STA, 30 March 2019 - Insurer Zavarovalnica Sava posted a EUR 29.5m net profit last year or 18% more than in 2017, with gross insurance premiums increasing by 8% to EUR 395.1m, and payments of gross damages being up by 16.5% to EUR 275.7m, according to the company's annual report.

The property insurance segment contributed EUR 18.4m in net profit last year, while the life insurance segment contributed EUR 11.2m.

The Maribor-based insurer, a part of the Sava Re group, had a 16.6% market share in 2018 measured by gross premiums, to remain the second largest insurer on the Slovenian market.

The insurer, created through the merger of two Slovenian and two Croatian subsidiaries of reinsurer Sava Re in 2016, saw its market share in property insurance increase to 18.8%, while the market share in life insurance dropped to 11.6%.

At the end of last year, Zavarovalnica Sava employed 1,192 people, which is 41 fewer than at the end of 2017. The company said that the reduction in the workforce was a consequence of optimisation of processes and the synergy effects of the 2016 merger.

For this year, the company plans an additional increase in premiums from property insurance, while premiums from life insurance are expected to be lower than in 2018. The financial plan envisages a net profit of EUR 32.8m.

All our business news can be found here

STA, 30 March 2019 - The University of Maribor (Univerza v Mariboru) will launch a centre for smart cities and communities, a platform linking researchers, the corporate sector and local communities who strive to develop and adopt high-tech solutions for more effective urban management and thus higher quality of life.

"University's fragmented knowledge about urban issues will be integrated and given new content," explained the university's representatives.

They believe that the new platform could also assist city administrations and companies which are developing smart city devices and services, pushing the university to the forefront of the future sustainable development of cities, especially in east Slovenia.

Stressing that smart urban management has become a societal challenge already acknowledged by many developed cities, the university pointed out that the smart city concept included all key aspects of managing a city.

These include security, transport management, logistics, sustainable spatial planning, water and energy supply, post-office services, waste management and local food supply.

April 1, 2019

In 2007 Slovenia celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the death of Slovenia’s greatest architect, Jože Plečnik. In the same year an inter-ministerial commission was established to carry out the strategy of the protection of cultural and natural heritage, following the 1972 UNESCO recommendation and other legal international commitments for preservation of civilizational achievements.

One of the stages of this process was to prepare a preliminary list of potential world heritage candidates, and in this process all of Plečnik’s work in Ljubljana was declared cultural heritage of national importance in 2009, hence becoming a possible candidate for UNESCO civilisational heritage protection list. In his lifetime Plečnik’s architecture marked several of Central European cities significantly, in particular Ljubljana and Prague. Since the international positioning on the works of the 20^th century is pretty much unclear at the moment, so is the process of recognising Plečnik's work, which was submitted for evaluation in 2015, including one work in Prague and a colleciton of works in Ljubljana.  

Regardless of the civilisational prospects of Plečnik’s nomination for UNESCO status, his entire Ljubljana work was declared cultural heritage and of national importance in 2009, and part of that heritage is Central Bežigrad Stadium, the construction of which spanned over the second half of the 1920s and into the 1930s.

Moreover, in 2007 Ljubljana and Slovenia in general were suffering from the lack of a stadium that could host a major sports event and provide roofed tribunes for an adequate number of spectators. Providing the capital with such a venue was one of the 2006 local election campaign promises of Zoran Jankovič, Ljubljana Mayor since 2006.

In 2007 the city government of Ljubljana (MOL) found an interested investor for the reconstruction of Plečnik’s Stadium, a slot machine baron Joc Plečečnik, who also owned a gambling salon in Grosuplje and the Hotel Lev’s Casino until 2018, when they were sold to Austrian gambling giant Novomatic. According to Peter Rondaij’s open editorial for Dnevnik, Pečečnik’s interest in renovating the stadium was strongly related to his attempts at a Nevada (USA) non-restricted gambling licence, which would have been (and eventually was) granted to him on the condition of his general good track record that also involved a proof of active engagement in the field of culture.

The winner of the public competition for the reconstruction of Plečnik’s Stadium 2009, designed by the German architectural studio GMP, was based on detailed urbanistic plans drawn-up by city Vice-Mayor Janez Koželj half a year later. The inspiration for the spatial planning seems to be heavily influenced by Pečečnik’s original plans for a skyscraper and a vast commercial area spreading deep underground. In the original plans five, not three, commercial buildings were intended by the northern wall of the stadium, currently hosting public gardens that have been in public use since the neighbourhood was built in the 1930s.

