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Spring/Summer 2010<br />

pr!<br />

a perfect<br />

rendezvous


OPENING HOURS: MONDAY TO FRIDAY 09.00 - 21.00<br />

SATURDAY 08.00 - 21.00, SUNDAY 09.00 - 15.00<br />

THE SHOPPING CENTER, Šmartinska c. 152 g, 1000 <strong>Ljubljana</strong>; Phone 01 587 30 50, www.citypark.si


3<br />

Treat Someone to a City Tour Gift Voucher<br />

Would you like to present a gift to a business partner or show a friend that you care<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> Tourism has introduced gift vouchers for the regular tour of <strong>Ljubljana</strong>, making it<br />

possible for voucher recipients to take an expert guided city tour at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. or<br />

5 p.m. on any day of the week from 1 April to 10 October without prior appointment. Tour<br />

participants are taken on a guided walk around the old city centre and shown its mysterious<br />

nooks and crannies. The gift voucher price is €10.00. Space for a personal message is<br />

provided on the voucher’s reverse side. For more information on guided tours of <strong>Ljubljana</strong>,<br />

visit the website at www.visitljubljana.si.<br />

Arranging a Visit Using<br />

the My Visit Planner<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> on<br />

Social Networks<br />

Connect to <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Tourism via<br />

social networks and follow our<br />

activities on the internet.<br />

• Keep track of our posts on<br />

Twitter.<br />

twitter.com/visitljubljana/<br />

• Become our fan on Facebook.<br />

www.facebook.com/<br />

visitljubljana/<br />

• Check out our videos on<br />

YouTube.<br />

www.youtube.com/<br />

Tourism<strong>Ljubljana</strong>/<br />

Using the My Visit planner,<br />

available on the website at<br />

www.visitljubljana.si, you can<br />

easily organise a suitable itinerary<br />

for your visit to <strong>Ljubljana</strong>. The My<br />

Visit planner is a useful tool both<br />

for individual visitors and travel<br />

professionals arranging tours to<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong>.<br />

The activities added to the My<br />

Visit planner can be organised by<br />

day. All visit details, including map<br />

locations and activity descriptions,<br />

can be printed out or emailed to<br />

friends.<br />

Your My Visit itinerary can<br />

include, among other things,<br />

accommodation, events, sights<br />

and attractions, guided city<br />

tours run by <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Tourism,<br />

excursions in Slovenia organised<br />

by local tour operators, shops and<br />

restaurants you want to check<br />

out, and sports and recreational<br />

activities you want to undertake.<br />

All you need to do to be able to<br />

use the My Visit planner is visit the<br />

web page at www.visitljubljana.<br />

si/myvisit, create your My Visit<br />

profile, and log in.<br />

Urbana – <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Tourist Card<br />

Preparations are underway for Urbana, a new <strong>Ljubljana</strong> tourist card, which will<br />

offer an opportunity to explore the city in the easiest way possible.<br />

The Urbana tourist card will<br />

replace the current <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

Card. It will differ from the old<br />

pass in terms of the card validity<br />

period: introducing 24 and<br />

48-hour passes will in addition<br />

to the 72-hour one. Within the<br />

validity period, the Urbana<br />

tourist card will provide access<br />

to some of the most interesting<br />

cultural and tourism offerings<br />

of <strong>Ljubljana</strong>. The new card<br />

system will include travel on<br />

city buses, rides on <strong>Ljubljana</strong>’s<br />

tourist train, funicular rides to<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> Castle, admission<br />

to the castle’s outlook tower,<br />

guided castle tours, bicycle<br />

hire, admission to <strong>Ljubljana</strong>’s<br />

galleries and museum,<br />

admission to the <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Zoo<br />

and the Volčji Potok Arboretum,<br />

guided city tours, digital city<br />

guide hire, and internet access.<br />

The Urbana tourist card will<br />

be available from <strong>Ljubljana</strong>’s<br />

Tourist Information Centres and<br />

hotel reception desks. The new<br />

card system is expected to be<br />

operational in June 2010.<br />

Urbana Tourist Card, Photo:<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> Tourism Archive<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> Bicycle<br />

Riding a bicycle is one of<br />

the most pleasant ways of<br />

getting around <strong>Ljubljana</strong>. For<br />

this reason, <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Tourism<br />

has created a project entitled<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> Bicycle, as part<br />

of which bicycles are made<br />

available for hire from the<br />

beginning of April to the end<br />

of October at eight different<br />

city locations, including the<br />

Slovenian Tourist Information<br />

Centre and certain hotels.<br />

Bicycle hire charges are €1.00<br />

for an up to two-hour hire<br />

period and €5.00 for a full day’s<br />

hire. Guided bicycle tours can<br />

be arranged for a minimum of<br />

two people. Including some of<br />

the more distant city locations,<br />

these tours allow visitors to<br />

explore more of the city’s<br />

interesting destinations than<br />

they would on foot.<br />

Bicycles for Rent<br />

Photo: Zaklop<br />

A Perfect Rendezvous, newsletter for travel trade professionals<br />

Publisher: <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Tourism, Krekov trg 10, 1000 <strong>Ljubljana</strong>, Slovenia, Phone: +386 1 306 45 83, Fax +386 1 306 45 94, e-mail: info@visitljubljana.si, www.visitljubljana.si<br />

Editorial board: Petra Stušek, Tatjana Radovič, Barbara Vajda, Meta Stvarnik, Translation: Patricija Fajon, Tatjana Radovič (p. 12 and p. 13)<br />

Production: Mediamix, Maribor; Head of advertising: Zdenka Šarlah, Mediamix. Phone: +386 2 235 05 67, e-mail: zdenka.sarlah@mediamix.si<br />

Printed by: Littera picta d.o.o., Rožna dolina, Cesta IV 32, 1000 <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

Spring / Summer 2010


4<br />

Photo: R. Zakšek<br />

Europe Day in <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

On 8 May, the eve of Europe Day, which coincides with a red letter<br />

day in the history of <strong>Ljubljana</strong>, the Pogačarjev trg square will host<br />

an annual event entitled “From <strong>Ljubljana</strong> to Europe – From Europe<br />

to <strong>Ljubljana</strong>”. Well-known pieces of European classical music will<br />

be masterfully performed in a free concert presented to <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

audiences as a musical gift from the City of <strong>Ljubljana</strong> and the<br />

Representative Office of the European Commission in <strong>Ljubljana</strong>. This<br />

year, Europe Day celebrations will be joined by the Government of<br />

the Republic of Slovenia to mark the 60th anniversary of the Shuman<br />

Declaration. www.ec.europa.eu<br />

New Cultural Centre<br />

Španski borci<br />

The eastern part of <strong>Ljubljana</strong> now has a new<br />

cultural centre called Španski borci, which runs a<br />

programme of events in the fields of performing<br />

and visual arts, music, literature and humanities,<br />

including events for children and young people.<br />

Being a meeting point for artists from Slovenia and<br />

abroad and a platform for new art projects, it is a<br />

welcome new addition to <strong>Ljubljana</strong>’s cultural life.<br />

Emona – The Roman City of <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

Emona. A Roman colony. A city founded by Roman soldiers on the site of the present <strong>Ljubljana</strong> almost<br />

precisely two millenniums ago. What was Emona like and how did its residents live Who was it built<br />

and first inhabited by Which were the turning points in its history How were Emonians brought into<br />

the world, how did they get married, where did they shop, what did they believe in, and what did their<br />

homes look like Some of the answers to these questions can be found by simply taking a walk through<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong>. Those who want to learn more can visit the exhibition Emona: Myth and Reality, on view at the<br />

