35 of these cases to be potentially prosecutable, up 10 from 2017, but the police filed criminal complaints in only 21 cases.
The majority of the cases forwarded to the police (28%) were related to ethnic background, foremost to migrants and Muslims. The majority were found on news portals.
Spletno Oko is part of the Safer Internet Centre and has been receiving reports of sexual abuse videos and hate speech cases on the internet since 2007.
STA, 13 September 2019 - Ljubljana and a total of 25 surrounding municipalities have signed an agreement to cooperate in the bid of the Slovenian capital to be awarded the title of the European Capital of Culture (ECC) in 2025. They are joining Lendava, Nova Gorica, Ptuj, Kranj and Piran as the candidate cities.
The agreement was signed in Ljubljana on Friday by mayors and representatives of the 26 municipalities, which comprise the Ljubljana Urban Region, followed by the opening of the ECC information office in Stritarjeva Street.
Nina Peče Grilc, who heads the team preparing the bid, announced an ambitious programme with which Ljubljana and the partner municipalities "will respond to challenges of the future and increase the quality of live in the region."
According to her, the bid is an opportunity for all potential hosts to strengthen the role of culture in their development plans, and create a new regional cultural identity by connecting artists and building a new audience.
Peče Grilc said that a successful ECC project would have a positive effect on the entire region, both in culture and in related fields, such as tourism, education, healthcare, social cohesiveness, creative industries and environmental protection.
A public call for the submission of programme concepts will be published next week, she said, adding that the agreement contained a number of commitments, including that at least a third of events take place outside the Ljubljana municipality.
Lilijana Madjar, the director of the regional development agency, said that the ECC was a "flattering title, an excellent brand and a great commitment".
Mateja Demšič of the culture department at the Ljubljana municipality added she was happy that culture had become another binding agent among the participating municipalities, noting that the region was already connected through many projects.
Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković expressed the wish that culture projects reach beyond the region, and announced that in Ljubljana, which annually hosts 14,000 cultural events, their number would increase further with the ECC title.
Slovenia has been selected to get the ECC title in 2025 along with Germany, with the other potential candidate cities being Kranj, Ptuj, Lendava, Piran and Nova Gorica, some of them with partner cities.
Slovenia's second largest city Maribor held the title in 2012 together with Portugal's Guimaräes.
Keep up with the daily news in Slovenia by checking the morning headlines here
This summary has been prepared by the STA:
MONDAY, 16 September
LJUBLJANA - Indian President Ram Nath Kovind will start an official visit at the invitation of Slovenia's Borut Pahor.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Foreign Ministry State Secretary will attend a session of the EU's General Affairs Council.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary inquiry into alleged abuse at the Bank Assets Management Company will set the course of action.
LJUBLJANA - A conference on smart cities organised by several research institutions and local-government associations.
LJUBLJANA - The European Mobility Week will start, with 78 municipalities participating with activities to reduce road traffic.
LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Office will release July pay data.
TUESDAY, 17 September
LJUBLJANA - The Economic and Social Council will debate the budget bills for 2020 and 2021.
LJUBLJANA - Cypriot Parliament Speaker Demetris Syllouris will pay a visit.
LJUBLJANA - The Public Administration Ministry will present a package of proposed changes to the public sector pay system.
KRANJ - The management of Gorenjska Banka will speak about the bank's performance and business plans.
PORTOROŽ - The Metod Badjura Award for lifetime achievement will be conferred as the Festival of Slovenian Film gets under way.
RAVNE NA KOROŠKEM - The Festival of Slovenian Jazz will open with a concert by Gal Furlan.
MARIBOR - An exhibition on Poland's suffering during WWII will open at the Museum of National Liberation.
WEDNESDAY, 18 September
BERN, Switzerland - President Borut Pahor will start a two-day official visit to Switzerland.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee will be in session.
LJUBLJANA - Jorge Domecq, chief executive of the European Defence Agency, will meet Defence Minister Karl Erjavec during a working visit to Slovenia.
LJUBLJANA - Stolpersteine, concrete blocs with brass plates bearing the names of Holocaust victims, will be installed at several locations in Ljubljana as part of European Days of Jewish Culture.
KOPER - The Ironman 70.3 Slovenian Istria, taking place on 22 September, will be presented to the press.