 In October 2007, Bežigrad Sports Park Ltd. was established with the main shareholder being Pečečnik’s GSA (59%), the City Government of Ljubljana (28%) and Slovenian Olympic Committee (13%), the latter two contributing their shares in land. The property was immediately closed to the public using a construction fence and the project seemed to have proceeded without much need for either transparency or participation on the side of the public. Starting immediately after the fencing of the premises, citizens living nearby could only observe how the first thing to happen behind closed walls in December 2007 was the removal of floodlights and grass surface altogether, along with the drainage system. Part of a southern wall was demolished so that heavy trucks could get in and out. At the beginning of 2008, local residents also reported that all copper gutters and drain pipes has been removed from the gloriette, which was also reportedly deprived of its electric installations and then left with windows and doors open, which was done, according to speculation of the locals, to let vandals in so that they could destroy what the weather and time would not. According to Rondaij, this approach isn’t new. With “self-demolition” of protected buildings investors can clear a prime location for any development they want.

Meanwhile, in March 2008 an agreement was signed for another sports centre in a much more appropriate location for hosting masses of sports fans and concert goers. Right next to the highway ring-road of Ljubljana, a stadium and another roofed hall has already been completed and pretty much functional since 2010 in Stožice. With these facilities in place, the urgent need for a sports centre ceased to exist and the arguments for another such complex in the downtown area of a “green” capital that aims to replace dirty traffic with bicycle lanes and trees doesn’t seem to hold much water. Especially since this concrete moneymaking monster with several football field sized floors of parking lots is supposed to grow above and under a monument of protected cultural heritage.

The whole process seems to have taken a few shortcuts, one of them being the circumvention of the affected public, in particular the Fond community dwellers, who were left out of all discussions. In 2009 new spatial plans were shown to them which is how they learned that they would lose their gardens and views. The city government gave up the land as its 29% investment in Bežigrad Sports Centre Ltd. It was only from these plans, drawn up without alerting the general public, that one resident even found out that her house was set for demolition (source).

How a polarising project like this can continue to survive into the present is a mindboggling question.  One of the explanations worth mentioning has been explored in detail in a graduation thesis, written by Danaja Visković Rojs. In short, the thesis contextualises the problem into the weak political culture of transitional societies, in which representatives lack the understanding of the nature of legitimacy of their governing jobs. Public participation in important decision-making processes, such as spatial planning, is a fundamental ingredient of democratic societies, something leaders of countries in transition to democracy find difficult to understand, instead taking their role of decision-makers as absolute. In return they lose the legitimacy of their political leadership, which they tend to compensate for with proofs of legality, exacerbating the conflict further.

In 2010 Zoran Jankovič, the Mayor of Ljubljana explained to Delo why the project continues to persis: while the city government contributed only land and wouldn’t lose anything by the contract ending, Joc Pečečnik invested money and would therefore lose €15 million if the project didn’t get through, which wouldn’t be fair to him. Which method of accounting brought Pečečnik to this number, Mayor Jankovič did not explain. The list of maintenance costs according to the official project’s website amounts to only €77,500. Yet the Mayor of Ljubljana seems to have a greater understanding for the interests of the city’s business partner, by now a “small king” of Las Vegas, rather than for the citizens who elected him.

Not surprisingly, in his interview for Delo Joc Pečečnik expressed great satisfaction with the city government’s collaboration, saying he has “no complaints” whatsoever. His take on Fond’s community protests, that are delaying the construction of the stadium, is simplistically legalistic with a neo-liberal newspeak definition of “public interest”: nobody has the right to interfere with his private property and it is the state’s duty to “protect the entrepreneur” and “allow him to create jobs and added value”. If someone out there wishes to use the stadium for “their own personal interest and (use it to) grow lettuce”, he has already offered to “buy his share for a very reasonable price”.

The city government and the Ministry of Culture told 24UR that they do not have the money to buy Pečečnik’s share. But do they even need to? They can simply leave the project and allow the lettuce continue to grow.

STA, 30 March 2019 - Damir Črnčec, the state secretary in the prime minister's office for national security, has told the Siol web portal that all types of radicalisms or extremisms are present in Slovenia, but noted that Slovenia is a safe country.