City Museum of <strong>Ljubljana</strong> from 18 May.<br />

Emona Model<br />

Photo: M. Paternoster<br />

residential house’s central<br />

heating system, among others.<br />

The Roman conquest of<br />

the greater <strong>Ljubljana</strong> area was<br />

part of the conquest of the<br />

Balkans during the time of<br />

Emperor Augustus. The colony<br />

Iulia Emona, established by<br />

the Romans in the 1st century<br />

on the site of the present city<br />

centre of <strong>Ljubljana</strong>, was the first<br />

proper city in central Slovenia.<br />

In the middle of the 6th century,<br />

after the decline of the Western<br />

Roman Empire, Emona was<br />

gradually abandoned and its<br />

more than 500-year history<br />

came to an end.<br />

Like other Roman cities,<br />

Emona was laid out according<br />

to a regular rectangular ground<br />

plan. It was surrounded by<br />

mighty city walls including 29<br />

towers and four main gates.<br />

The walls, 2.4 metres wide and<br />

from 6 to 8 metres high, had a<br />

perimeter of nearly 2 kilometres.<br />

The area inside the city<br />

walls was dissected by a grid<br />

of roads intersecting at a right<br />

angle to form vast building<br />

plots for residential purposes.<br />

Sewer channels known as<br />

cloacae, built alongside all the<br />

city’s roads running from west<br />

to east, discharged sewage<br />

into the Ljubljanica river. The<br />

city’s main square, the so called<br />

forum, which was built at the<br />

intersection of Emona’s two<br />

main roads, provided space for<br />

Emonians’ public social life.<br />

Emona within the present<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

Numerous remains of<br />

the city of Emona can still<br />

be found today if one takes<br />

Archeological Park Early<br />

Christian Palace of Worship<br />

Photo: M. Paternoster<br />

a walk through <strong>Ljubljana</strong>.<br />

The city’s Mirje area is the<br />

site of the southern part<br />

of the Roman town walls,<br />

renovated in the 1930 after<br />

a design by the architect<br />

Jože Plečnik. The statue of a<br />

wealthy Emonian standing in<br />

the Zvezda park is one of the<br />

most recognizable symbols of<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong>, next to the <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

Dragon. Reminiscences of<br />

Emona’s forum can be found<br />

in the Ferantov vrt residential<br />

complex, located by the<br />

Slovenska cesta road. Since the<br />

1960s and 1970s, which saw<br />

extensive excavations, <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

boasts two archaeological<br />

parks, which display an early<br />

Christian baptistery, a geometric<br />

floor mosaic, and an Emonian<br />

The life of Emonians<br />

From 18 May 2010 to the end<br />

of the year, the City Museum<br />

of <strong>Ljubljana</strong> will be showing<br />

an exhibition entitled Emona:<br />

Myth and Reality. The exhibition,<br />

accompanied by guided tours,<br />

lectures, film screenings and<br />

cooking workshops, will offer<br />

an opportunity to experience<br />

Emona mainly by exploring<br />

the aspects of its everyday life.<br />

Including interesting facts about<br />

Roman times, comparisons with<br />

life today, interactive displays,<br />

and stories about the life of<br />

Emonians, it will present both<br />

quotidian reality and the key<br />

turning points in the history of<br />

the Roman city of <strong>Ljubljana</strong>.<br />

www.mestnimuzej.si/en<br />

Urša Karer


5<br />

Photo: Hugo Barrera<br />

Archive<br />

Who Is Hugo Barrera<br />

A new wind is blowing in <strong>Ljubljana</strong>’s clubbing scene.<br />

A recently opened club venue, the Hugo Barrera Club,<br />

situated in an enviable city centre location under the<br />

Plečnik Colonnade right next to the Ljubljanica river,<br />

brings a different experience of the 1960s, 1970s and<br />

1980s rock ‘n’ roll, blues, jazz, funk and disco music. The<br />

new club offers a carefully selected choice of drinks<br />

from around the world, including 56 different brands<br />

of whiskey and the club’s own brand of freshly roasted<br />

coffee, to mention just a few. www.hugobarreraclub.si<br />

Eating at <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Castle<br />

A little restaurant serving typical dishes from various<br />

regions of Slovenia will be opened at <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Castle<br />

by S. Raspopović and V. Kramar, the owners of the<br />

highly regarded restaurants As in <strong>Ljubljana</strong> and Hiša<br />

Franko in Kobarid. The opening, held on 9 May, a red<br />

letter day in the city’s history, will coincide with the<br />

gala opening of Permanent Exhibition on the History<br />

of Slovenians. Slovenian food, reasonably priced at<br />

€8.00 per dish, will also be served on a spacious<br />

terrace in the Castle’s courtyard.<br />

Fine Wines and Sweet Goodies<br />

There are many faces to the marriage between wine and food. Particularly delicate are relationships<br />

between wine and sweets, but in <strong>Ljubljana</strong> they seem to thrive.<br />

Most of <strong>Ljubljana</strong>’s wine<br />

shops and bars are concentrated<br />

in the city centre. Vinoteka<br />

Movia, a wine shop in the<br />

Town Hall building, run by the<br />

Kristančič winemaking family<br />

from the area of Goriška Brda,<br />

sets the highest standards of<br />

wine quality and responsible<br />

wine consumption. The largest<br />

choice of bottled wines are<br />

available at Dvorni bar, which<br />

also serves snacks. Vinoteka<br />

Dvor offers an excellent choice<br />

of wines from across Slovenia’s<br />

Vinoteka Movia Wine Bar<br />

Photo: Movia Archive<br />

three wine-growing regions and<br />

recommends Picolit, Muscat<br />

Ottonel, and Radgonska Penina<br />

as wines to go with sweets. Both<br />

wines and sweets can be tasted<br />

at the Vinoteka Maximal wine<br />

bar, cake shop and café. The<br />

city’s oldest wine shop and bar<br />

is Vinoteka GR and the most<br />

recently opened eVino Bar,<br />

whose wine card includes<br />

over 600 different wines (at<br />

least 20 served per glass),<br />

available also from the website<br />

at www.evino.si.<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> is an ideal choice<br />

for those with a sweet tooth.<br />

The Viennese tradition of having<br />

a cake with a cup of coffee or<br />

tea still being alive, the city’s<br />

coffee and tea bars are also cake<br />

shops. The centrally located<br />

Rustika offers delicious cakes,<br />

its own chocolate, and different<br />

flavours of ice cream, including<br />

unusual ones such as strawberry<br />

with balsamic vinegar. On your<br />

way from the Zvezda cake<br />

shop in the Wolfova ulica street<br />

to the Zvezdica cake shop at<br />

the Hotel Slon, you can stop<br />

at the HappyPek bakery in<br />

the Čopova ulica street. The<br />

Čokoladnica chocolate shop at<br />

the Maximarket underground<br />

shopping arcade sells Belgian<br />

and French-inspired chocolates,<br />

and the cake shop on the street<br />

floor the famous Emona rezina<br />

layer cake, made to the same<br />

recipe for over 50 years. A stroll<br />

to the Trnovo area rewards you<br />

with melt-in-your-mouth fruit<br />

pies baked at Slaščičarna Viki.<br />

A walk to Slaščice Mihalek cake<br />

shop in the Šiška area rewards<br />

you with mouth-watering<br />

traditional cakes, vegan sweets,<br />

and cakes made without flour.<br />

For a sweet treat, you can also<br />

visit <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Castle’s cake<br />

shop, the soon-to-be-opened<br />

Slaščice Mihalek Cake Shop<br />

Photo B. Čeak<br />

cake shop on the roof terrace<br />

of the Nebotičnik building or<br />

Romeo, a riverside restaurant<br />

serving pancakes with countless<br />

different fillings.<br />

The above are just a few<br />

recommendations for a sweet<br />

tooth’s exploration of <strong>Ljubljana</strong>.<br />

For more tips and to arrange<br />

your own wine-and-sweets trek,<br />

go online and use the My Visit<br />

planner at www.visiteljubljana.si/<br />

myvisit/<br />

Meta Stvarnik<br />

SLOKA 2010 – World Championship in<br />

Kayak and Canoe Slalom<br />

From 7 to 12 September, <strong>Ljubljana</strong> will host the world’s best kayakers and<br />

