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At the end of 2011, an analysis of tourism in 24 European capitals was published by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. Ljubljana turned out to be among the highest ranking capitals according to three out of seven

assessment criteria. According to two of them, it actually made it to the very top of the rankings.

Perhaps the most interesting is the finding that Ljubljana had the highest share of overnight stays by international tourists. In 2010, as many as 96 percent of overnight visitors to Ljubljana were from abroad, 20 percent of them from non-European countries, while the average for all the capitals analyzed was 71 percent. Ljubljana was also the top performer in terms of growth rates in bed capacities in the period from 2005 to 2010; it recorded an 11 percent growth rate, while the average for all

the capitals analyzed was three percent. Ljubljana also made it to the top three capitals with the highest growth rate of overnight stays in the last five years, next to Berlin and Stockholm.

Based on all the seven assessment criteria, Ljubljana was ranked fifth in its group of 14 comparable capitals, behind Zurich, Lisbon, Copenhagen and Brussels, and ahead of Helsinki, Tallinn, Oslo, Budapest, Athens, Luxembourg, Zagreb, Bratislava and Belgrade. The capitals scoring best in the top ten group are Paris, Amsterdam and Rome. www.rolandberger.com Tjaša Janovljak

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According to the ECM City Break Shopping Barometer, published by the European Cities Marketing Research & Statistics Group, Ljubljana was among the least expensive cities in terms of

food, guided tours and city transport in the period 2010-2011.

A local beer (0.33l) at a fast-food restaurant in Ljubljana, for example, cost €2.00, while in other

European cities it was priced at €3.00 or even more. Ljubljana also offered attractively priced city tours; an adult ticket cost €10.00, half as much as in other cities included in the Barometer, while an adult ticket to the City Museum of Ljubljana’s permanent exhibition, priced at €4.00, cost two to three times less than tickets to other European city museums. The price situation was about the same in the case of tickets to the zoo and opera.

In terms of hotel accommodation, however, Ljubljana turned out to be one of the five most expensive European cities. In the years 2010 and 2011, the weekend price for an overnight stay in a double room at a four-star hotel stood at €285.00, and the price for an overnight stay in the dormitory of a centrally located hostel open all year round at €21.00, twice the accommodation

prices offered by some of the other European cities included in the Barometer.Tjaša Janovljak

Twice the Top Scoring European Capital

Ljubljana in the ECM City Break Shopping Barometer

SiStory: A New Mobile ApplicationThose curious to know what Ljubljana looked like fifty or a hundred years ago, should check out the new free mobile application SiStory, developed by Ljubljana’s Institute of Contemporary History and the Historical Archives of Ljubljana. Offering expert descriptions of the most important streets, squares, buildings and monuments in the old city centre and old photographs of both existing and long-gone buildings, the new iPhone application, based on the augmented reality technology, is a useful and handy tool for those taking a walk through the old city centre and exploring its history. www.sistory.si

Top Little DragonThe friendly little green dragon used as the official mascot of the tourist destination of Ljubljana is one of the best mascots of last year, according to Eurosport, Europe’s leading sports multimedia platform. The mascot, based on the Ljubljana Dragon, a symbol of power, courage and grandeur known from the city’s coat of arms, the famous Dragon Bridge, and the legend about Jason and the Argonauts, is being used in the promotion of Ljubljana both at home and abroad.

A Perfect Rendezvous, Newsletter for Travel Trade ProfessionalsPublisher: Ljubljana Tourism, Krekov trg 10, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. Phone: +386 1 306 45 83, Fax +386 1 306 45 94,e-mail: info@visitljubljana.si, www.visitljubljana.com; Editorial board: Petra Stušek, Tatjana Radovič, Barbara Vajda. Cover photo by D. WedamProduction: Mediamix, Maribor; Head of advertising: Zdenka Šarlah, Mediamix. Phone: +386 2 235 05 67, e-mail: zdenka.sarlah@mediamixPrinted by: Rolgraf d.o.o., Cesta na Svetinje 28, Medvode, SloveniaSpring/Summer 2012 • Committed to caring for the environment, we print on recycled paper.

Typical Scene by the River Banks;

Photo: D. Wedam

4sq Day On 16 April 2012, Ljubljana joined many other cities across the world in hosting Foursqare Day, a global social media holiday bringing together the users of the popular mobile application and social network Foursquare. A fun informal gathering was held in the Prešernov trg square.

The Ljubljana Mascot;

Photo: D. Wedam

Discovering the City with a Guide;

Photo: D. Wedam

Cafe with the View – the Skyscraper; Photo: D. Wedam

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MOB-i-LNICE (Mobility Shops)Apart from the usual tourist information, the Tourist Information Centres located at the Ljubljana Railway Station and in the Krekov trg square and Stritarjeva ulica street also provide information on sustainable urban mobility solutions. Visitors can learn about the city’s public transport network, the use of the Google Transit application, and the BicikeLJ bicycle hire network. www.civitas.eu

53rd Ljubljana Jazz FestivalThe Ljubljana Jazz Festival is one of Europe’s oldest jazz festivals. Its history goes back to 1960, when it began its life as the Yugoslav Jazz Festival in the Slovenian town of Bled. In 1967 it was moved to Ljubljana, where it continued to present contemporary jazz music from around the world. The line-up for this year’s festival, held from 28 to 30 June 2012, will include John Scofield, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Neneh Cherry & The Thing, Ibrahim Maalouf, and Adam, among others. www.ljubljanajazz.si

Apart from the June in Ljubljana festival and the International Music Day, described in detail in another article on this page, Ljubljana’s promising programme of events for this summer includes a number of international festivals offering top cultural and artistic experiences.

