Eipprova 19

Eipprova 19
life in a courtyard
Anita Strasser

Eipprova 19 - life in a courtyard
When you come through the gate you enter a different world, a world away from
the hustle and bustle of a capital city. You shut the gate behind you and forget the
busy street full of bars and cafes you have just stepped off. The first impression is
that modern development has somehow failed to reach this courtyard, as if time
had stopped a long while ago. Each front door, personalised over the years by its
occupants, offers a glimpse into people’s lives, inviting you to contemplate the
lives of others. This awakens the desire to enter the world of a stranger, to find
out more, to sit down and listen. The essence of a place is shaped by history and
people, and Eipprova 19 is a place full of history, full of individual stories, all
jumbled together in a single courtyard. In January 2007 I chose my own front door,
being lucky enough for a flat to become available shortly after moving to Ljubljana.
It never seems to take me a long time to make contact with people. As everything
is unfamiliar to me in the new spaces I inhabit (I have changed residence many
times in my life), I tend to spend a lot of time familiarising myself with my new
surroundings. Going out with my camera helps with this as it enables me to see
the wonderful details that otherwise remain unnoticed when merely passing
through. The camera allows me to stay in a space a bit longer, searching for and
contemplating the things that might tell me a little more about the spaces I am in.
This prolonged and repeated presence facilitates encounters, with the camera a
topic for conversation, and it is through this that I start speaking to people who
share the spaces with me. In the case of Eipprova 19, it surprised me to see how
willing people of all ages and backgrounds were to have conversations,
considering the fact that there was very little contact among neighbours. It soon
emerged that people longed for contact and more of a community spirit, but felt
unable to initiate the first conversation. People were joking about how it was
possible that I, having lived here merely 3 months, seemed to know everyone and
that they, who had lived here for many years, did not know who lived next door.
People then began to tell me little snippets of life in this courtyard, but snippets
long enough to unearth some of the underlying problems of urban living in the 21 st
century. Challenges such as the impact of the privatisation of housing and the
subsequent increased rent prices, the lack of repair and maintenance, the influx
of a more transient population (i.e. students) in the block, the lack of community
networks. However, these snippets also highlight other aspects of urban lifestyles,
such as the desire to live in a more authentic urban dwelling, the role of the arts
in valorising urban spaces, and the need for peace and quiet in a bustling capital
city. Hearing similar comments time and again, I felt the urge to create an
encounter that would enable neighbours to meet and engage with each other. I

suggested that I photograph Eipprova 19 residents and write down some of their
comments about life in this block, and hang it all on the wooden sheds in the
courtyard. An exhibition opening could function as a get-together, the images and
texts as a stimulant for conversation; they could also function as a mediator of
encounters for those who felt unable to meet people face-to-face. The response
to my suggestion was phenomenal; people agreed immediately, offering help in
various ways: Jaka offered to write a description of the building’s history, Anita
offered to spread the word, others offered home-made cakes, drinks, snacks and
music. Above all, they agreed to be photographed and share their thoughts,
seemingly excited about the prospect of meeting their neighbours through an arts
project, and by my interest in creating a shared dialogue among neighbours who
had lived next door to each other for a long time.
In the meantime, the Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia, with its
office on Eipprova, heard of my undertaking and asked if the neighbours’ gettogether
could be part of the Eipprova Street Festival on 29 May 2008, a festival
intended to support the institute’s plan to pedestrianise the street. This opened
the exhibition to many visitors, mostly residents and friends of the street, many of
whom are well-acquainted with Eipprova 19 residents. As such, it not only brought
individual neighbours together but a whole neighbourhood, through art, music,
food and conversations. Simultaneously, the Slovene Ethnographic Museum heard
of the project and enquired whether the work could be shown in the popular
exhibition space Café SEM. We decided to have all events starting on the same
day. The images and texts in this booklet reflect what was shown at the time.
The exhibition in the courtyard stayed there for 2 weeks, until a violent summer
storm ripped all the images off at once, only to be rescued by neighbours running
out of their flats to save them from damage. During those two weeks, my last days
living in Eipprova, I watched neighbours, especially those who had not attended
the get-together, come out of their flats to study every image and text in their own
stride. It would be a mistake to view their absence from the get-together as a lack
of participation or interest, because not everyone communicates in the same way.
As many neighbours told me some time later, this project changed the way they
felt about living in Eipprova 19, that they felt much better and more comfortable,
knowing who inhabits the building, even if only through images and text. I left a
folder with all materials with Jaka, my landlord and chronicler of the building.
I returned to Eipprova 19 in 2015, visiting neighbours who recognised me straight
away; the exhibition poster was still in the glass cabinet for notices at the entrance.
Anita Strasser