Črnčec, whose appointment as Marjan Šarec's aide has raised some controversy, said that "all three types of radicalisms and extremisms are present in Slovenia - the right and left, as well as Islamic fundamentalism."

While noting that Slovenia was a safe country, he said that the biggest potential threats were those of the information and cyber type and the issue of illegal migrations, terrorism and a rise of extremism and violent extremism.

Črnčec finds that terrorism is very well defined in the Slovenian legislation, "while there are legal voids when it comes to extremism and violent extremism."

He said that Slovenia lagged behind other countries in terms of information and cyber security, but added that the government had earmarked additional funds for this field in 2019.

"We count on an administration for information security to be established within the Public Administration Ministry, which would deal with the preventive aspect of the forming of a serious information security backbone in Slovenia."

According to Črnčec, the EU is under the "threat represented by so-called fake news and disinformation". "We are talking primarily about the influence of external players, countries, on the political process in the EU."

"The same is true for the influence of these players on individual countries," he said. Asked whether Russia represented the biggest threat in this respect, he said he could hardly say something like that when it came to Slovenia.

Črnčec insists that illegal migrations were primarily a security issue and that it was a criminal act, with the structure of illegal migrants representing the biggest risk.

He assured the public that the migration issue is being managed. "Maintaining a balance between security and solidarity is and will remain the key imperative of our actions in the future."

Commenting on the attempts of the local authorities in Ilirska Bistrica (SW) to prevent a migrant centre from being established there, Črnčec said that the government's position was that a local referendum on the issue was inappropriate.

There is no legal basis for it either, he said, adding that "the government will simply not allow that."

Regarding hate speech, of which he personally had been accused of in the past, Črnčec said that hate speech was present in Slovenia and that a challenge for the future remained to find a balance between its regulation and freedom of speech.

All our stories on Slovenian politics are here

Bookmark this link and find the headlines faster each morning

STA - Below is a roundup of the big stories this morning, 01 April,  2019:

Ljubljana to host European network of science centres & museums in 2020

LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana will host in 2020 the annual international conference of ECSITE, the European network of science centres & museums. The five-day meeting will be organised in June by the Kersnikova Institute, whose head, Jurij Krpan, said that the institute encouraged reflection about how European institutions dealing with the promotion of science could act in a different, modernised and proactive manner. ECSITE decided to name the 2020 event Echoes From the Future.

Paper mill Vipap's revenue up 8%

KRŠKO - Vipap Videm Krško, the largest Slovenian paper producer, generated almost 97 million euro in revenue in 2018, up by 8% from 2017. The parent company, which employs 380 workers, said it had posted an operating profit, but did not disclose the figure, only saying it had exceeded plans. Vipap also told the STA it had invested 2.5 million euro in new technology and emissions management last year.

Golden Drum Festival gets international recognition

LJUBLJANA/LISBON - The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) honoured the Slovenian advertising festival Golden Drum with a president's award. The WFA said that it was one of the largest European creative events and has significantly supported the development of Europe's advertising industries, especially in Central and Eastern Europe.

The week ahead for Slovenia

Via the STA

MONDAY, 1 April

        MENGEŠ - The Centre for European Perspective will host a panel marking the 70th anniversary of NATO and 15th anniversary of Slovenia's NATO membership.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor will debate the future of the EU with youths.
        PORTOROŽ - A two-day international conference on sustainable energy will open.
        LJUBLJANA - The Council for a Competitive and Stable Business Environment, a government advisory body, will be in session. PM Marjan Šarec will be in attendance.
        LJUBLJANA - The start of the spring edition of Ljubljana Fashion Week; until 4 April.

TUESDAY, 2 April
        WASHINGTON, US - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar will take part in a NATO ministerial; until 5 April.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Health Committee will examine amendments to the health services act.
        LJUBLJANA - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) will host an international conference on digitalisation in small and medium-sized enterprises.
        LJUBLJANA - The University Medical Centre (UKC) Ljubljana will appoint a new general manager after Aleš Šabeder became health minister.
        MARIBOR - A panel debate on the former Slovenian president and prime minister, Janez Drnovšek (1950-2008).
        LJUBLJANA - A conference on autism marking World Autism Awareness Day.