canoeists racing down the rapids on the Sava river in Tacen.<br />

This is the second time<br />

that Slovenia will host such an<br />

important sporting event as the<br />

World Championship in Kayak and<br />

Canoe Slalom. Competitors from<br />

around the world will be joined<br />

by Slovenia’s best white water<br />

slalomers Peter Kauzer and the<br />

pair Sašo Božič and Luka Teljat.<br />

Apart from being a major sporting<br />

competition, the SLOKA 2010<br />

World Championship will also be<br />

an event based around the themes<br />

of <strong>Ljubljana</strong>’s histo ry, Slovenian<br />

kayaking tradition, ecological<br />

awareness, and eco nomic<br />

cooperation. The organisation of<br />

the event has been undertaken by<br />

the Kayak and Canoe Federation<br />

of Slovenia, who believe that using<br />

a creative approach to the racing<br />

venue they can create perfect<br />

conditions for competitors, escorts<br />

and spectators alike. The Kayak and<br />

Canoe Federation look forward to<br />

the arrival of the greatest masters<br />

of white water slalom. Drawing on<br />

their rich experience in organising<br />

top sporting events, they have<br />

every reason to await the event<br />

with optimism.<br />

www.sloka.si<br />

Luka Božič and Sašo Taljat<br />

in Canadian Double<br />

Photo: N. Jelence


6<br />

Film Stories under the Stars<br />

On pleasant summer evenings in <strong>Ljubljana</strong>, stars shine<br />

not only in the sky, but also on the big screen. Watching<br />

big screen films under the canopy of stars is a unique<br />

experience which attracts numerous lovers of big screen<br />

images, powerful photography, brilliant lighting and<br />

sound effects, and, last but not least, good film stories to<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong>’s castle hill, where films of the last cinema season<br />

are screened each summer. To enjoy the magic of moving<br />

images under the night sky, visit the summer cinema in the<br />

courtyard of <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Castle from 29 July to 21 August.<br />

TIC <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

Souvenir Shop<br />

Photo: T. Jeseničnik<br />

Football Souvenirs in<br />

TIC Souvenir Shop<br />

To mark the Slovenian national football team’s<br />

qualification for the World Cup Football Championship<br />

in South Africa, the TIC <strong>Ljubljana</strong> souvenir shop has<br />

prepared a choice of football souvenirs, from memorial<br />

badges, flags, key fobs, mugs, scarves and caps to<br />

“I feel South Africa” T-shirts and exact copies of the<br />

football uniforms worn by the Slovenian national team<br />

at the Championship.<br />

www.visitljubljana.si<br />

Open-Air Exhibition Marking<br />

a Milestone Anniversary<br />

In May 1910, the Cave Exploration Society of <strong>Ljubljana</strong> was founded by the members of the city’s bourgeois<br />

and intellectual elite who wanted to explore the unknown underground world of karst caves as a<br />

significant part of Slovenia’s natural heritage. The Society’s milestone anniversary will be marked by an<br />

extensive open-air exhibition set up in <strong>Ljubljana</strong>’s Tivoli Park.<br />

The Cave Exploration<br />

Society of <strong>Ljubljana</strong> celebrates<br />

the centenary of its formation.<br />

Its milestone anniversary will<br />

be marked by an exten sive<br />

photographic exhibition held<br />

at the Tivoli park’s Jakopič<br />

Promenade. The exhibition will<br />

show a hundred-year history of<br />

cave explorations, the Society’s<br />

activities in different historical<br />

cir cum stan ces, the destinies<br />

of cave explorers, and their<br />

contribution to the knowledge<br />

about their homeland. Exhibited<br />

photographs will be contributed<br />

by numerous members of<br />

the Society active in different<br />

periods of the Society’s history.<br />

They will include the first cave<br />

photographs taken back in 1911<br />

using glass photographic plates,<br />

black and white photographs<br />

taken in difficult cave<br />

conditions, and modern digital<br />

photographs. The exhibition will<br />

be open day and night from 20<br />

April to 20 June 2010.<br />

dzrjl.speleo.net<br />

Krviška Okroglica Cave<br />

Photo: B. Brinšek<br />

DZRJL Archive<br />

Open-Air Exhibition in <strong>Ljubljana</strong>’s Tivoli Park<br />

Photo: <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Tourism Archive<br />

Beer and Football and Fun Festival<br />

From 16 to 20 June 2010, <strong>Ljubljana</strong> will host PirFest Slovenija (BeerFest Slovenia), a large Central European<br />

beer festival held at Emonika, a 13,000 square metre entertainment venue.<br />

Beer lovers are often<br />

football lovers as well so it is<br />

not a coincidence that PirFest<br />

Slovenija, the country’s largest<br />

ever social event, expected<br />

to attract 200,000 people,<br />

will coincide with the World<br />

Cup Football Championship.<br />

Beer lovers will have an<br />

opportunity to taste over 20<br />

different brands of beer and<br />

experience the action on the<br />

football field in the company of<br />

thousands of their fellow fans.<br />

The accompanying programme<br />

of entertainment will include<br />

music concerts and various<br />

games and competitions.<br />

Visitors will be able to see<br />

how such simple ingredients<br />

as water, hops and barley can<br />

be brewed into a beverage as<br />

remarkable as beer. Since beer<br />

is known to stimulate appetite,<br />

food stalls will be set up to<br />

prevent hungry stomachs and<br />

dizzy heads. The venue will<br />

also include an amusement<br />

park with a large swing around<br />

and a circus.<br />

The Emonika entertainment<br />

venue is located right next to<br />

the <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Railway and Bus<br />

Stations, which allows easy<br />

access by public transport<br />

and takes away the worries<br />

about how to travel home<br />

safely after savouring the taste<br />

of beer. Accommodation at<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong>’s hotels and other<br />

accommodation facilities is<br />

available to those who intend<br />

to stay at the festival for<br />

several days. Early booking<br />

using the online My Visit<br />

planner is recommended.<br />

PirFest Slovenija will be<br />

held from 3 p.m. till midnight<br />

on weekdays and from 10 a.m.<br />

till midnight on the weekend.<br />

Admission will be free. Cheers!<br />

www.beerfestslovenia.si/eng


7<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> Dragon and<br />

Botanic Garden at the WTM<br />

Photo: D. Kodele<br />

Botanic Garden’s Bicentenary<br />

Founded in 1810, the <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Botanic Garden is Slovenia’s<br />

oldest running cultural and scientific institution. Its bicentenary<br />

will be marked by a European Botanic Gardens Consortium<br />

meeting, which will discuss European gardens’ development<br />

strategy. Despite being listed, since 2007, as one of the world’s<br />

178 historically most important botanic gardens, the <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

Botanic Garden is far from being unfamiliar with modern<br />

marketing methods. Its stand at the World Travel Market<br />

exhibition in London, created in collaboration with <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