From 28 June to 1 July, cutting-edge contemporary street theatre will be showcased at the international Ana Desetnica festival, highly acclaimed for its

well-defined artistic concept. Between 20 June and 13 September, the 60th Ljubljana Festival will present a programme of premier music and theatre events tailored specially for those with a refined taste in art. 26 July will see the opening of the Films under the Stars festival, held in the romantic ambience of Ljubljana Castle’s courtyard until 18 August. From 23 August to 2 September, innovative young contemporary theatre and dance

artists from around Europe will get together to perform at the Young Lions festival, well known for promoting original approaches to theatre and dance. Ljubljana’s eventful festival summer will continue into September, when the Ex Ponto contemporary theatre festival will bring together international theatre artists focusing on socially relevant themes. www.visitljubljana.com Nina Kalčič

The June in Ljubljana festival, set to be held in the Kongresni trg square from 6 to 21 June, will host children’s events in the morning, light dance and music entertainment in the afternoon, and top-quality dance, theatre and music events in the evening.

The festival will open with the ballet production Visibleinvisible, staged by the Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre of

Ljubljana, who will, over the course of the festival, also present several productions for children and in collaboration with the Ljubljana Music Society, a concert in Ljubljana Old Town. The Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Maribor, who have just returned from an extensive tour of the United States, will perform the choreographer Edward

Clug’s ballet Radio & Juliet, a contemporary reworking of what is probably the world’s best known love story.

The June in Ljubljana stage will also host the Ljubljana City Theatre’s production of the smash hit musical Sugar, inspired by Billy Wilder’s film Some Like it Hot, and the Mladinsko Theatre’s final (300th) performance of Pippi Longstocking.

The festival will end on 21 June, when Ljubljana will join more than 350 cities around the world in the celebration of the International Music Day. Throughout the day, the city will be alive with the sounds of music of all kinds, and the evening will be reserved for a concert of all-time most memorable Slovenian pop songs. www.visitljubljana.comTeja Tomaž

The Promise of an Eventful Summer of CultureLjubljana is an attractive cultural tourism destination, not only for its rich history, beautifully preserved architecture and amazing atmosphere, but also for its wide and varied programme of cultural events, culminating in an outstanding array of summer festivals, a must-attend for any cultural-thrill-seeker.

Ana Desetnica Street

Performance; Photo: D. Wedam

June in Ljubljana: Top Cultural Experiences for AllThe beginning of the summer in Ljubljana will be marked by the 4th edition of the June in Ljubljana open-air festival of theatre, dance and music. Festival events, all free of charge, will be a delightful opportunity for all to get an insight into what Slovenia’s most prestigious cultural institutions have to offer.

Ibrahim Maalouf;

Photo: D. Rouvre

June in Ljubljana 2011 Atmosphere; Photo: D. Wedam Ballet Performers; Photo: D. Wedam

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In order to help visitors find their way around culinary Ljubljana and pinpoint the restaurants and shops which meet high standards of quality in terms of choice on offer, service and facilities, a restaurant and shop assessment project called Ljubljana Quality Selection is run in the city every other year. The goal of the project is to raise the quality of tourism-related services and promote the businesses providing above average quality. A full list of those awarded the Ljubljana Quality trademark is available on the website at www.visitljubljana.com, while here in this article we are going to present some of the restaurants and shops that have recently opened in Ljubljana. Who knows, maybe some

of them will be among this year’s Ljubljana Quality winners.

New on the Menu: Tasty and Original

One of Ljubljana’s recently opened restaurants is Eksperiment (Slovenska cesta 10), whose very name suggests its essence: it is all about experimenting. The restaurant has unusually long opening hours – it stays open until 3 a.m., which is more reminiscent of large urban metropolises than Ljubljana – and is genuinely surprising in terms of menu and ambience. www.eksperiment.si

Another new restaurant that could hardly be reproached for the lack of originality is Izložba (Bežigrad 12), where a choice of dishes from

different parts of Slovenia are prepared right in front of the guests’ eyes using local, mostly organic ingredients and traditional recipes with a modern twist.

The new Bistro Zvezda (Kongresni trg 3) is a great place for a quick business lunch, an afternoon snack or an evening drink. Its menu ranges from innovative light and healthy dishes prepared using fresh ingredients obtained mainly from local organic farms to a choice of excellently prepared international dishes. www.zvezdaljubljana.si

New on the Shopping List: Homemade & Handmade

The newly opened shop Bauta (Mestni trg 10) specializes in food and beverages from Prekmurje, the north-eastern-most region of Slovenia, renowned for its good-natured people, fine food and excellent wines. The shop offers only authentic, high quality goods produced by small farmers in Prekmurje and resold by local rural cooperatives, societies and companies buying directly from the farmers. www.bauta.si

The increasingly popular vintage fashion, drawing inspiration from our grandparents’ wardrobes, has

found a new place for itself in the lovely little shop Babushka boutique (Gosposvetska cesta 8), which offers a choice of handmade jewellery and fashion accessories, and clothing from young designers from Slovenia and abroad.

Another new fashion boutique has recently opened in Tavčarjeva ulica, which is gradually turning into one of Ljubljana’s major shopping streets. The new shop, called Koda386 (Tavčarjeva ulica 4), aspires to become synonymous for quality Slovenian fashion. The designers Matež Faganel, Sanja Grcić and Nina Šušnjara, who brought three independent Slovenian fashion brands under the same roof, offer what they call ‘dream fashion with a metropolitan and libertarian undertone’.

Another new shop where it is pointless to look for generic fashion from big brands is Trgovina IKA (Ciril-Metodov trg 13), which sells fine art paintings and ceramics, and highly original designer greeting cards, jewellery, clothing and fashion accessories handcrafted with love by talented Slovenian designers. www.trgovina-ika.si Špela Golčer

Rulers and noblemen, statesmen and mayors, artists and philosophers, successful women and sensual beauties – these are just a few of those whose heads have been sculpted in wood, clay, marble or bronze for history to remember, and later moved to the storerooms of the City Museum of Ljubljana. All these heads, some of them created by renowned, others by obscure

artists, are now back in a historical exhibition entitled Many Heads Are Better than One, which offers an insight into how the depicted personalities shaped the history of Ljubljana and what their lives and destinies were like. The exhibition will be on view until 31 December 2012.