WEDNESDAY, 3 April
        POSTOJNA - Defence Minister Karl Erjavec will speak about military exercises at a session of the parliamentary Defence Committee.
        KOPER - Ship pilots at the port of Koper are expected to go on strike over pay and work conditions.
        LJUBLJANA - The Employment Service will release registered unemployment figures for March.
        BLED - The start of the international PEN writers' meeting with the address by Culture Minister Zoran Poznič; until 6 April.
        LJUBLJANA - A conference on EU incentives for companies to innovate.
        LJUBLJANA - The Education Ministry will host a debate on the prevention of discrimination.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Music Days, a festival of contemporary classical music, will open.

THURSDAY, 4 April
        LJUBLJANA - Weekly government session.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Finance Committee will debate a report on an audit of the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC).
        LJUBLJANA - The National Council will host a debate on the 70th anniversary of NATO and Slovenia's 15th anniversary of NATO membership.
        LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian branch of Austrian bank BKS will present its business results.
        PORTOROŽ - A two-day conference on public procurement will open.

FRIDAY, 5 April
        BUCHAREST, Romania - Finance Minister Andrej Bertoncelj will attend a session of the Eurogroup.
        LJUBLJANA - Defence Minister Karl Erjavec and Maj Gen Alenka Ermenc, the chief of the general staff, will hand the annual report on the preparedness of the armed forces to President Borut Pahor.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary EU Affairs Committee will debate the government's blueprint for EU presidency in 2021.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Defence Committee will discuss behind closed doors the planned purchase of 38 4x4 Oshkosh combat tactical all-terrain vehicles.
        MARIBOR - Udo Bullmann, the leader of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament, will pay a visit upon the invitation of the Social Democrats (SD).
        LJUBLJANA - European Transport Minister Violeta Bulc will pay a visit to take part in a debate on military mobility in the upper chamber of parliament.

SATURDAY, 6 April
        BUCHAREST, Romania - Finance Minister Andrej Bertoncelj will attend an informal meeting of EU finance ministers.
        TRBOVLJE - The ruling Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) will meet to present its candidates of the EU elections.
        MURSKA SOBOTA - The Roma Association will host a ceremony marking International Romani Day, with PM Marjan Šarec delivering the keynote.
        KOČEVJE/POSTOJNA/... - Slovenian State Forests (SiDG) will organise a campaign to reforest five areas in the country.

SUNDAY, 7 April
        VAČE - A ceremony will be held on Slovenian Flag Day.

The Slovenian Language Academy released a statement this morning proposing that the teaching of declensions, or skloni, be dropped from the school curriculum. The plan also calls for the various word-endings be phased out from official publications and pronouncements over a three-year period, starting with the dual.

The move, which was in part inspired by China’s introduction of simplified characters in the 1950s, would represent the greatest reformation of the language since Jernej Kopitar's grammar of 1808. Proponents, including the Academy’s President, Dr Butalci, claim that it would make Slovenian easier for immigrants to learn, vital if the country is to deal with its ageing society. It would also help preserve a language that is seen as under threat from the pressures of globalization, which in recent years has led to the rise of “Slovenglish”, a bastard form that mixes Slovene and English into phrases such as “kaj da f?”

While at present only a proposal, Dr Butalci said that the issue should be debated in Parliament as a matter of some urgency in the coming weeks, ahead of the next school year, and that, if approved, she envisaged the first set of official documents to be released in the new, simplified form of Slovenian starting from two years today, on April 1 2021.

All our stories on the Slovenian language can be found here, while our series of dual texts, in English and Slovene, are here

https://english.sta.si/2621620/karateka-ristic-wins-silver-at-european-championships

Karate: Tjaša Ristić Takes Silver at Euro Championships (Video)

STA, 30 March 2019 - Slovenia's Tjaša Ristić won the silver medal at the European Karate Championships in Spain's Gualadajara in the women's 61kg category, losing in Saturday's final to Merve Coban of Turkey 0:4. This is the best achievement for Slovenia in women's karate in history.

"I knew that it would be very difficult, as have never beaten the Turk, but I did not surrender in advance. Regardless of the defeat, I'm very happy," the 25-year-old from Kranj told the STA.

Ristić made it to the final with an excellent streak in which she beat Diana Petrescu of Israel (5:0), Bettina Alstadsaether of Norway (1:0) and Lynn Snel of Netherlands (3:2).

In the semi-finals, she demolished with 9:1 Ingrida Suchanikova of Slovakia, who eventually won the bronze medal.