THURSDAY, 19 September
LJUBLJANA - Weekly government session.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Home Policy Committee will resume a debate on how Slovenia is protecting the Schengen border.
KOPER - The parliamentary commission for the Italian and Hungarian minorities will debate bilingual services provided by administrative bodies in bilingual areas.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary subcommittee on Roma will discuss representation of the Romany communities on local councils.
MURSKA SOBOTA - The Večernica Prize for best children's book will be conferred.
LJUBLJANA - The Forum of Slavic Cultures will host an international conference of the European Museum Academy.
FRIDAY, 20 September
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for Slovenians Abroad will debate progress in the repatriation of ethnic Slovenians from Argentina.
LJUBLJANA - The EU Affairs Committee will discuss EU Council's recommendations on Slovenia's National Reform Programme and Stability Programme.
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor will host yet another in a series of debates on changes to electoral law.
TRIESTE, Italy - Slofest, a cultural festival of the Slovenian minority in Italy; until 22 September.
LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Office will release the September consumer confidence index.
SATURDAY, 21 September
LJUBLJANA - The coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) is expected to elect Zdravko Počivalšek to succeed Miro Cerar as party leader as it meets for a congress.
MIREN - A meeting for peace will mark International Day of Peace, with MEP Tanja Fajon (S&D/SD) delivering the keynote.
IVANČNA GORICA - Catholic youths will convene an annual event that is the largest gathering of its kind in Slovenia.
SUNDAY, 22 September
PORTOROŽ - Former internees, political prisoners and stolen children will hold their annual meeting. President Borut Pahor and Minister for Slovenians Abroad Peter Jožef Česnik will deliver addresses.
KOPER/IZOLA/PIRAN - The Ironman 70.3 Slovenian Istria.
If you're not in town for the week of this guide (16 - 22 September, 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.
In town and want to follow the news? Check out our regular morning headlines for Slovenia here.
While the month started off dull and grey there’s been a slight return to the summer in the last few days, although this won’t last and the autumn will soon be in full effect. While the seasons change one thing that says the same in Ljubljana is the wealth of things to see and do in a relatively small space, ensuring that whether you’re a short-term visitor or permanent resident, there’s always something to tempt you out and get involved in the life of the city. A few highlights are shown below before going on to the regular listings.after the following selection. 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.
The 2019 Men's European Volleyball Championship will be held in Stožice Sports Park Arena from Thursday 12 – 29 September, with 24 national teams playing. Most games are played in the evening, and you can get tickets and see the schedule here.
Kino Šiška’s 10th Anniversary continyues, giving you a great excuse to go slightly out of town, easily reachable by bike, bus or taxi, to visit a fine centre of alternative culture in the city that serves up live music, performances, exhibitions, talks, movies, specialist markets and more, and is a meeting place for many the city’s cultural workers. The schedule for this week is below, along with a video of Friday night’s performers, the UK's Sleaford Mods, giving hope to mid-life crises.
Monday - ALIEN EXPRESS: SECOND FLIGHT - dance performance
Tuesday DEAFHEAVEN + TOUCHÉ AMORÉ + Portrayal of Guilt - concert
Wednesday - THE CURSE OF VALBURGA - Ljubljana film premiere
Thursday - JON HOPKINS (DJ) + Shekuza - concert
Friday - SLEAFORD MODS + Carina - concert
Sunday- ŠIŠKA OPEN 2019 - urban activities day
If you're in town Monday to Saturday you really should visit Ljubljana Market - it's small, varied and offers fresh fruit, vegetables, local specialities, snacks and souvenirs, while being next to many other sights. Learn more about it here. Here's how you use the Ljubljana’s milk vending machine.
Learn Slovene with memes, 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 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.
- 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.
The new movies in the multiplexes are Downtown Abbey and Ad Astra
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.
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).
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.
DJs at the top of the Castle (more)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Vice meets Žižek in Ljubljana. If you want to see more of the most successful writer who lives in Ljubljana, click here
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.
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.
Museums and galleries
Most public galleries and museums are closed on Mondays, although not the National Museum.
Looking to buy some high end, big name local art from a trusted gallery? Check out our look at Sloart.
Bežigrajska galerija 1 – Visitors to Dunajska cesta 31 can see From Sketch To Puppet: Puppet Theatre Zapik until 31 October 2020.
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.
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 - 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. On until 25 September is Treasures from Russian Museums, an exhibition showcasing more than 80 Russian icons from leading Russian museums.