Tourism, was all covered in snowdrops.<br />

Gourmet Potato Party<br />

On 4 September, the Breg embankment<br />

on the bank of the river Ljubljanica will<br />

host the 10th World Festival of Sautéed<br />

Potatoes, which will bring together<br />

cooks and lovers of this cult Slovenian<br />

dish from home and abroad.<br />

Visitors will be able to enjoy free<br />

sautéed potatoes prepared in over 40<br />

different ways, exchange recipes, and<br />

have fun dancing.<br />

A Star-Studded Concert Month<br />

A lot in terms of major popular music events will be going on in <strong>Ljubljana</strong> in June, when the city will host<br />

concerts by such legendary rock stars as Billy Idol, Deep Purple and Bob Dylan. For the lovers of electro<br />

tango, Gotan Project will play a concert at the Križanke summer theatre.<br />

The June series of major<br />

rock events will begin with a<br />

concert by Deep Purple on 7<br />

June, when hard rock fans will<br />

be able to sing along to rock<br />

anthems such as Smoke on the<br />

Water and Woman from Tokyo.<br />

On 13 June <strong>Ljubljana</strong> will<br />

host another rock music<br />

legend, Bob Dylan. 24 June<br />

will see a concert by the world<br />

renowned rock musician Billy<br />

Idol, whose backing band will<br />

include the guitarist Steve<br />

Stevens. The Tivoli sports hall<br />

is expected to resonate with<br />

his hit songs White Wedding,<br />

Rebel Yell, Dancing with Myself<br />

and many others.<br />

Three days later, on 27 June,<br />

the pioneers of electro tango<br />

Gotan Project will appear<br />

in <strong>Ljubljana</strong> for the second<br />

time, following the enormous<br />

success of their sold-out<br />

concert at the Križanke<br />

summer theatre in 2007.<br />

A lot in terms of music will<br />

also be going on in spring,<br />

when the 9th Spring Festival,<br />

a feast for the lovers of<br />

contemporary electronic music,<br />

June 2010 in <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

will be held in <strong>Ljubljana</strong> and,<br />

for the first time, in the town of<br />

Nova Gorica. The festival will<br />

present a rich programme of<br />

musical and audio-visual events<br />

featuring both established<br />

names in electronic music and<br />

fresh young experimenters.<br />

Tjaša Janovljak<br />

Billy Idol is Holding<br />

a Concert in <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

Photo: Managements Archive<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> is a city where<br />

major street partying happens<br />

every half year. When Christmas<br />

lights turn off and jingle bells<br />

stop ringing, the pace of life<br />

slows down a little bit. Just<br />

like natural beings, the city<br />

hibernates. But its annual cycle<br />

is unstoppable and a period of<br />

hibernation inevitably leads to<br />

a breakfast in spring and wide<br />

open eyes in June.<br />

Throughout the month<br />

of June, <strong>Ljubljana</strong>’s central<br />

Prešeren square, referred to as<br />

“Prešerc” by the locals, will host<br />

a varied programme of cultural<br />

events. From morning till night,<br />

the square and its surrounding<br />

streets will be alive with the<br />

sounds of music. Almost every<br />

evening just before sunset, the<br />

square’s stage will host ballet<br />

dancers and opera singers<br />

performing two indisputable<br />

classics, Romeo and Juliet and<br />

Swan Lake, followed by concerts<br />

by bands from Slovenia.<br />

Festival June in <strong>Ljubljana</strong>, Photo: D. Wedam<br />

During daytime, a daily<br />

dose of culture will also be<br />

provided for children, who will<br />

be able to enjoy the adventures<br />

of Peter Nose, three little pigs,<br />

the enchanted spoon, and<br />

other characters operated<br />

by the puppeteers of the<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> Puppet Theatre and<br />

Swan Lake on the Prešeren<br />

Square’s Stage<br />

Photo: D. Wedam<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> Mini Theatre.<br />

The June festivities will be<br />

rounded off with a traditional<br />

event called The Welcoming<br />

of Summer, on 28 June, which<br />

will include a fireworks display<br />

launched from <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Castle<br />

and street entertainment for<br />

young and old in the old city<br />

centre. Definitely a night to<br />

stay out long.<br />

See you at “Prešerc!”<br />

www.visitljubljana.si/events<br />

Tjaša Janovljak


HOTEL KRONA RESTAVRACIJA<br />

With Us You Can<br />

Feel And Get<br />

To Know The<br />

Beautiful Slovenia.<br />

Welcome!<br />

New!<br />

The Hotel Krona is located near <strong>Ljubljana</strong>, close to the <strong>Ljubljana</strong>- Maribor freeway.<br />

Its excellent location guarantees a pleasant stay for businessmen, sports clubs and<br />

families who would like to relax near nature with several possibilities for an active<br />

vacation (skiing, cycling, walking). We offer you a pleasant ambient where you can<br />

enjoy delicious food and beautiful rooms – all of this at affordable prices.<br />

The hotel offers 23 tastefully furnished single and double beds (satellite TV, air<br />

conditioning, phone), a restaurant with delightful cuisine, a congress hall and<br />

a large free parking lot. Privacy is guaranteed.<br />

Good energy, quality and price.<br />

HOTEL KRONA RESTAVRACIJA<br />

Ihanska cesta 2 • 1230 Domžale • Slovenia<br />

Tel: +386 (0)1 724 06 00 • Fax: +386 (0)1 724 06 25<br />

www.hotel-krona.com • hotel.krona@siol.net<br />

Newly opened villa SILVA MARIJA in<br />

Pišece offers an exclusive and above<br />

standard offer of apartments with<br />

a pool and a beach, overlooking a<br />

gorgeous garden and a picking, all for<br />

your relaxation.<br />

APARTMENTS PIŠECE – a place for<br />

staying: for leisure and entertainment,<br />

for physical activity and overall<br />

relaxation, for outdoor games and<br />

enjoying the nature.<br />

PIŠECE – the window to mother nature


9<br />

Library under Trees<br />

Photo: D. Wedam<br />

The World’s Greenest Library<br />

On days when the first rays of spring sunshine make you want to go out, but<br />

temperatures are still low, <strong>Ljubljana</strong> offers you a very special experience. In<br />

the shelter of a warm greenhouse situated in a beautiful park you can enjoy<br />

reading or just leafing through books, magazines, and Slovenian and foreign<br />

language newspapers borrowed from the Library under Trees, which uses<br />

the Tivoli Park Greenhouse for its activities in the cold part of the year. In<br />

May, the Library returns to its outdoor locations. This year, in celebration of<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong>’s designation as the World Book Capital, it will operate through<br />

as may as seven branch libraries, located in parks, gardens and other green<br />

areas. Take time and visit the world’s greenest library!<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> Literary<br />

Routes<br />

If you visit <strong>Ljubljana</strong> after 3 May, the<br />

day of the opening of the “Fabula 2010”<br />

Fable Literary Festival, you will be able<br />

to explore the city in a whole new way. A<br />

literary map and a special tourist guide<br />

book will guide you to countless places<br />

of literary interest and allow you to trace<br />

the footsteps of Slovenian authors who<br />

lived and worked in <strong>Ljubljana</strong>.<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> – World Book Capital 2010<br />

On 23 April at 12 noon, the World Book Capital flag will be hoisted by the Mayor of <strong>Ljubljana</strong>, Mr. Zoran<br />

Janković, in front of the Town Hall to mark <strong>Ljubljana</strong>’s inauguration as UNESCO’s World Book Capital.<br />

Spiral of Words, City Museum of <strong>Ljubljana</strong>, Photo: M. Paternoster<br />