The Museum offers an exhibition tour in English guided by ‘real Spirits

of History’ on selected Sundays at 4 p.m. (29 April, 6 May, 24 June, all Sundays in July and August, and 23 and 30 December). Other times can be arranged for groups. Free admission days are held occasionally. www.mgml.si Maja Kovač, Meta Stvarnik

Creative Activity OutdoorsThe old city centre of Ljubljana owes a lot of its character to its vibrant street life. One of the major gathering places lively all year round is the picturesque Central Market, designed by the architect Jože Plečnik. On Sundays, when it is closed, a great place to go is the Breg embankment’s Antique Flea Market, and on summer Saturdays the vibrant Art Market. www.visitljubljana.com

Perfect Delight Day and NightA new café and club combo, Kavarna Pristan & Klub Porto, opened its doors in an idyllic riverfront location close to Ljubljana’s new Butchers’ Bridge. During daytime, it is a great place to get good coffee, browse a newspaper and observe the vibrant life of the Central Market, while at night, when it turns into a club, it is an excellent place to go for music and fun. It is special for its well thought out interior design, dedicated to the famous architect Jože Plečnik, who left a tremendous mark on the appearance of Ljubljana and designed, among countless other things, the Central Market.

Difficult to Describe, Easy to RecommendA lot of new restaurants and shops are being opened in Ljubljana and many of them are so original in terms of offerings and ambience that they can easily compare with the best that capitals much larger than Ljubljana can offer.

Many Heads are Better than OneThe City Museum of Ljubljana presents a historical exhibition centred around large and small portrait heads of personalities who left their mark on the history of Ljubljana.

Portraits from the Sculptures Collection of the City Museum;

Photo: M. Paternoster, MGML

Eksperiment; Photo: M. Podboj

Kavarna Pristan & Klub Porto;

Photo: B. Podlogar

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World Music’s BestFrom 8 to 26 May, various venues in Ljubljana will host the 28th Druga godba international world music festival, which the influential British magazine Songlines has ranked, for the third year running, among the world’s 25 best international music festivals.www.drugagodba.si

Libraries under TreesIn Ljubljana, spring marks the opening of the season of lounging around and spending quality time in Libraries under Trees, set up in Tivoli Park, on the banks of the Ljubljanica river and on the castle hill. Each year from May to October, Ljubljana’s outdoor libraries provide a relaxing environment for taking a break from daily routine and browsing through books, newspapers and magazines from home and abroad. www.visitljubljana.com

The controversial Bodies Revealed exhibition of plastinated human corpses, which has so far been seen by over 30 million people around the world, will be showing at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre until 16 September.

Fascinating for some and disapproved of by others, this exhibition, put together by the American Atlanta-based company

Premier Exhibitions, offers a unique insight into the anatomy and physiology of the human body by presenting human corpses preserved using the technique of plastination, in which the water in the tissues of a recently deceased body is replaced with liquid plastic, which allows full preservation all the way to the molecular level.

The exhibition of whole bodies and over 180 individual organs

and body parts – divided into nine sections presenting the human skeleton, muscles, gastrointestinal tract, sex organs, and the nervous, respiratory, urinary, circulatory and endocrine systems – is meant to educate and raise the awareness of the damage caused by obesity, smoking and other unhealthy habits.www.bodies.si Tjaša Janovljak

On 9 May, the Kino Šiška Centre for Urban Culture will present a concert by the British R&B singer Estelle, best known for her collaborations with Kanye West and Grammy-winning song American Boy. A concert of a completely different kind will be held at Kino Šiška on 5 June, when the stage will be taken over by the Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys. www.kinosiska.si

12 June will see the opening of the first UF! urban festival at

the Križanke summer theatre. The festival will offer a host of musical delights including, among others, concerts by the British indie-pop duo The Ting Tings and the Canadian dark electro duo Crystal Castles. www.ljubljanafestival.si

On 14 July, Ljubljana will host a concert by Duran Duran, one of the most successful ‘80s pop rock bands, once regarded as ‘the prettiest boys of rock’.www.visitljubljana.com Špela Golčer

Big Names in Popular MusicDuring spring and summer, Ljubljana will host a rich and varied programme of popular music events featuring acclaimed international artists.

On View in Ljubljana; Photo:

Bodies revealed Archive

The Ting Tings; Photo: Organiser

Bodies Revealed Now on View in LjubljanaThe controversial Bodies Revealed exhibition of plastinated human corpses, which has so far been seen by over 30 million people around the world, will be showing at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre until 16 September.

Some say ‘White men can’t jump’, while Slovenians, singing in unison on basketball match days, say ‘Those who don’t jump aren’t Slovenian’.

Anyone who has ever been to a basketball match in Ljubljana will attest that basketball is extremely popular among Slovenians. It is therefore no wonder that during spring and summer attractive basketball events are held not

only in sports arenas, but also right in the heart of Ljubljana’s picturesque city centre.

On 19 and 20 May, the centrally located Prešernov trg square and Stritarjeva ulica street will host the inaugural FIBA Europe 3x3 competition. On 7 July (or 8 July if it rains the day before), Prešernov trg will also be the venue for the finals of the National Streetball

Championship, while the Championship’s concluding event, featuring a spectacular one-on-one showdown, will be held in the Kongresni trg square two weeks later.