The Faces of Ljubljana in the City Museum. Photo: JL Flanner
Galerija Kresija – Until 9 October there’s a free exhibition of ceramics at this gallery between Triple Bridge and Town Hall , titled Polona Demšar & Mojca Smerdu: A Touch Of Memory. It’s being promoted as follows: “How do you put yourself in the flow of time, how your own creativity involved in the present and in the future of the past, are some of the questions to which Polona Demšar and Mojca Smerdu respond with exhibited ceramic objects.”
International Centre of Graphic Art – The 33rd Biennial of Graphic Arts runs until 29 September. It's called Crack Up – Crack Down, and is curated by the collective Slavs and Tartars, with a focus satire and the graphic arts. Learn more here.
Jakopič Gallery – Until 29 September you can see the photographs of Lucien Hervé in a show called Geometry of Light
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 19 September is a show called Creators, on contemporary Slovenian fashion and textile design, which is being promoted with the following image.
Photo: Urša Premik
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 museum's Metelkova branch also has a big new show, runing until at least September 2019, an the art of the Non-Aligned Movement, with an example shown below. Until September 15 you can also enjoy Maja Hodošček, a video artist you “explores social relations through the politics of exchange and collaboration; in particular, she is interested in speculative models of representation in relation to the documentary.”
Rafikun Nabi: Poet, 1980, print, 96.5 x 110 cm. Courtesy of the Contemporary Art Center of Montenegro. On display at the Metelova branch of the Moderna galerija
Alan Ford at the National Gallery
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. There’s also a big show on Alan Ford, one of the great comic books of the Yugoslav era, on until 13 October. 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.
Natural History Museum – On until the end of December 2019 is Our Little Big Sea, which takes a look at the oceans.
Roma Aeterna: Masterpieces of Classical Sculpture - see below
National Museum of Contemporary History - Tucked away in park Tivoli, in addition to its permanent collection and until 29 September there also a retrospective on the photographer Edi Šelhaus, which is being promoted with the following image.
Photo: Edi Šelhaus
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). From April 18 until October 19 (2019) you can also see a show calledShamanism of the Peoples of Siberia, from the Russian Museum of Ethnography, Saint Petersburg. The place is located near the newer branch of the Moderna galerija and Metelkova. You can read about this fascinating show here. On until September 15 is Petra Šink: The circle between design and nature, in which the award-winning designer takes visitors through the life cycle of useful products for the home which are made from natural biodegradable fungal materials.
Union is "the Ljubljana beer", but now both it and Laško are owned by Heineken. There are many local brews on offer around town, though, if you want to explore IPAs, stouts, wheatbeers, sours and so on Photo: JL Flanner
Town Hall – On until 6 October is A Hundred Years of the School for the Blind and Partially Sighted in Slovenia. Until 10 October the same venue has a show on Contemporary architecture in Ljubljana.
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.
Vžigalica Gallery – If you’re curious about the man who commissioned that Melania Trump sculpture, then you can see more of activities here, in a show called Brad Downey: This Echo.
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
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 brings market stalls selling food and drink from some of the best restaurants in town every Friday, from 11am to 11pm, in the square between the cathedral and the river - just follow your nose and the crowds. Read more about it here.
Photo: Open Kitchen
Ljubljana has some beautiful buildings from the early 20th 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 prefer to get in the water rather than on it, then here's a guide to the various open air pools in Ljubljana. Note that it was written last year and so the prices and times may have changed, so do click the links and check.
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
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.
Photo: maxpixel.net, public domain
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
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.
In 2018 the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS), which keeps an excellent website, carried out a survey to find the self-assessed wellbeing of people living in Slovenia aged 16 and over. Various areas of life were covered, with responses ranging from 0 for not at all satisfied, to 10 for completely satisfied.
Love and money
The results showed that people were most satisfied with their personal relationships, those with family, friends, neighbours and co-workers, which got an overall rating of 8.6. Moreover, the vast majority of respondents (92%) rated their degree of satisfaction with this area of their life as 7 or above, with pupils and students being the group most satisfied in this regard.
Turning to money, the average level of satisfaction was 6.3, with 17% of respondents answering from 0 to 4, 39% 7 or 8, and 13% 9 and 10.