The inauguration ceremony<br />

will mark the beginning of a<br />

year during which <strong>Ljubljana</strong> will<br />

host around 300 events aimed<br />

to encourage reading, develop<br />

a reading culture, increase the<br />

accessibility of books, and<br />

present various literary genres<br />

and literatures of the world<br />

to the public. The year-long<br />

programme of events will be<br />

divided into several strands,<br />

some of which may also be of<br />

interest to visitors.<br />

A literary festival held in<br />

May under the title Literatures<br />

of the World: Fable 2010, will<br />

bring together several world<br />

famous authors. During their<br />

visits, some of their works will<br />

be published in Slovenian and<br />

sceneries depicting each of<br />

their respective home cities<br />

will be set up on the Breg<br />

embankment, along with the<br />

festival’s information point and<br />

a children’s play area.<br />

An exhibition of<br />

photographs by Borut Kranjc<br />

entitled The Reader will be<br />

on view on the banks of<br />

the Ljubljanica river below<br />

The Fable 2010 festival will feature the following prominent<br />

authors:<br />

• Herta Müller (Nobel Prize winner): 2-5 May 2010<br />

• Richard Flanagan: 25-29 May 2010<br />

• Jonathan Franzen: 7-10 May 2010<br />

• David Grossman: 12-15 May 2010<br />

• Michal Viewegh: 16-19 May 2010<br />

• Daniel Kehlman: 20-23 May 2010<br />

the Cankarjevo nabrežje<br />

embankment For a detailed<br />

programme of festival events,<br />

visit the website at<br />

www.festival-fabula.org.<br />

Poetry readings by visiting<br />

authors from China and a large<br />

number of other events will<br />

be held as part of a project<br />

entitled The International<br />

within the Local.<br />

A programme strand<br />

called Books and Creativity<br />

in Culture will include various<br />

events organized by <strong>Ljubljana</strong>’s<br />

museums, galleries, theatres,<br />

musicians and other artists.<br />

Special attention will be paid<br />

to three of Slovenia’s most<br />

prominent authors: Boris Pahor,<br />

Svetlana Makarovič and Slavoj<br />

Žižek.<br />

Literary events traditionally<br />

held in <strong>Ljubljana</strong> and<br />

inaugurations of book-themed<br />

parks, memorial houses and<br />

monuments will be held as part<br />

of a programme strand entitled<br />

Books and the City.<br />

The end of May will see the<br />

opening of the Trubar House of<br />

Literature. The House, located<br />

in the Ribji trg square, will be<br />

named after Primož Trubar,<br />

the author of the first book in<br />

Slovenian and the founding<br />

father of the Slovenian literary<br />

language. From September on,<br />

it will combine the functions<br />

of a cultural and intellectual<br />

centre, a book club, the home<br />

of a new web portal dedicated<br />

to books and literature, a<br />

gallery, and an information<br />

centre.<br />

Seminary Library<br />

Photo: <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Tourism<br />

Archive<br />

The end of April will see the<br />

opening of the renovated Navje<br />

park, originally designed by the<br />

architect Jože Plečnik to serve<br />

as the burial place of several<br />

Slovenian authors. A new park,<br />

designated for reading and<br />

intended for all generations<br />

of readers, will be opened<br />

next to it. In Argentinski park,<br />

a monument to Slovenian<br />

Protestant authors and printers<br />

will provisionally be unveiled in<br />

late October.<br />

A maze park dedicated<br />

to the culture of reading will<br />

be landscaped in the city’s<br />

Fužine area and opened in<br />

March 2011. The way through<br />

the maze, made of 500 trees<br />

planted on a 100 by 100-metre<br />

area, will be marked by stone<br />

plaques displaying verses by<br />

internationally renowned poets.<br />

A reading nook will be set up in<br />

the centre of the maze.<br />

Welcome to <strong>Ljubljana</strong>, the<br />

World Book Capital 2010.<br />

www.ljubljanaworldbookcapital.si<br />

Meta Stvarnik


10<br />

The Legendary Laibach Group<br />

Photo: I. Škafar<br />

Gesamtkunst<br />

Laibach<br />

30 years ago saw the forming of the group<br />

Laibach, whose music and performances have<br />

become part of cultural history. Gesamtkunst<br />

Laibach, a retrospective exhibition of work<br />

from the first decade of the group’s career,<br />

will present Laibach as a multimedia group.<br />

A Laibach concert will be held in <strong>Ljubljana</strong>’s<br />

Tivoli park to accompany the exhibition.<br />

www.mglc-lj.si, www.laibach.nsk.si<br />

Live Literature Festival<br />

The Live Literature music and literature festival,<br />

this year set to be held from 4 to 10 June, has<br />

for 17 years now been faithful to its original<br />

concept as a street event set in a scenery<br />

designed by young architects, designers and<br />

painters and dedicated to presenting men of<br />

belles-lettres from Slovenia and abroad in a<br />

series of literary readings accompanied by<br />

music. Texts by visiting authors are read both<br />

in the original and Slovenian translation.<br />

Well-Established Summer Festivals<br />

In the summer, <strong>Ljubljana</strong> has something to offer to all culture lovers regardless of age, class or thickness of<br />

wallet. Events range from alternative to prestigious, from lightly entertaining to enjoyable in a deeper sense.<br />

This year will see the 26th<br />

edition of the Druga godba<br />

festival of world and, to a lesser<br />

extent, contemporary jazz music.<br />

The festival is considered to be<br />

one of Europe’s best festivals<br />

of slightly alternative music<br />

difficult to fit neatly into musical<br />

categories. Each year at the<br />

end of May it brings together<br />

the finest musicians from<br />

different countries and cultural<br />

backgrounds whose creative<br />

explorations include references<br />

to traditional musics. The festival<br />

line-up is often a step ahead of<br />

common trends.<br />

www.drugagodba.si/en<br />

In the 15th year of its<br />

existence, the well-known Ana<br />

Desetnica international street<br />

theatre festival, traditionally<br />

held in <strong>Ljubljana</strong> city centre<br />

at the beginning of July, has<br />

Ana Desetnica<br />

Photo: D. Wedam<br />

decided to extend its activity<br />

over the whole year. Each season<br />

of the year will see one of its<br />

sister festivals: the winter the<br />

Ana Mraz festival, the spring<br />

the Ana Prešerna festival, set to<br />

be held on 29 April, the World<br />

Dance Day, in collaboration with<br />

the unconventional dance and<br />

theatre troupe Fičo balet, and<br />

the autumn the Ana Plamenita<br />

festival, whose magical ambience<br />

will be created through a mixture<br />

of autumn darkness, candlelight<br />

and imagination.<br />

www.anamonro.org<br />

The hot days and nights<br />

of August will see a mixed<br />

programme of free arts events<br />

held as part of the international<br />

Trnfest festival www.kud-fp.si and<br />

an international theatre and dance<br />

festival held under the title of<br />

Young Lions www.bunker.si. The<br />

Summer in <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Old Town<br />

festival will liven up the city’s<br />

stone-paved streets and squares<br />

and hidden nooks and crannies<br />

with concerts of classical music<br />

www.visitljubljana.si/en/events/.<br />

Throughout the summer, the<br />

58th <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Festival will be<br />

held at the Križanke summer<br />

theatre, <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Castle, the<br />

Cankarjev dom cultural and<br />

congress centre, the Slovenian<br />

Philharmonic Hall, and several<br />

other venues.<br />

www.ljubljanafestival.si/en<br />

Meta Stvarnik<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> Festival 2010<br />

Culture with a Capital C<br />

The <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Festival represents the pinnacle of what the Slovenian capital has to<br />

offer in terms of culture and art. This year it will be held from 6 July to 26 August.<br />

The 58th <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Festival<br />

will bring together a host<br />

of world renowned artists<br />

The Russian Hamlet<br />

Photo: <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Festival<br />

Archive<br />

including, among others, Saint<br />

Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre<br />

under the conduction of Valery<br />

Gergiev, who will perform<br />

Richard Strauss’s opera The<br />

Woman without a Shadow, the<br />

London Symphony Orchestra,<br />

the com poser Michael Nyman,<br />

the Munich Philharmonic, who<br />

will perform Joseph Haydn’s<br />

oratorio The Creation, Saint<br />

Petersburg’s State Academic<br />

Ballet Theatre of Boris Eifman,<br />

who will present the ballets Ana<br />

Karenina and Russian Hamlet,<br />

the Sinfonia Varsovia orchestra,<br />

and the Béjart Ballet Lausanne,<br />

who will perform The Ballet for<br />

Life wearing costumes created<br />

by Gianni Versace. The festival<br />

will also feature a number of<br />

outstanding soloists, including<br />

the pianists Ivo Pogorelić, Martin<br />

Stadtfeld, Denis Macuev and<br />

Elisso Bolkvadze, the violinists<br />

Sergey Khachatryan, Vadim<br />

Repin and Lana Trotovšek, the<br />

world renowned Slovenian<br />

mezzo-soprano Marjana<br />

Lipovšek singing in<br />

Tchaikovsky’s opera The Queen<br />

of Spades, an many other<br />

artists. The programme of<br />

events will be rounded off with<br />

Tomaž Pandur’s production of<br />

Hamlet, featuring Blanca Portillo<br />

Musical Marathon Runners<br />

Running the Final Lap<br />

Photo: M. Kodemo<br />

in the title role. The <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

Festival will also present a large<br />

number of chamber concerts, a<br />

musical, and a wide and varied<br />

programme of accompanying<br />

events, such as the Films under<br />

the Stars festival, organised in<br />

collaboration with the Kinodvor<br />

city cinema, a fi ne art workshop,<br />

and several exhibitions.<br />

www.ljubljanafestival.si<br />

Janja Rozman


12<br />

Countdown to SIW 2010<br />

Take a Short Getaway<br />

SIW (Slovenian Incoming Workshop), organised by the Slovenian Tourist<br />

Board, is the premier annual trade event showcasing the entire array of our<br />