Preparations are already being made for the FIBA EuroBasket 2013 championship, whose final round will be played in Ljubljana.www.visitljubljana.com Tjaša Janovljak

Ljubljana Feels Basketball

Enjoying Books al Fresco;

Photo: D. Wedam

Moriarty at Druga Godba Festival;

Photo: Gen-Murakoshi

Dragon Ljubo training Basketball

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Museum Summer NightOn the evening of Saturday 16 June 2012, 80 Slovenian museums and galleries, most of them located in Ljubljana, will be open till midnight at no admission charge as part of the 10th Museum Summer Night, the largest promotional project undertaken by Slovenian museums and galleries, joined by a number of other institutions active in the fields of culture and arts, cultural heritage and history.

Carnival Heritage ExhibitionsThe Slovene Ethnographic Museum currently hosts two exhibitions on winter fertility carnivals as part of the intangible cultural heritage of Europe: the exhibition Carnival King of Europe II, which brings together carnival masks and accessories from various European countries, and the exhibition The Carnival Heritage of Slovenia, which presents, through photographs and films, the stories behind traditional carnival figures and groups characteristic of Slovenia. The exhibitions will be on view until 6 May 2012. www.etno-muzej.si

The history of the Ljubljana Opera House goes back to 1892, when it was constructed to

serve as the first purpose-built drama and opera theatre in the Habsburg Empire’s province of

Carniola and stage theatre and opera productions in German and Slovenian. However, it was not until after the First World War, when Slovenia became a part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians, that the Opera House became the home of a major national (Slovenian-only) musical theatre with its own orchestra and professional opera and ballet ensembles. Today, the building houses the Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Ljubljana, whose wide and varied repertoire includes classical and contemporary opera, ballet and concert works.

Over the years since its construction, the beautiful neo-

Renaissance Opera House building, designed by the Czech architects Jan V. Hrasky and Anton Hruby, began to suffer from the ravages of time and became dated and too small for the buoyant activity taking place behind its walls. For this reason, a large-scale extension, conservation and renovation project was undertaken in 2006. The Opera House, which reopened in November 2011, now has a fully refurbished and restored 550-seat auditorium with vastly improved acoustics, state-of-the-art stage facilities, and new rehearsal rooms and ancillary service facilities. www.opera.si Meta Stvarnik

The list of stellar names to have appeared at the Ljubljana Festival over its long history is enormous: Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra, State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia, London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Béjart Ballet Lausanne, Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg, Teatro alla Scala Ballet, Valery Gergiev, Daniel Harding, Zubin Mehta, Ennio Morricone, Riccardo Muti, Mstislav Rostropovich, En Shao, Yuri Bashmet, Denis Matsuev, Yehudi Menuhin, Julian Rachlin, Alexander Rudin, Mojca Zlobko, Paata Burchuladze, Joseph Calleja, Jose Carreras ...

The Ljubljana Festival

has always been involved in various co-productions, it has supported young talent, and has collaborated with Slovenia’s leading artists and cultural institutions, such as the world famous theatre director Tomaž Pandur, the Slovenian Philharmonic, and the Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Theatres of Ljubljana and Maribor.

In celebration of its 60th anniversary, the Ljubljana Festival will once again bring together a plethora of outstanding international artists, such as the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, whose concert will open the festival in grand style, the violinist Vadim Repin, the

composer Michael Nyman, the soprano Inva Mula, the baritone Leo Nucci, the Chamber Orchestra of the Vienna Concert Association, Saint Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra under the conduction of Valery Gergiev, and the Béjart Ballet Lausanne. The highlights of the programme also include the eccentric Slovenian avant-garde opera Black Masks by the composer Marij Kogoj, which is yet to be discovered by international audiences, the director Tomaž Pandur’s staging of the classic Medea, and the musical Jesus Christ Superstar from London’s Bronowski Productions. www.ljubljanafestival.siHermina Kovačič

Ljubljana Opera House Restored to Its Original SplendourThe 120-year-old Ljubljana Opera House, a unique total work of art combining impressive architecture with the art of sculpting, interior decoration, mural painting and applied arts, has recently been reopened after a major extension, conservation and renovation project.

Ljubljana Festival: 60 Reasons to Celebrate The Ljubljana Festival, one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious festivals, celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. From 20 June to 13 September, it will present a stunning programme of events featuring some of the biggest names in music, dance and theatre from Slovenia and around the world.

»Kurent« Legendary

Carnival Figure;

Photo: P. Hieng

National Museum of

Contemporary History;

Photo: LTB Archive

The Black Masks Opera; Photo:

Archive SNG Opera in balet Ljubljana

Ljubljana Opera House; Photo: D. Prelovšek

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra;

Photo: T. Linke

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The MSUM, located in the Metelkova Museum Quarter, is currently showing an exhibition of works selected from the Ljubljana Museum of Modern Art’s national collection and the Arteast 2000+ international collection.

The exhibition, entitled Present and Presence, brings together some of the pioneering works of Eastern European avant-garde art from the early 1960s to the present day, placed in dialogue with works by Western artists.

Some of the major artists represented include the Indian-born British sculptor Anish Kapoor, renowned for his unique biomorphic sculptures and works exploring the invisible; the Russian conceptual artist Ilya Kabakov, whose work has been shown at the world’s most prestigious art events; the American artist Lawrence Weiner, a central figure in the formation of conceptual art; the Russian artists Komar and Melamid, who founded a unique version of conceptual art known as Sots Art; the diva of performance art Marina Abramović, whose installation Rhythm 0, 1974 marked as edition 1 is part of the collection of the MSUM in Ljubljana and the Tate Gallery in London.

In April 2012, the Present and Presence exhibition will be expanded to include a section exploring different forms of time: the time that liberates and the time that enslaves. www.mg-lj.si Meta Stvarnik

The exhibition, entitled 20th Century: Continuities and Ruptures, begins with the entry of modernism into Slovenian art and ends with the ten-day war for Slovenian independence in 1991. However, rather than focusing on presenting a chronological overview of modernist styles in Slovenian art, the exhibition

breaks with traditional rules of linearity. Encompassing the historical avant-garde of the 1920s, the art of the World War II Slovenian Partisan Resistance, the 1960s avant-garde art group OHO, and the retro-avant-garde of the 1980s, it highlights the issue of the close entanglement of art, politics and life, and offers, in addition to the linear, chronological path, also other paths that visitors can choose to suit their particular areas of interest.