History of the building
The house at Eipprova 19 in Ljubljana is known first of all for its two very
popular bars, and probably also for the fact that many people used to live in it,
especially students and cultural workers. For example, there is a great cineaste
working in the house, a well-known photographer used to have his studio here,
two designers used to have a workshop in the house too. Besides, for the last
decade or two, there has been a painting studio and an architecture bureau in
the house. As well as this, quite a lot of bands and musicians practise in the
house. And, according to the Lonely Planet, there is (or was) the best ice cream
in town. It is not uncommon to meet someone in a small town like Ljubljana
who has spent some nice moments of his life around this place.
It is impossible to find out exactly how many people have lived here, but the
number must be really high. Today there are between 80 and 100 more or less
permanent inhabitants in the house. In the past, this number was much higher
- up to 700 people at the same time.
From 1860, when it developed its current appearance, it served as an army
barracks. It was established and financed by the citizens of Ljubljana so that
they could avoid having to accommodate soldiers in their own homes. At the
end of the 19 th century, this obligation was abolished and the house was sold
to Oroslav Dolenc, a chandler from Trnovo, who, during the great earthquake
in Ljubljana in 1895, generously opened his doors to 350 homeless people.
After that, it became mostly a building of flats to rent.
There was a kindergarten operating from 1900 in the building, which was the
second kindergarten in Ljubljana. In front of the house, there was a legendary
greengrocer lady from Trnovo who used to sell vegetables every day.
If you take a look at the building today, it is in quite a neglected condition. It
calls for renovation, especially the roof, as the house was carefully renovated
for the last time between the two wars. During the Second World War, the
courtyard was destroyed by a bomb. After the war - during the process of
nationalisation - it became state-owned with subsidised housing in it. Since the
denationalisation process, it has become a popular place for students and
young people to live in.

Until the blocks of flats were built to the south of the house in the beginning
of the 1980s, there were gardens and meadows all around, up to the
Ljubljanica river. Since the mid-1980s, all of Eipprova street, together with the
nearby Krakovo region on the other side of the Gradaščica river, has been
protected as a cultural monument of local importance.
Very little is known from the period before the house became a barracks. It is
presumed that, from the end of the 17 th century, three smaller houses were in
the place of the present-day Eipprova 19. In 1787, the westernmost of these
three houses was assessed as being ‘suitable for a school’ by school
commissioner and well-known Slovene dramatist Anton Tomaž Linhart, but
the owner Čurn, a boatman, set a price that was too high. Probably, the great
fire of Ljubljana in 1800, which destroyed most of Trnovo, affected the Čurn
house as well.
The parish chronicle says that there was a popular inn called Kiker in the first
half of the 19 th century. At that time, the house was known as Trnovo 4, and
later as Cerkvena 21. After the Second World War, the street was again
renamed to Eipprova Street after Ernest Eipper, the first hostage to lose his life
in Ljubljana.
Jaka Elikan (resident and chronicler of Eipprova 19)