tourist offer to potential partners from abroad. Its 13th edition, hosted by<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> from 3 to 6 June 2010, runs as a B2B event, complemented by<br />

study tours for foreign clients. The main theme this year focuses on green<br />

practices. <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Tourism is co-hosting the event that will welcome<br />

approx. 150 foreign travel agents who will have the chance to meet and<br />

network with about the same number of Slovenian companies / suppliers.<br />

An exciting social programme is envisaged to add an authentic »<strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

flavour« to the SIW experience. www.slovenia.info/siw<br />

Venues on the Rocks<br />

Two <strong>Ljubljana</strong> specials signed by architect Plečnik, and one more .<br />

Enjoy a weekend break in <strong>Ljubljana</strong> and check the special hotel<br />

offers listed on www.visitljubljana.si, featuring two overnights &<br />

breakfast in a double room and extra bonuses. Most packages are<br />

valid every weekend during the year 2010, with dates of exception<br />

being quoted. The offers are subject to availability and are to be<br />

booked directly through the hotel at least 7 days prior to the arrival<br />

via e-mail or telephone. Please refer to the Weekend in <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

2010 offer in order to enjoy all the advantages. The weekend break<br />

programmes are only available to individual visitors and do not<br />

apply to groups of more than 10 and congress delegates.<br />

Makalonca Cafe<br />

A sleeping beauty for several years,<br />

Makalonca is now back on the downtown<br />

scene. The cafe that almost touches the<br />

Ljubljanica River can be easily noticed on<br />

its left bank, close to the Triple Bridge.<br />

This refurbished venue, which also offers<br />

cultural contents, was originally designed<br />

as an embankment point for boats by<br />

the famous <strong>Ljubljana</strong>-born architect Jože<br />

Plečnik in the 1930s. Wide stairs bond<br />

the inner space with the river, by which<br />

Makalonca Cafe at Night<br />

Photo: <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Tourism Archive<br />

Plečnik’s pier functions as the central stage<br />

of a water amphitheatre. The Makalonca<br />

cafe can be privatised for social events,<br />

ideally featuring a cocktail reception and<br />

finger food. The two long outdoor terraces<br />

just above the water surface allow the<br />

entertainment of up to 120 guests, while<br />

the indoor space caters for a maximum of<br />

50 guests.<br />

www.makalonca.si<br />

facebook: Kavarna Makalonca<br />

The Festival Hall – a Hidden Belle<br />

Monumental Staircase in Festival Hall<br />

Photo: Vivo Archive<br />

The Festival Hall is one of the most<br />

renowned inter-genera tional centres<br />

in Slovenia. Once known as the Baraga<br />

Seminary, the building from the late<br />

1930’s designed by architect Jože Plečnik<br />

houses today the Academic College,<br />

the Mladinsko Theatre and the Pionirski<br />

dom educational & cultural institution,<br />

which manages the Festival Hall. This was<br />

created in the central space of the original<br />

building in 1956 to the plans of architect<br />

A.Bitenc. A monumental staircase with<br />

massive pillars and decorative sculptures<br />

accentuate the entrance and adorn both<br />

the foyer and the large hall. Throughout<br />

the year, the Festival Hall hosts a number<br />

of local and international dance events and<br />

balls, concerts, fashion shows, wedding<br />

parties and other social functions. With a<br />

soft facelift performed in 2009, this venue<br />

has become even more attractive as a<br />

special location for meetings (max. 450<br />

seats theatre-style or 250 in classroom),<br />

business events, cocktail receptions (max.<br />

700 guests) or gala dinners (max. 250<br />

guests).<br />

www.pionirski-dom.si<br />

The Viba Film Studio <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

The Viba Film Studio <strong>Ljubljana</strong>, located<br />

at just ten minutes’ drive from the city<br />

centre, functions as the national technical<br />

film base. The highly functional spaces<br />

for film production, postproduction and<br />

the management offices are all united<br />

under one roof on around 10,000 sq m.<br />

Viba features two major studios alongside<br />

which there are rooms for set design,<br />

wardrobes for actors, mask rooms, four<br />

audio suites, a large fully equipped video<br />

mixing-room, a small 45-seat projection<br />

room as well as other spaces, including a<br />

large wardrobe with rich requisite funds<br />

allowing the rental of costumes (themed<br />

events). The Viba Film Studio has been the<br />

venue of numerous social and business<br />

events demanding a larger and very<br />

flexible custom-designed setting – from<br />

a cocktail reception during the NATO<br />

Parliamentary Assembly to a BMW car<br />

launch.<br />

www.vibafilm.si<br />

Large Studio at Viba Film<br />

Photo: Viba Film Archive


13<br />

Even Angels Would Love Staying Here!<br />

Penthouse Suite, Photo: M. Jordovič<br />

A new boutique hotel has recently joined two<br />

others (the Antiq and Allegro, respectively)<br />

to form the »Golden A Triangle« at the Gornji<br />

trg Square, one of the Old Town’s preserved<br />

authentic areas. Nestling at the foot of the<br />

Castle Hill, the Lesar Hotel Angel features 12<br />

cosy rooms and suites in a beautiful historic<br />

setting. The property offers several amenities,<br />

thoughtfully designed for the guests’ comfort,<br />

including spacious and stylish accommodations,<br />

a lounge area, a charming garden spreading<br />

on 500 sqm and a terrace. The lounge can be<br />

used during daytime as a space for business<br />

meetings, while the garden can function as<br />

an attractive spot for cocktail receptions. Its<br />

prime location makes the Lesar Hotel Angel a<br />

great starting point to discover and feel both<br />

the ancient spirit of <strong>Ljubljana</strong> and its young<br />

heartbeat.<br />

www.hotelangel.si<br />

Active or Incentive Programmes<br />

The Mysterious <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Moor and the Iški Vintgar Gorge<br />

On the outskirts of<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> lies a unique and<br />

special area, the <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Moor<br />

(Ljubljansko barje). The best<br />

way to explore its natural and<br />

cultural diversity is by bike.<br />

The macadam and field roads<br />

go through a mosaique of<br />

meadows, fields and irrigation<br />

ditches, which offer refuge to<br />

a variety of animal and plant<br />

species. As many of Europe’s<br />

most endangered wildlife<br />

species live here a big part of<br />

Ljubljansko barje is protected<br />

by the Natura 2000 project.<br />

The highlight of the tour<br />

features the canyon of the Iška<br />

River: absorbing its pristine<br />

nature that surrounds the fresh<br />

and clear waters adds a touch<br />

of relaxation to the experience.<br />

It is also an ideal place for a<br />

picnic, which can be organised<br />

on request. This half-day tour<br />

can be run in all seasons,<br />

except for winter, for groups<br />

from 6 to 50 people.<br />

Geocaching Adventure<br />

Geocaching is a fun “hightech”<br />

adventure based on<br />

the use of hand-held GPS<br />

devices. Participants are<br />

split up into groups and are<br />

given coordinates, which they<br />

must locate with the help<br />

of the GPS. Target locations<br />

can be found high up in the<br />

trees, on a window shelf, in a<br />

crack in the ground or even<br />

under water! When a team<br />

finds the coordinates, they<br />

receive instructions on how to<br />

reach the spot where a next<br />

assignment is waiting for them.<br />

The treasure hunt continues<br />

according to this pattern.<br />

Geocaching can be carried<br />

out throughout the year and<br />

the level of difficulty and<br />

duration (2 to 5 hours ) is<br />

adapted to the wishes of the<br />

client. This active and fun<br />

incentive programme can be<br />

organised for groups from 10<br />

to 40 people both in <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

and in other locations – natural<br />

settings close to the capital or<br />

elsewhere in Slovenia.<br />

Trekking on the Velika Planina<br />

Plateau<br />

Just 30 kilometres from<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> lies the picturesque<br />