Work and play
Job satisfaction got an average of 7.5, with the results showing no significant differences between those employed and self-employed, or between men and women. The highest job satisfaction was found for occupations in the field of information & communication and education (both at 8.1), while the lowest (7.1) was reported by those working in wholesale and retail trade, and the repair of motor vehicles.With regard to the mount of free time people had to enjoy, the average satisfaction was 7.2, with a third of respondents giving ratings of 9 or 10. There were no great differences between men and women on this point.
What are the secrets to satisfaction?
The average assessment of overall life satisfaction was 7.3, with a person’s response being heavily dependent on their health, while their position in the labour market, financial situation, leisure, friends, personal relationships, and so on also had predictable impacts.
Those respondents who stated that they were happy all the time rated their overall satisfaction at 8.5, while those who reported never feeling happy in the previous four weeks rated it 4.5
The level of satisfaction is also closely related to feeling happy. Those who were happy all the time assessed their overall life satisfaction with 8.5, while those who in the past four weeks were never happy assessed their overall life satisfaction with 4.5.
Nervous and calm
The survey also asked how nervous people had felt in the previous four weeks, with 12% of respondents saying they were nervous all or nearly all the time, with 14% of women saying this and 10% of men. While young people were happier than old people, they were also more nervous, with this being reported by an incredible 24% of young women, compared to 11% of young men.
Finally, just under two-thirds of people (62%) stated that they felt calm most of the time in the previous four weeks, with slightly more women than men giving this response.
You can see more on this data at SURS
STA, 11 September 2019 - The EU's statistics office Eurostat has projected that Slovenia will have a population of below 1.8 million in 2100, which is a 13% drop compared to 2018. Almost a third of the population in Slovenia is projected to be aged 65 or older at the end of the century.
The projection is part of the Eurostat's EUROPOP 2018 survey involving all EU member states, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, the national Statistics Office reported on Wednesday.
For Slovenia, it shows that the country's population is to increase until 2023, where it is projected to stand at 2,088 million, and then to start declining gradually.
On 1 January 2100, Slovenia is projected to have a population of 1,796,000, or 13% less than it had in 2018, which is the baseline year for the projection.
Related: Non-Slovenes Now Represent 6.9% of Slovenia's Population
Slovenia's fertility rate is expected to gradually increase in the future, to stand in 2100 at 1.77, compared to today's rate of 1.61, meaning the total number of children born or likely to be born to a woman in her lifetime.
At the same time, life expectancy at birth is expected to increase, standing at 89 for boys and at 93 for girls born in Slovenia in 2100.
Despite the expected higher fertility rate, Slovenia's population is projected to grow older further. While persons aged 65 or older in Slovenia represented a 19.4% share of the entire population in 2018, this share is expected to stand at 32% in 2055, and at 31% in 2100.
Related: Slovenia’s Aging Population, in Graphic Form
The share of children (persons under 15) is expected to grow for a few years, and then to start to drop, reaching the lowest point in 2037, at 12.9%. Slow growth from that point on is projected, with the share expected to stand at 13.9% in 2100.
The full dataset from Eurostat can be found here, while all our stories on demographics in Slovenia are here
September 11, 2019
Festival Maribor launched yesterday and continues tomorrow, Thursday, with the Vegetable Orchestra concert, following the vegetable instruments workshop for kids and adults that took place today.
The festival of chamber and orchestral music gradually evolved over the last half a century from a baroque music festival into an event that features a broad range of classical and post-modern music and organisational styles.
In the week that follows participants can attend various concerts, workshops and shows at venues around Slovenia's second biggest city, Maribor.
For the event line-up, tickets and other details, please visit the festival’s website.
The festival will conclude with the No Borders Orchestra concert on September 19.
September 9, 2019
The streams of the intermittent Lake Cerknica are currently undergoing a re-naturalization process, thereby gaining back their original twists and turns that have since the 19th century been cut in attempts to reduce the scope and duration of the annual waters, and increase production of a higher quality of grass for stern and litter.
Gradually the total length of the natural streams of Lake Cerknica was decreased by a half to a third. Shorter streams mean less water, which drains faster due to less friction. This means a shorter annual time of ponding and unpredictability in the levels of water, an unfavourable situation for fish, birds nesting by the water and other aquatic organisms.
Inner Carniola Regional Park, in charge of Lake Cerkinica’s natural heritage, aims to restore the lake back to its condition in the 17th century, when the great natural historian and polymath Valvasor studied its hydrology, a work that gained him Fellowship of London’s Royal Society.