In early June, the Museum of Modern Art will open another interesting exhibition of modern Slovenian art, this time focusing on the work of one of the members of the 1960s avant-garde art group OHO. The featured artist, Marko Pogačnik, is famous worldwide for his method of

lithopuncture known as Earth healing, which he developed to continue some of the important aspects of the work of the OHO group, which also dealt with such issues as the pursuit of cosmic harmony. The retrospective of

Pogačnik’s work will shed light on the artist’s entire fifty-year endeavour to redefine the relationship between art and society.www.mg-lj.si Meta Stvarnik

New Museum of Contemporary Art In late 2011, the Ljubljana museum scene was enriched with a new museum of contemporary art, the MSUM, which is currently showing work by some of the pioneering Eastern European avant-garde artists.

Major Display of Modern Slovenian ArtAfter a hiatus of several years, the Ljubljana Museum of Modern Art is again staging a major exhibition of 20th century Slovenian art from its national collection.

Unicum 2012Until September 2012, Ljubljana will host several exhibitions as part of the 2nd Unicum International Triennial of Ceramic Art. The ZDSLU Gallery will showcase the work of Tone Demšar and Vera Stanković, the National Museum – Metelkova ceramics designed at the Decor factory, and Ljubljana Castle the work of ceramic artists born from the 1960s to the 1980s.www.unicum.si

Disclosed HorizonsUntil the end of June 2012, the CD Gallery will be showing an exhibition titled Disclosed Horizons: Slovenian Painters in Trieste 1945-1960. The exhibition features works by the painters Avgust Černigoj, Lojze Spacal, Rudolf Saksida, Jože Cesar, Bogdan Grom, Robert Hlavaty and Avrelij Lukežič, who developed their styles, varying between realism and abstraction, under the influence of Italian post-World War II painting and whose images of the Trieste Karst and Istria revived the Slovenian fine-art culture of the time. www.cc-cd.si

Gallery of Modern Art; Photo: D. Habitcht

Print by Rudolf Saksida

Exhibition at the Museum; Photo: D. Habitcht

Detail; Photo D. Habitcht

Art Exhibits; Photo: D. Habitcht

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As Aperitivo, New & Hot in the City The recently opened new pavilion of the renowned As Restaurant can be privatised for events with up to 150 guests sited. Its modern airy architecture follows the motif of the ancient garden tree embraced by a concrete structure with huge glass panes. Select design furniture and iconic lighting provide visual accents to its interior. Besides serving exquisite Mediterranean cuisine, the Aperitivo combines a cocktail & lounge bar feel and is steadily becoming a popular spot for evening outings. Watch out for its rooftop terrace in the warmer months! www.visitljubljana.com

Recently, a new multipurpose space, the Upper Lapidarium, has been developed: its surface area of 380 + 118 square metres can welcome from 50 to 500 guests at different functions in a variety of set-ups. Renovation

plans that will expand the portfolio of function areas at the Ljubljana Castle are to proceed in 2012, too.

The Upper Lapidarium is a connecting tract, which links the upper station of the funicular

railway, the S Gallery, The Pentagonal Tower, St. George’s Chapel, the Rock Room, the Cistern, the Na Gradu Restaurant and Hribar’s Hall. The renovation again displays the remains of the moat of the Spanheim Castle from the 13th century.

Another recent novelty worth mentioning and seeing is located at the foot of the Lookout Tower – an ideal stop before starting to climb the winding staircase to the top. Formerly known as the Virtual Museum since 2001, this space was in January 2012 given a new image and content, as well as a different name, now being the Virtual Castle. This technical, spatial and content renovation has enhanced the offer at the Castle, taking visitors for an interesting virtual walk along its history.

A twelve-minute projection features the entire timeline of the Ljubljana Castle, its architectural development, archaeological discoveries – all the way through to its present image.www.ljubljanskigrad.si Tatjana Radovič

Plaza Hotel Ljubljana is positioning itself as a first class (4*) property as well as the first hotel in the booming BTC City commercial and business district in Ljubljana. With this in mind, it is set to become the hotel of choice for both business and leisure travellers. A stay at the Plaza Hotel Ljubljana has been designed as to offer guests a uniquely tailored experience of a productive working environment, relaxing and comfortable sleep, a thoughtful service, as well as numerous entertainment possibilities in the hotel environs.

Plaza Hotel Ljubljana will feature 208 superior guest rooms (27 sqm) and 28 suites (40, 60 and 150 sqm, respectively) with a number of amenities and services to enhance

the overall quality and value for money of the hotel product. The hotel has recently launched reservations online for arrivals starting from June 2012.

Flexible and prime-positioned meeting facilities at the hotel’s top floors will offer an attractive and functional space for hosting meetings, events, receptions or gala dinners at the highest level of service, topped by a view over Ljubljana and its surroundings. Six function rooms, with 35 seats theatre-style each, will provide – by joining three together, up to 120 seats as the largest capacity. The Sky Lounge, located on the hotel’s roof terrace, will allow the organisation of diverse business and social events, at the same time

offering guests a trendy, yet cosy “al fresco” urban design and a relaxing experience.

Plaza Hotel Ljubljana is also committed to investing back into the environment. A number of sustainability measures have been applied in the project, including the use of electricity and heat produced in cogeneration from a power plant distribution, modern ventilation systems enabling the recuperation of 97 % of heat from the air, 90% of the lighting based on LED technology, as well as other green features.

The project, worth roughly 21 million Euro, is partly financed by the European Union.www.plazahotel.si Tatjana Radovič

The Upper Lapidarium at the Ljubljana CastleThe gradual and extensive renovation of the Ljubljana Castle has progressed again. Apart from attracting a growing number of visitors with new programmes and contents, this city landmark is also a popular event venue.