Trekking at Velika Planina, Photo: Nomad2000 Archive<br />

Iški Vintgar, Photo: Nomad2000 Archive<br />

Team buliding, Photo: Nomad2000 Archive<br />

Velika Planina plateau, known<br />

for the authentic architecture<br />

of its herdsmen’s settlement,<br />

which comes back to life every<br />

summer. During this time,<br />

visitors can taste the fresh<br />

dairy products, experience<br />

the mountain life as it once<br />

was and admire the traditional<br />

wooden cottages. The plateau,<br />

which reaches the maximum<br />

height of 1,660 metres, is a<br />

part of the Kamnik – Savinja<br />

Alps that spread on nearly 900<br />

sq km. Nor far from the lower<br />

cable car station, the clear<br />

Kamniška Bistrica river and the<br />

glacial valley bearing the same<br />

name are popular spots for<br />

outdoor activities or relaxation<br />

amidst unspoilt nature.<br />

Once reaching the top<br />

cable car station, the trekking<br />

tour that features the most<br />

panoramic spots and gives<br />

a taste of the genuine<br />

herdsmen’s life, can start. Late<br />

spring to early autumn months<br />

are recommended (the cattle<br />

returns into the valleys by mid-<br />

September) for this full day<br />

tour, which can be organised<br />

for 6 to 50 participants.<br />

www.nomad2000.com


14<br />

Olimje, Photo: Turizem<br />

Podčetrtek Archive<br />

Olimje, a Must-See Floral Paradise<br />

The Slovenian village of Olimje, well known for its monastery and<br />

one of Europe’s oldest monastic pharmacies, received a gold medal<br />

for excellence in horticultural displays at the Entente Florale Europe<br />

2009 international horticultural competition. The village area is well<br />

worth visiting also for its other attractions, including a golf course,<br />

the Terme Olimje spa with its Orhidelia wellness centre (connected<br />

to <strong>Ljubljana</strong> by a special train on Saturdays), as well as a host of<br />

delectables, from locally produced chocolate to excellent wines and<br />

specialities of local restaurants.<br />

www.olimje.net<br />

Transromanica<br />

This year, the town of Kamnik’s Little<br />

Castle became part of Transromanica,<br />

recognized as a Major Cultural Route<br />

of the Council of Europe. Other<br />

Slovenian Transromanica sights include<br />

Podsreda Castle, the Stična Monastery,<br />

the Church of the Assumption and St.<br />

John the Baptist’s Baptistery in Koper,<br />

St. Martin’s Church in Laško, and St.<br />

George’s Castle and Church in Ptuj.<br />

Wild Flower Festival in Bohinj<br />

The International Wild Flower Festival in Bohinj is one of the central events marking Slovenia’s presidency<br />

of the Alpine Convention and the International Year of Biodiversity.<br />

Workshop at the Wild Flower Festival, Photo T. Sodja<br />

The gala opening of Bohinj’s<br />

4th International Wild Flower<br />

Festival will take place on 22<br />

May, the International Day of<br />

Biodiversity. Festival events,<br />

held under the motto “Building<br />

a sustainable future for man<br />

and nature”, are aimed to<br />

con tribute to the building of<br />

public awareness about the<br />

out standingly rich natural and<br />

cultural heritage of Bohinj, the<br />

entire Triglav National Park, and<br />

the wider Alpine area. From 22<br />

May to 5 June, the village of<br />

Bohinj and the Triglavska roža<br />

information centre in the nearby<br />

town of Bled will host a large<br />

number of interesting events and<br />

activities, including workshops,<br />

guided tours, concerts, exhibitions,<br />

and lectures, among others.<br />

The Wild Flower Festival’s<br />

diverse programme of events,<br />

whose main themes will be<br />

“Alpine flowers in art”, “Alpine<br />

flowers at home” and “Alpine<br />

flowers in science”, will offer an<br />

opportunity for both visitors<br />

and the local residents to learn<br />

about nature, biodiversity, and<br />

cultural heritage and come to<br />

understand the importance<br />

of their preservation. Wellpreserved<br />

nature is a major<br />

advantage of Bohinj as a tourist<br />

destination.<br />

One of the important goals<br />

of the festival is the promotion<br />

of sustainable development<br />

and nature-friendly tourism as<br />

the preservation of the natural<br />

and cultural heritage of Bohinj,<br />

the Triglav National Park and<br />

the entire Slovenia are of key<br />

importance for sustainable<br />

economic development. Due<br />

to its specific features, the<br />

Alpine region, populated by 14<br />

million people, is particularly<br />

vulnerable and needs special<br />

attention. In order to find<br />

appropriate solutions to the<br />

region’s common problems, such<br />

as those related to demography,<br />

the changes in mountain<br />

farming, the negative effects<br />

of mass tourism, and traffic<br />

overload, in 1991 all the eight<br />

Alpine countries (Austria, France,<br />

Italy, Lichtenstein, Monaco,<br />

Germany, Slovenia, Switzerland)<br />

and the European Union as<br />

a whole signed the Alpine<br />

Convention, expressing their<br />

willingness to pursue a common<br />

policy for the development of<br />

their exceptional mountainous<br />

region.<br />

www.bohinj.si/alpskocvetje/eng<br />

Visit to Maribor’s Lent Festival<br />

Lent Festival, held in Maribor, a city well connected to <strong>Ljubljana</strong>, is an international festival hosting over<br />

400 cultural events in two weeks. This year it will be held from 25 June to 10 July.<br />

At the beginning of summer,<br />

the banks of the river Drava<br />

in Maribor turn into a vibrant<br />

centre of cultural and social life<br />

resonating with rhythms from<br />

around the world. Apart from<br />

classical, jazz, popular and ethnic<br />

music concerts and singersongwriter<br />

and chanson evenings,<br />

the festival features theatre and<br />

dance performances, puppet<br />

shows, stand-up comedy, creative<br />

workshops for children, sporting<br />

events, and three mini-festivals<br />

including the Folkart folklore<br />

festival, the Jazzlent jazz festival,<br />

and the Street Theatre Festival.<br />

Some of the events are free.<br />

Lent Festival has hosted a<br />

large number of world famous<br />

artists, including, among others,<br />

the legendary Ray Charles, B.<br />

B. King, James Brown, Jose<br />

Feliciano, Lester Bowie, Tania<br />

Maria, Eric Burdon & The<br />

Animals, David Byrn, Reggie<br />

Johnson, Omara Portuondo, and<br />

Cubanismo. Each year, the festival<br />

also brings together numerous<br />

renowned artists from Slovenia.<br />

Main Stage at the Lent<br />

Festival, Photo: Narodni Dom<br />

Maribor Archive<br />

Lent Festival has received a<br />

large number of awards, including<br />

over 40 awards from the<br />

International Festival and Events<br />

Association (IFEA), a network<br />

comprising over 2,500 festivals<br />

from around the world<br />

www.nd-mb.si


SLOVENE NATIONAL THEATHRE OPERA AND BALLET LJUBLJANA<br />

URBANOBALET<br />

A ballet evening<br />

by young Slovene choreographers<br />

Sanja Nešković Peršin and Kjara Starič<br />

5th, 8th May 2010, 8.00 p.m.<br />

Centre of urban culture Kino Šiška<br />

CARMEN<br />

Georges Bizet, staged by Charles Roubaud<br />

20th, 22nd May 2010, 7 p.m.<br />

23rd May 2010, 6 p.m.<br />

Cankarjev dom (Gallus Hall)<br />

3rd BALLET DAYS<br />

Open air ballet performances<br />

on the Prešeren square<br />

11th – 20th June 2010<br />

MADAME BUTTERFLY<br />

Giacomo Puccini<br />

Co-production<br />

of the SNT Opera and Ballet <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

and the Verdi Theatre Trieste<br />

Premiere: 28th June 2010, 8 p.m.,<br />

Repeat Performances:<br />

29th, 30th June 2010, 8 p.m.<br />

Cankarjev dom (Gallus Hall)<br />

UNICORN<br />

G.C.Menotti<br />

A Madrigal Fable for Chorus,<br />

Ballet and Orchestra<br />

16th, 17th July 2010, 9 p.m.<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> Castle<br />