The next stops for Ristić will be world series events in Morocco and Turkey in which she will be looking to score some more points in a bid to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

The Wisconsin-based theatre company Theatre Gigante is visiting Slovenia this week for two performances, in English with Slovenian surtitles, of Tarzan, "an exotic drama"  by Rok Vilčnik. The first is at 19:30, Monday April 1 in Ptuj City Theatre, and the second at 20:00 on Thursday in Prešeren Theater Kranj.

The show, which is being supported by the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts, UPAF, and Milwaukee County CAMPAC, is being promoted with the following text: This could happen in any jungle …Tarzan, Jane, and a Hyena-called-Mike, grapple with love, middle-age, the fate of the jungle, the animal kingdom, and all humanity. This extraordinary play, by award-winning Slovenian playwright Rok Vilčnik, is smart, funny, and unexpectedly moving.

Bookmark this link and find the headlines faster each morning

STA - Below is a roundup of major events on Sunday, 31 March 2019:

MEP Zver heads joint SDS and SLS slate for EU elections

LJUBLJANA - The opposition Democrats (SDS) and the non-parliamentary People's Party (SLS) announced they would file a joint list of candidates for the May elections to the European Parliament, with the current MEP Milan Zver (SDS/EPP) heading it. Placed second and third on the list after Zver, who also headed the SDS's list in the 2014 EU elections, are the current MEPs from the SDS Romana Tomc and Patricija Šulin, respectively. MEP Franc Bogovič, the former president of the SLS who was elected to the European Parliament five years ago from a joint list of the SLS and New Slovenia (NSi), is fourth on the list.

Cerar says US recognition of Golan unilateral move

LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar said the recent recognition by of the Golan Heights as an Israeli territory by the US is a unilateral move that has surprised the international community, including Slovenia. "This was not the first such decision recently. We insist that such issues cannot be addressed with unilateral acts but in the spirit of the UN charter," Cerar said in an interview for the newspaper Dnevnik. He said that "Slovenia supports the EU's common position, which is based on the resolutions of the UN Security Council, and does not recognise Israel's sovereignty over that territory".

PM's security aide says all extremisms present in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Damir Črnčec, the state secretary in the prime minister's office for national security, told the Siol web portal that all types of radicalisms or extremisms are present in Slovenia, but noted that Slovenia is a safe country. Črnčec said that "all three types of radicalisms and extremisms are present in Slovenia - the right and left, as well as Islamic fundamentalism." While noting that Slovenia was a safe country, he said that the biggest potential threats were those of the information and cyber type and the issue of illegal migrations, terrorism and a rise of extremism and violent extremism.

Zavarovalnica Sava ups net profit 18% last year

MARIBOR - Insurer Zavarovalnica Sava posted a EUR 29.5m net profit last year or 18% more than in 2017, with gross insurance premiums increasing by 8% to EUR 395.1m, and payments of gross damages being up by 16.5% to EUR 275.7m, according to the company's annual report. The property insurance segment contributed EUR 18.4m in net profit last year, while the life insurance segment contributed EUR 11.2m. The Maribor-based insurer, a part of the Sava Re group, had a 16.6% market share in 2018 measured by gross premiums, to remain the second largest insurer on the Slovenian market.

Karateka Ristić wins silver at European championships

GUADALAJARA, Spain - Slovenia's Tjaša Ristić won the silver medal at the European Karate Championships in Spain's Gualadajara in the women's 61kg category, losing in the final to Merve Coban of Turkey 0:4. This is the best achievement for Slovenia in women's karate in history. "I knew that it would be very difficult, as have never beaten the Turk, but I did not surrender in advance. Regardless of the defeat, I'm very happy," the 25-year-old told the STA. The next stops for Ristić will be world series events in Morocco and Turkey in which she will be looking to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

A fun event for the weekend of April 6 and 7 is the Pivo & Burger Fest, run by the same folk as Open Kitchen (Odptra kuhna) and taking place in the same place, Pogačarjev trg 1, the marketplace next to the Cathedral. Expect craft beer, burgers and BBQ and more. I’ll be there both days, Sunday’s hangover permitting.

Something new we added this week that will delight or enrage you is our suggestions on how to spend from four to 48 hours in Ljubljana. Check it out here.