Plaza Hotel Ljubljana - Opening in June 2012The construction of the Plaza Hotel Ljubljana is under visible progress, its opening being announced in June 2012. With the start of its operation, the city’s hotel portfolio will be enhanced by a new strong player.

Plaza Hotel Ljubljana;

Photo: Hotel Archive

The Stylish Newcomer; Photo: Gostilna As

New Upper Lapidarium;

Photo: S. Bano

Ljubljana Castle from Above; Photo: D. Wedam

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The GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre was built in the 1950s and is protected as a cultural monument for its modern functionalist architecture. Through the decades it underwent several overhauls with the most extensive taking place from 2005 to 2007, which refreshed and extended the multipurpose nature of the halls to host diverse types of events. In the past few years GR established itself as a modern and flexible exhibition and convention centre that features 24 multipurpose halls, which are complemented by 10,194 sqm of outdoor space.

In 2010, when the GR was celebrating its 55th anniversary, it expanded its capacities onto the premises of an adjacent business building dating from 1979, which has been designed by Milan Mihelič – the

same architect who authored the plans of the GR. The new premises are directly connected to the GR and have been named, like the other halls, after the poems of the greatest Slovenian poet, Dr. France Prešeren. The Apel complex, spreading across four levels and a total of 12,892 square metres, is divided into four sections: Sonet Hall, ground floor (1,636 sqm); Gazela Hall, 1st floor (2,211 sqm); Oda Hall, 1st basement (3,692 sqm) and Meduza Hall, 2nd basement (5,353 sqm).

This almost doubles GR’s previous indoor capacities, which now comprise over 26,000 square metres of net space. The enhanced functionality of the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre has allowed upgrading its portfolio as to welcome even more demanding and larger

projects, encompassing exhibitions, congresses and diverse business meetings, which all continue GR’s tradition and commitment to

providing the highest level of service for all types of events.www.ljubljanafair.com Tatjana Radovič

The IMEX Challenge Slovenia will strive to blend environmental objectives with social causes and leave a sustainable legacy for the host community. The official partners – the Slovenia and Ljubljana Convention Bureaus, Go.MICE Congress and Marketing Agency in conjunction with the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association and the Draga Centre, have created a meaningful project whose effects will continue long after June 2012. Other local partners supporting the project are Kompas DMC, Grand Hotel Union and Jezeršek Catering.

The idea is to build a beehive

within the grounds of an institute for mentally and physically disabled children and adults, the CUDV Training, Occupation and Care Centre in Draga, by Ljubljana. This is set in a beautiful natural environment at the edge of Ljubljansko Barje (the Ljubjana Moors) – the largest Slovene and southernmost European wetland, which has been proclaimed a Nature Park and protected as a Natura 2000 site.

IMEX Challenge 2012 will give 15 international volunteers the opportunity to join the local host team, staff and patients of CUDV in constructing the bee colony

from scratch over the three days of the event. The future goal of the IMEX Challenge Slovenia is for those residing in the centre to be responsible for the bees’ upkeep as well as potentially understand how to create revenue from harvesting and selling the honey. As beekeeping has a long tradition and is widespread in Slovenia, this project can also serve as a best practice case that could be at a later stage implemented in other similar institutes both across our country and abroad. en.challenge.slovenia-green-meetings.si Tatjana Radovič

GR Expands both Space and Opportunities Almost 13,000 sqm of new surface area in the Apel complex at the GR - Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre since recently offers additional opportunities to exhibitors and event organizers.

Soon-to-be: New Hotel Entries, spring 2012 The Ljubljana hotel scene will soon be enriched by two smaller, family-run boutique properties, whose common denominator is design. Vander Hotel – Urban resort, the first Slovenian member of Design Hotels, boasts a prime location in the traffic-free Old Town, just a few steps from the Ljubljanica River, lined by many cosy cafés and restaurants. Four medieval houses have been joined to create 16 carefully designed rooms and other amenities, including a rooftop pool with a fantastic panoramic view. www.vanderhotel.comG Design Hotel is located instead at the west city gate, close to the motorway. Its address is otherwise known to many fans of the traditional Gorjanc Inn, which originally opened its doors in 1813 and has been run by the Kanc famiy since 1892. The modern property with 22 rooms represents a new and long-planned development of their hospitality business. www.visitljubljana.com

IMEX Challenge Slovenia 2012 – a Great CSR ProjectFrom 2 to 4 July 2012, the Slovenian capital Ljubljana is set to host the second edition of the biennial IMEX Challenge, a three-day humanitarian event at which a team of meeting industry professionals gather with the goal of making a positive impact on the lives of others - in particular, the lives of children.

GR: the New Gazela Hall; Photo: GR Archive

Children of the Draga Care Centre

under Beehive; Photo: CUDV Archive

A Prime Old Town Location for

Vander Hotel; Photo: T. Jeseničnik

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A two- to three-day visit to Central Slovenia offers you an opportunity to see the capital and get a feel of its vibrant life, discover the gems of its green surrounding areas, treat yourself to a traditional Slovenian meal, go back in time by visiting an ancient castle, have tea with an Alpine herdsman or a famous ‘kremšnita’ cake at the lake

resort of Bled, and still have time to go for a concert at the Postojna Cave or a quick coffee break in the coastal towns of Portorož and Piran.