MANON LESCAUT<br />

Giacomo Puccini<br />

Premiere: 6th September 2010, 7 p.m.<br />

Repeat Performances:<br />

7th, 11th, 12th September 2010, 7 p.m.<br />

Cankarjev dom (Gallus Hall)<br />

UNDER THE STARS WITH SINATRA<br />

The Triple Bill<br />

Coreographers: T. Tharp, D. Bogdanić<br />

Premiere: 28th October 2010<br />

Repeat Performances:<br />

29th October, 24th - 28th November<br />

Cankarjev dom (Linhart Hall)<br />

www.opera.si<br />

marketing:<br />

janez rozman<br />

janez.rozman@opera.si<br />

phone: +386 1 24 11 725


New Life of <strong>Ljubljana</strong>’s Ancient New Square<br />

New life has been brought to <strong>Ljubljana</strong>’s Novi trg, a city centre area whose name translates<br />

as New Square, but was actually settled already in the 12th century.<br />

When medieval <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

became too small for its growing<br />

population, the city’s wealthy<br />

class, wanting to have larger<br />

homes, moved to the other<br />

Bookshop Azil<br />

Photo ZRC SAZU<br />

side of the river Ljubljanica and<br />

settled the area known as Novi<br />

trg (New Square). Compared<br />

to the medieval Stari trg (Old<br />

Square), Novi trg is larger and its<br />

buildings are more sumptuous.<br />

The splendour of their baroque<br />

façades still reflects their life as<br />

the homes of the city’s wealthiest<br />

and most prominent noble<br />

families of the past. Behind the<br />

façade of the Slovenian Academy<br />

of Sciences and Arts, a bookshop<br />

café opened recently. Based on<br />

the concept of the bookshop as a<br />

social space where people meet<br />

and discuss in public, it includes<br />

two bookshops: Azil,<br />

azil.zrc-sazu.si, which has<br />

been there for several years<br />

and specializes in books in the<br />

fields of humanities and social<br />

studies in Slovenian, <strong>English</strong>,<br />

French, Serbian, Croatian and<br />

Russian, and Beletrina, www.<br />

studentskazalozba.si, which has<br />

moved to the building recently<br />

and mainly sells literary fiction,<br />

gift books, and children’s<br />

literature. The two bookshops<br />

are interconnected by a café,<br />

which adds a new dimension to<br />

the place by allowing visitors not<br />

only to marvel at the beautiful<br />

palatial building while buying<br />

books, but also to socialize or<br />

simply sprawl in one of the café’s<br />

reading nooks and leaf through<br />

books in peace. A completely<br />

different new addition to Novi trg<br />

is the Agent Provocateur, www.<br />

agentprovocateur.com, lingerie<br />

boutique, nestled in a corner<br />

of the square. At the time of its<br />

opening it was one of only 45<br />

Agent Provocateur boutiques,<br />

well known for designer lingerie<br />

admired by Kate Moss, Claudia<br />

Schiffer and Christina Aguilera,<br />

among others.<br />

Tjaša Janovljak<br />

Major New Improvements<br />

to <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Airport<br />

In civil aviation, safety is of utmost importance. All safety conditions must be met and any airport<br />

activity must be based on perfect facilities and flawless equipment. For this reason, Aerodrom <strong>Ljubljana</strong>,<br />

the company managing the <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Jože Pučnik Airport, undertook the renovation of the airport’s<br />

3300-metre long and 60-metre wide runway.<br />

New Passanger Terminal<br />

Photo: G. Kavčič<br />

Construction works included<br />

the renovation of the asphalt<br />

pavement on the airport’s runway<br />

and some of the taxiways, works<br />

related to the replacement of the<br />

runway lighting system, and works<br />

on additional cable trenches.<br />

The renovation resulted in an<br />

increased safety of the airport’s<br />

runway, which was covered with<br />

asphalt in 1978 and renovated for<br />

the first time in 1992, using thinlayer<br />

coating.<br />

The complex and demanding<br />

renovation project was completed<br />

in several phases. A 300-metre<br />

section of the runway was<br />

renovated in 2007, and an<br />

approximately 1000-metre<br />

section on each end of the<br />

runway in 2009. The works could<br />

be completed in such a way<br />

that the flow of air traffic was<br />

not considerably impeded. The<br />

Updates to the Summer Timetable<br />

Due to runway renovation works, the summer timetable of the<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong> Jože Pučnik Airport, published on 28 March, has only<br />

been in operation since the completion of the renovation. The Finnish<br />

carrier Finnair now operates flights between <strong>Ljubljana</strong> and Helsinki<br />

four times a week. The website of the low-cost carrier Vueling<br />

already offers online booking of flights between <strong>Ljubljana</strong> and Barcelona,<br />

available twice weekly from 26 June to 11 September. By the<br />

end of October, <strong>Ljubljana</strong> Airport will provide regular direct services<br />

to 28 European destinations including, among others, Dublin, Manchester,<br />

Madrid and Stockholm, operated by nine different airlines.<br />

Airport was operational despite<br />

construction works, a shortened<br />

runway, and the instrument landing<br />

system for landing in poor visibility<br />

conditions being turned off.<br />

It was announced already in<br />

2009 that the airport would have<br />

to be closed to allow for a quick<br />

and safe renovation of the central<br />

part of the runway. In December<br />

2009, based on economic<br />

calculations and the assessment<br />

of the degree of risk to the flow<br />

of air traffic, it was decided, in<br />

coordination with airport tenants<br />

and the Ministry of Transport of<br />

the Republic of Slovenia, that<br />

renovation works should be undertaken<br />

between 7 and 21 April 2010.<br />

The renovation project,<br />

extremely demanding in<br />

terms of organisation, cost<br />

Aerodrom <strong>Ljubljana</strong> €10 million<br />

plus an additional €1.2 million<br />

due to income loss. During<br />

the renovation, some carriers<br />

cancelled their services, others<br />

moved their operations to the<br />

nearest airports. Slovenia’s<br />

national carrier, Adria Airways,<br />

and Turkish Airlines, for instance,<br />

provided a slightly limited<br />

number of flights from Maribor,<br />

and Air France from Trieste. The<br />

runway closure was met with<br />

some disapproval on the part<br />

of passengers, but according to<br />

Zmago Skobir, President of the<br />

Management Board of Aerodrom<br />

<strong>Ljubljana</strong>, “there was no other<br />

way.” Skobir points out that “the<br />

runway is a key asset which must<br />

be maintained to be safe at all<br />

times. When choosing the best<br />

way to renovate the central part<br />

of the runway, we were deciding<br />

between a full and an overnight<br />

closure. It was established that a<br />

full closure would entail smaller<br />

safety and financial risks.”<br />

www.lju-airport.si<br />

Brigita Zorec<br />

Another Gentle Touchdown<br />

Photo: Aerodrom <strong>Ljubljana</strong><br />

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