DUŠAN lives on the ground floor with Mariška and their dog Lara. As you walk
into the courtyard, their flat is the first one on the left. Dušan explains: “I’m
from Bled and Mariška from Prekmurje. Her name is a typical name from this
region. We’ve been in Ljubljana, and in this building, for about 40 years.
Eipprova 19 a fine building. It’s 150 years old and was a house for soldiers.
After WWII there were bombs here.” Dušan’s English is very good. “I learnt it
in school but forgot a lot.” He also reads German books so he “doesn’t forget
that as well”. Dušan does a lot of work with wood. He is often seen in the
courtyard chopping wood for his fire. He’s a great fan of the Slovenian
countryside and recommended that I visit Golica (near Jesenice) to view the
wild-growing daffodils in spring. He also suggested going to see Vintgar gorge
in Bled. “It’s beautiful”, he says, “my grandfather’s brother Jakob Žumer built
the walkway.”

IVAN and his wife live on the ground floor, next to Dušan and Mariška. They
are retired and have a weekend house in Dolenjska, which is why they don’t
spend much time in Eipprova. They have lived in this flat for around 40 years,
one year more than Dušan and his wife.

LUKA and NIKA used to live in a flat together with others on the ground floor.
Luka was the first of the group to be here. He had arrived 2 years earlier with
another guy, and together they decorated the flat walls with drawings, writings
and pictures. Luka liked the place and the cheap rent but has recently moved
out to squat in the old bike factory called ROG. Nika has been here since
February 2007 and is the only one left from the original group.
She now lives here with MARIJAN
and their dog Kuba, and together
they are redecorating the flat.
Luka’s original wall designs have
disappeared, and the flat looks very
different now. Nika loves it here:
“It’s so quiet, peaceful, you can’t
hear cars and the courtyard is so
nice.”

GORAZD has lived here for one year.
There are 4 people living in this flat on
the ground floor next to the staircase.
NATAŠA wants to move here soon
because her boyfriend lives here, but
she also likes it here because it’s cheap
and very near to the centre. Gorazd
says: “It’s an old building but it’s very
peaceful. It’s a good place to live. The
only negative thing is that there’s no
contact among neighbours. Some
people say ‘Hello’, some don’t, but in
general, people aren’t very friendly to
each other.”

BRANE has lived on the ground floor for 4 years. He wanted to live in Trnovo
and there was a free place in this building so he moved here. “I’m happy here.
I’ve lived in Trnovo for a long time and it’s my home. Now I live here, and this
is my home.”
SAŠA lives with Brane and likes it very much here. “The flat is cool in the
summer, and warm in the winter. The temperature in the flat is very nice.” She
also likes that the space is secluded and that you can have your private little
space here, even though the building is very near the city centre. “It’s like in a
bee-hive here, everyone’s got their own little space.” However, like everyone
else, she agrees that the building is in desperate need of renovation, especially
as the roof has become dangerous.

BOJAN, NATAŠA and TAJA live together on the ground floor. Bojan plays the
violin and mandolin in the band Terrafolk, and you can often hear them
rehearsing outside. Bojan and his family moved here 1.5 years ago and really
love the place. “It’s such a great area and it was good to buy the flat when we
did, because now Trnovo is a fashionable area and is getting more expensive.
Lots of artists live here and it’s great!”
However, Bojan agrees that there
are some safety issues concerning
the building. “The building is in a
bad state, and something needs to
be done about it.” They had to get
their flat renovated before moving
in, because the walls in the flat
reached down to below the
building. This meant that the flat
was cold and damp.

MILAN has lived here all his life - for 24 years - and is very well-travelled for his
age. He’s a student and when in Slovenia, he lives with his parents and sister.
Milan’s father is very proud of him. “He’s writing his diploma. It’s very good!”
Milan enjoys sitting on the balcony studying and getting his suntan. Of all the
places in Ljubljana, he thinks it’s okay in Eipprova 19, especially now with all
the students. “They bring life into the place, it’s more colourful, you hear music
and laughter, people talking and enjoying themselves - it’s not so boring
anymore.”