If you're not in town for the week of this guide (April 1 to 7, 2019) then you can see all the editions here, and you can enhance your stay in the city and impress or annoy friends and companions by learning some obscure facts about the city here, and the Castle here.

As ever, clicking on the venue names in the list below should get you more details with regard to the time, price and location, as well as other events on at this place in whatever week you're here. Finally, if there's something 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.

Contents

• Cinemas and films
• Clubbing
• Live music
• Opera, 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 & miscellaneous

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.

Kinodvor – The arts cinema not far from the train station is showing, among other features, Putin's Witnesses, Izbrisana, the late Agnes Varda’s Faces Places, Godard’s The Image Book, Colette, Dumbo, Mirai no Mirai and Ne bom več luzerka (with English subtitles on Tuesday).

Kinoteka – This revival cinema isn’t far from Kinodvor, at the train station end of Miklošičeva, is showing Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis, Gérard Corbiau’s Farinelli: Il castrato, Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s Lili Marleen, Sam Mendes’ American Beauty, with Kevin Spacy playing a predatory older man.

Kino Bežigrad - This place is showing Dumbo and Us.

Kolosej - The multiplex out at BTC City Mall is playing all the big titles, but note that there are far more movies than screens, so some of the older ones may only be playing once or twice a week. Click on the theatre name to see the actual times before making a date. New this week are Pet Sematary, Shazam!, The Aspern Papers and 100 Dinge. Continuing are Dumbo, Ne bom več luzerka, Storm Boy, Us, Creed II, Captain Marvel (2D and 3D), Colette, Posljednji Srbin u Hrvatskoj, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Green Book, Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (dubbed), A Star is Born, Bohemian Rhapsody, Escape Room, Lego Film 2, Alita: Battle Angel (2D and 3D), Qu'est-ce qu'on a encore fait au bon Dieu?, Mia et le lion blanc, Happy Death Day 2U, Instant FamilyReplicas, Izbrisana, and a dubbed version of The Queen’s Corgi.

Komuna – The cinema in a basement behind Nama department store is showing Us, Ne bom več luzerka, Green Book and Dumbo.

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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.

Cvetličarna– Saturday there’s an all-night techno event called Old Kitchen - Slovenian All Stars, with DJs Bloody-J, Dojaja, Flis, Gumja, Numarex, Plotz, Psiho, Ulix, and Veztax.

Channel Zero – Friday night sees another Dub Lab all-nighter with Massive! Sound Clash w. Roots in Session VS. Boris. Saturday is then Saturday Night Smokeout with Memphis style music from Cookie, Borsaleano, and Wichiwaka. As the promotional material says, “Bring your stash, smoke dat onion!”

Gala Hala – Friday the 5^th you can party till 5am with Swaguljčica #3, with the hip hop and trap being provided by .čunfa (Trite, Rx:tx), K'Pow (Big Nose Ent.), White AF and Tschimy. Saturday Wave Riders! are back, with synthwave lined up by DJs Torulsson and Kobayashii.

Klub Cirkus – Friday the night is given up to RnB Explosion: Fresh Anthems & Classics Cuts, while Saturday is for fans of Slovenian pop, disco and dance with Tutti Frutti – Slovenska edicija.

Klub K4 – Friday the home of electronic dance music plays host to SOLVD w/ Felver, with support from Evident, R.Bade and Alex Ranerro. As noted on Soundcloud: “Widely appreciated for his music connoisseurship and unspoken sensitivity of a gentleman, Felver has defined Zagreb’s clubbing scene like no other DJ.” Saturday it’s the turn of Just Us x Just Jam, with techno & house to be played by Limc, Rokko, Tmme and Nade.

Koncertna Dvorana Rog – Friday the 5^th you can get down to dirty end of Trubarjeva cesta and enjoy a night of techno with RGB Series: Cogo meets Aleja Sanchez, with support from Insolate, Volster, MARTA, and Tonske.

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Live music

Cankerjev dom – Tuesday, April 2, there will be a live show from Mart and The Frictions, two separate acts. Saturday you can go to Slovenia’s biggest arts centre and see DrummingCellist and Big Band RTV Slovenija, and there’s a video of the former below too.

Gala Hala – Thursday, April 4^th, you can see a live show from Masha Qrella (DE) and Generator (SI).