Visit Central Slovenia and have the whole country at your fingertips! www.visitljubljana.com

In agreement with the 25 municipalities situated in the region of Central Slovenia, the leading role in the establishment of the tourist destination of Central Slovenia has been taken by Ljubljana Tourism, the tourist board of Slovenia’s capital, which has for a while been a recognized tourist destination accounting for 86% of overnight stays

in the region.Central Slovenia is a destination

whose recognition is being built on the principles of sustainability, and its identity on a unique combination of the creative urban feel of the capital and the sheer attractiveness of the green surrounding areas. Central Slovenia is gradually becoming one

of the country’s most organized and recognized tourist destinations. Its new strategy, developed in 2011, is centred around the challenge of how Ljubljana could increase the length of stay of its visitors by taking advantage of its attractive surrounding areas, and how the surrounding areas could attract more visitors by taking part in joint

marketing activities with Ljubljana.By 2016, Central Slovenia aims

to increase its number of visitors by 4% annually and its number of overnight stays by 5% annually. The target length of stay is more than two days, and the target increase in tourist spending 25%.Viktorija Grašič Bole

Excursions to the Central Slovenia Region

The Tourist Destination of Central SloveniaLast year, Slovenia saw the launch of an initiative to encourage the activity of regional tourist destinations. Most of the pre-existing local tourism organizations are now transforming into destination organizations and getting involved in activities aimed at developing and promoting their entire regions.

New Heritage RoutesThe Kamnik Tourism and Sport Board in collaboration with the seven municipalities joined in the tourist region of The Heart of Slovenia has created three new tourist routes themed on the heritage left behind by the world famous Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik. The routes are described in a leaflet in Slovenian and English which includes tips for three day trips, a list of Plečnik’s creations in the region, and a list of shops selling authentic souvenirs based on Plečnik’s designs. www.kamnik-tourism.si

New! Day excursions from Ljubljana to Central Slovenia:Mondays: ‘Shepherd’s World’Fridays: ‘Tea with Count Blagaj’Saturdays: ‘View from Šmarna Gora’ & ‘Teatime in Tivoli Park’Sundays: ‘Earlybirds’ & ‘Pearl of Karst Cave’The excursions require a minimum of two people to run. Booking: www.visitljubljana.com/en/tours-and-excursions or at Ljubljana Tourist Information Centres

Doubledecker takes you around

Central Slovenia; Photo: LTB Archive

At the foot of the Polhov Gradec mountain range, only 15 kilometres from Ljubljana, sits a small village with a Baroque mansion, once the home of a famous Slovenian botanist, today a museum offering an interesting living history tour.

The tour is all about Count Blagaj (1786-1858), famous for discovering Daphne blagayana, a daphne shrub

species named after him and the reason why King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony stopped in the village of Polhov Gradec on his way to the Postojna Caves.

During the tour, ‘the real Count Blagaj’ shows you around the mansion, tells you the story of the Daphne blagayana discovery, introduces you to the wealth of Slovenian honey

varieties, invites you for a cup of tea with honey bread, and takes you to the mansion’s cellar to let you taste a longevity potion prepared using a secret 300-year-old recipe.

The Tea Party at Count Blagaj’s tour is held by appointment on Fridays from 1 April to 30 October at 3.30 p.m.www.dobrova-polhovgradec.si Helena Čuk

Tea Party at Count Blagaj’s

Count Blagaj presenting his

Herbal Tea; Photo: LTB Archive

Arboretum Volčji Potok;

Photo: LTB Archive

Roman Viaduct in Borovnica;

Photo: A. Fevžer

Stop by the Lake at the Rakitna

Plateau; Photo: A. Fevžer

Herdsman at Velika Planina

Mountain; Photo: A. Fevžer

Plečnik’s Candle Worksop;

Photo: A. Hribar

Nowadays visitors can admire the artistic creations of nature, such as stalagmites, stalactites and other breathtaking forms, during guided tours scheduled

throughout the year. A novelty will soon be introduced to enhance their individual experience – audio guides in as many as 14 languages.

However, Postojna Cave has much more to offer as an event venue, the traditional live Nativity scene over the Christmas and New Year holidays being the best-known special event that attracts a lot of public attention.

Special cave visits, tailor-made and adventure tour, that always respect the nature conservation regulations, are additional features complementing the standard range of products and services.

Special tours may be organized individually for groups outside the regular schedules and can

be supplemented by a concert, multimedia show or a reception in the magnificent underground Concert Hall. In the past, this has proven to be an original suggestion to several meeting planners who, instead of opting for a »classical« gala dinner, rather offered their delegates a unique event format and experience. For events based in Ljubljana or Portorož – with the short driving distance in mind, any kind of programme placed in the Postojna Cave can be an added value.

Cave adventures can be classified according to different target groups and difficulty levels. Three standard trekking

programmes – from less demanding to more challenging, are available. The latter takes visitors to those parts of the cave system which are not part of the usual tourist tours and as a rule calls for a higher level of fitness and mental shape. Electric headlamps, rope descents, paddling across small subterranean lakes are just some among the elements. Enjoyable, dynamic and highly professional team building programmes, both in the Postojna Cave and at the impressive nearby Predjama Castle, have also been developed.www.postojnska-jama.eu Tatjana Radovič

Together with its partner cities in Slovenia and the city of Guimarães in Portugal, Maribor has for a while been trying to encourage cultural activity on the widest possible scale. For its year as European Capital of Culture, it has put together a packed programme of events and activities grouped into four sections.

Terminal 12 is all about top quality events in the fields of music, theatre, film, visual arts, literature and architecture, with

a special emphasis on new artistic approaches. The events and activities in the Keys to the City section are aimed at creating a dialogue between art and the city by bringing to light locational identities and seeking new forms of creative living through urban interventionism in the old city centre. The Urban Furrows section focuses on the margins of the society through social and ecological activism, and the Lifetouch section offers a multimedia reflection

of everything related to the European Capital of Culture 2012.