KARMEN and NIKOLAS, and their new-born baby, live on the first floor, next to
the band Carpe Diem. Nikolas is a musician and a friend of Bojan’s. Nikolas has
lived here longer but Karmen has only been here for 5 months. She finds the
building scary, she’s afraid that something might land on her head one day.
“Look around!”, she says, “it needs to be renovated. The only good thing is
that the building is so close to the centre”.

HERMINA is from Bosnia and fled to Berlin during the war, where she spent 7
years. That’s why she speaks perfect German. She moved here 6 years ago,
and now lives on the second floor with her husband, their kids AMIR and ERNA,
and Zemina, Hermina’s mother in law, who has lived here for 20 years. “There
are too many cars in the courtyard and no safe place for kids to play in. You
can’t leave the kids by themselves. In the summer it’s also difficult to sleep
because of the music from the pubs”. ZEMINA loves the building but not the
state it’s in. “The building is beautiful but it’s old and needs to be repaired. Just
look at the staircase! I’ve been here 20 years and nothing about the building
has changed. It’s a pity.” In the meantime, Hermina and her family have moved
to Italy, because her husband got a better-paid job. The working conditions in
Slovenia aren’t very good and this new job will secure them a better future.

ASMIR is from Bosnia, is a student of Economics, and lives here on the second
floor with 2 or 3 Bosnian friends. They came to Slovenia because they feel they
have better future prospects here than in Bosnia. Asmir has only lived here for
2 months. He likes it here, “it’s close to the centre”, he says, but he thinks the
building looks old. For him, it’s also expensive to live here.

GREGOR is doing his degree in civil engineering and is nearly finished. He’s lived
in a flat on the second floor for 6 years and really likes it here – “it’s a nice
area”, he says. Gregor lives with three other students. EVA used to live here
too for 6 years and she loved it here. “It’s the nicest area and community of
Ljubljana”. But she moved out in June 2007, after finishing her pharmaceutical
studies. “My student life is over now and I want to move together with my
boyfriend and ‘start a new life’.” However, Eva and Gregor are still good
friends, and she sometimes comes back to visit.
SARA moved here in Sept. 2007. She studies Ethnology, and lives together with
Gregor, Gašper and Alicia - a Polish girl. “It’s great here; it’s the best place to
live in. It’s the atmosphere. I feel like I’m on holiday.”

DARJA and TOMO have lived here together for 33 years. Darja grew up in
Trnovo in a family house just around the corner, and Tomo was born in
Eipprova 19. After getting married, they moved together into the flat they still
occupy today. They live with Nika, an 8-year-old black poodle. They used to like
it very much here but their hearts ache when they say: “When we first lived
here we had a lovely view of trees, gardens and small houses, but soon after
moving in - about 30 years ago - they took away the trees und built those ugly
tower blocks. Also the community here has changed a lot. We don’t know who
our neighbours are anymore, and there aren’t enough kids around.”
STAŠA and MARIJAN are Darja’s daughter and brother who doesn’t live here.
Staša got married in April 2008 and her husband is also called Marijan. The
whole family used to like it here but things have changed: “10 years ago living
here was much better. There were more children, more families, and people
knew each other. Now tenants change a lot. People don’t know each other
anymore, don’t know who lives next door. The building is also in a bad state,
look at the roof! It’s in a bad way. But if we renovate the block too much, rich
people will come and buy the flats, and then it will be even more impersonal.”

Me and ADAM, my husband, live on the second floor, between Darja and Tomo
and Anita and Jaka. We have lived here for 2 years and we are sad to say that
we will be moving out very soon. The working conditions in this country are
making it very difficult for us to stay. We have had a wonderful time here, and
we will miss our neighbours very much, as well as the building and the beautiful
view of Trnovo church from our flat.