Currently the main stream Stržen is undergoing the re-meandering process and when this is complete, together with two other already re-meandered streams, this will mean about half of all the waterways have already been restored to their previous routes.
Lake Cerknica stretches over 28 square kilometres on average during the ponding season and is an important wildlife resort, especially for the waterfowl, fish and amphibious plants. As such Lake Cerknica is part of the so called Notranjski trikotnik, an area included into the European environmental network Natura 2000 and the main focus of the Inner Carniola Regional Park.
A 1689 illustration, explaining the karst phenomenon, the intermittent Lake Cerknica; Lacus Cirknicensis potiora phaenomena, published in Acta Eruditorum, 1689
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The following schedule was prepared by the STA:
MONDAY, 9 September
BRDO PRI KRANJU - Senior coalition officials are scheduled to meet to debate the budget bills for 2020 and 2021.
LJUBLJANA - Latvian Parliamentary Speaker Inara Murniece will start a two-day official visit.
LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor will host the latest in a series of talks with party leaders and constitutional jurists on changes to electoral law.
PORTOROŽ - The start of Nuclear Energy for New Europe, an international conference; until 12 September.
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian national football team will play Israel in the qualifying for the Euro 2020.
LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Office will release foreign trade data for July.
TUESDAY, 10 September
MOSCOW, Russia - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec will start a two-day visit to Russia. He is scheduled to meet with counterpart Dmitry Medvedev and unveil a monument to Slovenians victims of both world wars on Russian soil.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - As the new European Commission is presented, it will be announced which portfolio Slovenia's commissioner-designate Janez Lenarčič will get.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Economy Committee will debate the bill on recourse for junior creditors wiped out in the 2013 bank bailout.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Infrastructure Committee will debate amendments to the housing act.
LJUBLJANA - The international literary festival Vilenica will get under way.
LJUBLJANA - Cankarjev Dom will present the highlights of its new season.
LJUBLJANA - The programme of the Festival of Slovenian Film (17-22 September) will be presented.
CELJE - The opening of the International Trade Fair (MOS).
LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Office will release industrial output data for July.
MOJSTRANA - Mine victims from Bosnia-Herzegovina will climb Mount Triglav to raise awareness about the danger of mines.
WEDNESDAY, 11 September
LJUBLJANA - Montenegrin Economy Minister Dragica Sekulić will pay an official visit.
LJUBLJANA - Yang Chuantang, one of the vice chairmen of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, will start a multi-day visit at the invitation of National Council President Alojz Kovšca.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Defence Committee will debate the draft of the new National Security Strategy.
THURSDAY, 12 September
LJUBLJANA - Weekly government session.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Defence Committee will debate arms purchases at the request of the Left.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Economy Committee will debate amendments to the copyright act.
BRNIK - A new logistics centre operated by Cargo-partner will be launched.
LJUBLJANA - The Men's European Volleyball Championship will start, with Group C being hosted by Slovenia.
FRIDAY, 13 September
LJUBLJANA - Finland's EU presidency priorities will be presented at a joint session of the parliamentary EU and foreign policy committees.
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian MEPs will speak to the press about current EU issues and challenges.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for the Oversight of Intelligence and Security Services will examine a report on border arbitration compiled by intelligence services.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Justice Committee will examine the annual report of the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption.
LJUBLJANA - NATO chiefs-of-staff will get together for a conference; until 15 September.
PIVKA - The Park of Military History will host the annual Festival of Military History; until 15 September.
SATURDAY, 14 September
LJUBLJANA - The opposition New Slovenia (NSi) will hold a conference to adopt a new platform in its attempt to shift to the centre.
LIPICA - The international literary festival Vilenica will wrap up with an award ceremony.
AJDOVŠČINA - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec will be keynote speaker at a ceremony marking the reunification with Primorska region.
IZOLA - Diplomats will gather for the traditional annual Diplomatic Regatta.
SUNDAY, 15 September
LJUBLJANA - Indian President Ram Nath Kovind will start a multi-day official visit to Slovenia.
RATEČE - Mayors from Slovenia, Austria and Italy will meet in the three-border area.
BOHINJ - Cow Ball, an ethnographic event marking the end of the grazing season at high-altitude pastures.