Kino Šiška – Monday there’s a show by Bullet for my Valentine; it’s already sold out, but you can see what you could have seen below. Thursday there’s Soap&Skin, with support from Jungstötter. Saturday The Young Gods will then take the stage, along with Nina Bulatovix.

Klub Gromka – Wednesday evening you can head to this Metelkova venue and enjoy “adult contemporary music” / sound art under the headline of FriForma & FriFormA\V: Patterson / Kutin + Ripak / Miklós. Saturday there’s an all-nighter called Ritval VIII: Tytus, Challenger, and iBreatheYouDie, which seems to be all about speed metal.

Ljubljana Castle – Friday night is jazz night, and this week you can go up the hill and see Cherry Wine – a Tribute to Amy Winehouse.

Orto Bar – Ortofest continues with a packed week of metal and metal-adjacent music. Tuesday sees Bordo and Fed Horses; Tuesday is Šank Rock; Thursday it’s Panikk, Drobovina, and Inkubator Bukator, a Kadilnica of Death presentation; Friday Hamo & Tribute 2 Love take the stage, as do – in a separate show – Valter svira Parafe; the week then ends on Saturday with Zmelkoow, with more until the end of the month.

Slovenska filharmonija – Thursday and Friday Håkan Hardenberger will be playing the trumpet and conducting the orchestra in a programme of Haydn, Takemicu and Lutosławski, including the piece shown below. Sunday, April 7, James Tuggle will be leading the orchestra, playing Hugo Wolf and Mahler.

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Opera, theatre and dance

Cankerjev dom - A Slovenian version of Martin Sherman’s Bent will be staged here on Friday evening.

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.

Mini Teater Ljubljana – The English schedule of varied performances for the month is here.

SNG Opera and Ballet - Nothing seems to be on this week.

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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 this week we also added an interview with the guy behind Responsible Pot, which is getting CBD into the city’s cafés and bars.

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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 want to learn more about Ljubljana Pride, then take a look at our interview with its president here. If you're looking for more general links on "gay Slovenia", including a history of the scene and various projects, then you can find that here, while our stories about the community can be found here.

Cankerjev dom – A Slovenian version of Martin Sherman’s Bent will be staged here on Friday evening.

Klub Monokel – This lesbian bar in Metelkova is open every Friday, and this week there’s NANI MO IV // Kuthi Jinani (IT), with support.

Klub Tiffany – And the gay bar next door is also open on Fridays, while every Monday until June 2019 there's tango at 18:00. This week, Friday night, you can also get tested for a variety of STDs.

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.

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, and - as noted at the start

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 has an exhibition entitled “Encounters in Visual Art” introduces works of selected visual artists, painters and sculptors, who define today's art scene in Hungary and Slovenia, as promoted with the image below. Free to enter, this venue is next to a Spar and Hofer, and not far from Dragon Bridge, and always has something interesting going on. Learn more here.

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

International Centre of Graphic Arts – Starting March 22 and running until May 19 is Photographic Images and Matter: Japanese Prints of the 1970s and Japan, Yugoslavia and the Biennial of Graphic Arts: Documents of Collaboration. One of the images promoting the show is shown below.

Kosuke Kimura: Present Situation – Existence A, colour and silkscreen, 1971.

A K67 by the Triple Bridge, in Ljubljana. Unknown photographer

MAO – The Museum of Architecture and Design has much of what you'd expect, along with some temporary shows and a good cafe. Until April 5 there's an exhibition on the K67 Kiosk, an icon of Slovene design that you can learn more about here, while until May 19 there's Tendencies: Architecture and Urban Planning in Celje, 1955–1985.

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

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 above.

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.

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. 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 June 2019 is Our Little Big Sea, which takes a look at the oceans.

Slovene Ethnographic Museum – The museum currently has a temporary show on Bees and Beekeeping, on until June 16 2019, as well 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). This place is located near the newer branch of the Moderna galerija and Metelkova.

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

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.

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

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

maxpixel.net, public domain

Want to stretch and breath? Then check out our list of drop-in yoga classes for tourists, visitors and the uncommitted. If you're heading to the coast, check out our interview with a yoga teacher who offers breakfast sessions there, while if you're staying in town (or nearby) and want to try some "family yoga" then you can learn more about that here and maybe get your kids to calm down a moment or two.

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

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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

Photo: Google Image Search

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Getting around & miscellaneous

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 part, our guide to how to park in Ljubljana is here.

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.

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

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