ANITA is a librarian and JAKA a journalist, and they have two flats on the second
floor. They live in one with their kids HANA (5) and LEV (2), and rent the other
out to me and Adam. Anita and Jaka like the building and its location very
much. Anita says that it’s a nice and safe place although her new bike got
stolen from the courtyard in 2006, and that they are happy here. Anita: “It’s
different, not everyone likes it - my father was very shocked when he first came
to see it. He couldn’t understand why we wanted to live here.” Jaka says, “the
building has a very interesting history. It’s an old building, and of course some
things need to be repaired, especially the roof, but it’s difficult to get all flat
owners to agree to pay so much money for the repair.”

BORIVOJ is a teacher for people with learning difficulties, and every day, after
work, he comes to Eipprova 19, where he has two ‘flats’ on the ground floor.
One ‘flat’ is a laboratory for developing films, and one contains his private
collection of films. Years ago, the film studio Triglav closed, and Borivoj saved
all the machines and keeps them at Eipprova. As no other laboratory exists in
Slovenia, he develops films for the national film archive. His neat collection of
old film rolls and DVDs, together with the machines old and new, the dark
room, his puppets (he used to work in a puppet theatre), the various objects
which his pupils have made for him, and Borivoj’s passion and love for his work,
transport you into a magical world of fantasy and curiosities.
“Do you know that 60 years ago they made a short film here in this courtyard?”
he asks. Borivoj has been coming here almost every evening for 20 years. He
doesn’t live here, but knows the building and people who have lived here for
a long time very well. “I came here 20 years ago because it was cheap. But I
also really like it here. Life here is unusual because it seems that life stopped
here a few years ago”.

Our legendary postman ALEKS, who has been the subject of a TV documentary,
has been delivering mail here for 8 years now. I see him regularly sipping his
coffee in one of the bars just outside the building, and he seems to know a lot
of people. “I know everyone here, at least the people who have lived here for
longer, like Anita and Jaka. The students change a lot and I don’t know them
all.” Shortly after I moved in, I was sent a parcel. At that time, Aleks didn’t
recognise my name and didn’t know who I was so he looked all over the
building to find me. He’s remembered my name and that I live behind the blue
door ever since.
BOBBY works for Tombstone Saloon, a bar just outside the building which
stores its drinks in here. Bobby comes here 4-5 times a week to get drinks, and
knows a lot of students from here. He likes the building, the students and the
community. “I like the communication with the people from here. The building
is cool too, but it’s not my style. I wouldn’t want to live here, I’d like to live
somewhere more modern”.

Exhibition / neighbours’ event, organised by the local community -

part of the Eipprova Street Festival, 29 th May 2008

Anita Strasser is an urban photographer / visual sociologist based in south-east
London. She studied Photography at the London Institute, College of Printing
(now London College of Communication (LCC)), completed a Master's in
Photography and Urban Cultures at the Sociology Department of Goldsmiths
College, University of London, and is currently doing an AHRC-funded PhD in
Visual Sociology at the same institution. Her main research interests are the
everyday practices of urban communities, the regeneration and gentrification
of cities, particularly London, and the representation of class, as well as visual
research methods, community arts and participatory photographic practice.
She is an active member of the Urban Photographers Association, the
International Visual Sociology Association, and the Centre of Urban and
Community Research at Goldsmiths College, and co-organises the annual
symposium Engaging in Urban Image Making held at Goldsmiths. Anita has
worked with many local community groups, and has presented and exhibited
her work in many (inter)national events.
For more details please visit her website: www.anitastrasser.com

©2007 - 2008 texts and images
©2017 booklet co-designed by Adam Ramejkis (www.aschoolofthought.uk)
This booklet was created to accompany the exhibition A neighbours’ event:
building community through socially-engaged photography, held at Conway
Hall from 1 November 2017 - 31 January 2018. It was also presented as part of
Slovenia: Image Music Text, an evening of Slovenian words, music, art and wine
in Conway Hall Library. Many thanks to Conway Hall, particularly Martha Lee
& Sophie Hawkey-Edwards, for organising, hosting and funding the exhibition.
Conway Hall Ethical Society
25 Red Lion Square
London, WC1R 4RL