On 22 June, Maribor will see the opening of the Lent Festival, a unique 16-day international festival of music, theatre and dance, which has recently been recognized as one of the best cultural festivals in the European Union, particularly due to the cultural and geographical diversity that has been underlying the festival since its earliest beginnings.www.maribor2012.euTjaša Janovljak

Postojna Cave – Not Just an Ordinary AttractionBesides a fascinating web of underground passages, galleries and chambers that form together this 20-km long karst cave system, the Postojna Cave unfolds a history of close to 200 years as a show cave with impressive visitor numbers – over 34 million registered so far. Its earliest visitors ventured into the first passages close to the entrance in the 13th century, whereas the railway tracks – as a modern approach to sightseeing, were laid in the cave in 1872, and in 1884 electricity was installed.

The City of Maribor – A Must-See in 2012It used to be said of Maribor, the largest city in north-eastern Slovenia, that it lacks a year-round programme of cultural events. But not anymore. Since Maribor was named European Capital of Culture 2012, Ljubljanians don’t hesitate to take an hour to travel to Maribor to get their dose of culture.

The resort, located close to Lake Bled, consists of the medieval small town of Radovljica and its surrounding areas. The town is remarkable for its beautifully preserved old townhouses, a Baroque mansion, a festival of early music, a beekeeping museum, and a shop where the making of traditional gingerbread hearts can be observed.

Not far away, on the sunny Radovljica Plain at the foot of the Karawanken Mountains, lies the village of Begunje na Gorenjskem, well known for its castle, mansion, and museum dedicated to Slavko Avsenik, a legend of Slovenian pop-folk music, born in the village. Another must-see place is the small market town of Kropa, where over 120 different types

of nails were once forged by hand and whose rich history is reflected in the appearance of its old town centre, designated as a protected cultural heritage area, the collections of its blacksmithing museum, and an old blacksmith’s workshop, where hand forging is demonstrated.www.radolca.si Kaja Beton

Radol’ca – A Sweet Subalpine TreatFrom Ljubljana, a particularly scenic trip takes you to the subalpine resort of Radol’ca, whose ancient towns and villages, unspoilt natural beauty, excellent food, and long tradition of beekeeping, blacksmithing and popular folk music hold the promise of a wonderful journey into the past.

The Central Square in Historic

Radovljica; Photo: M. Kambič

Postojna Cave Adventure;

Photo: Postojna Cave Archive

One of the Many Performances;

Photo: Arhiv Zavod Bufeto

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On 24 March, volunteers in Ljubljana joined their counterparts in other parts of Slovenia and millions of volunteers around the globe for the launch of the World Cleanup 2012 campaign for one-day voluntary clean-up operations

to be carried out in more than 70 countries across the world from March to September 2012. www.ocistimo.si

Recent years have seen a lot of activity from Ljubljana’s Smetumet trash-art society, which runs a programme of campaigns and workshops aimed at drawing attention to the problem of waste and people’s attitude to their environment and fellow men. Combining ecology with art, design and sheer playfulness, the members of the society create wonderful bags, purses, baskets, vamped-up old clothes and much more. www.smetumet.com

Last year, Ljubljana saw the opening of two noteworthy socially conscious businesses in

the Poljanska ulica street, not far away from the Slovenian Tourist Information Centre. One of them is the Gostilna dela restaurant, one of Slovenia’s first examples of socially responsible entrepreneurship in hospitality, similar in concept to Jamie Oliver’s restaurant group Fifteen. The new restaurant, decorated using recycled materials, serves light and healthy food and promotes the concepts of social capital, education and employment for the young rather than profits. www.gostilnadela.si Just a few doors away, the Oblačilnica dela shop sells vintage and vamped-up vintage clothes and gives work to young Slovenian designers. www.dspcenter.si

The Poljanska ulica street is

also the location of the Stara roba, nova roba thrift store, founded by the Kings of the Street independent non-governmental self-help and support organization for the homeless. www.kraljiulice.orgTjaša Janovljak

The largest park in Ljubljana is Tivoli. Along with two nearby hills, Rožnik and Šišenski hrib, it forms a nature park where enjoyment of nature can easily be combined with enjoyment of culture. Just take a walk along Jakopič Promenade, designed by the famous architect Jože Plečnik and recently turned into an outdoor gallery, and you will soon reach the International Centre of Graphic Arts, located in the Tivoli Mansion, www.mglc-lj.si, and the Slovenian Museum of Contemporary History. www.muzej-nz.si

On top of Rožnik, rising above Tivoli, you will find a memorial room dedicated to the greatest

Slovenian writer, Ivan Cankar, and at the foot of the hill the Ljubljana Zoo, home to animals from all continents and particularly those characteristic of the area at the meeting point of the Alpine, Pannonian and Mediterranean regions. www.zoo.si.

The city centre too is a place where nature meets culture: next to Zvezda Park is the Kongresni trg square, built as the venue for the famous 1821 Congress of Laibach; next to Miklošič Park there is a street lined with some of the finest examples of Art Nouveau architecture in Ljubljana; close to the Slovenian Reformation Park you will find the Opera House, www.opera.si,

the National Museum www.nms.si, and the Museum of Modern Art; www.mg-lj.si, in immediate vicinity of Tabor Park there are the Slovene Ethnographic Museum and the Metelkova mesto autonomous cultural centre. A riverside path takes you from the city centre to the scenic Ljubljana Botanic Garden and its large new tropical glasshouse. www.botanicni-vrt.si

Not far from the Garden, there are two green hills: Golovec and Grad, the latter topped by Ljubljana Castle. www.ljubljanskigrad.si.

Ljubljana also has several interesting suburban parks: Toscanini Park, surrounded by the villas of the Vič suburb; the landscaped area next to the Koseški bajer fish pond; Šmartno Park, located in the immediate vicinity of architect Jože Plečnik’s Žale cemetery complex; Northern Park, situated right next to the Navje memorial park and well known for its unique modern infrastructure and children’s play facilities; the Labyrinth of Art maze park in the Fužine area, not far away from the Museum of Architecture and Design. www.aml.si Meta Stvarnik

Ecologically-Minded and Socially ConsciousLjubljana is home to many ecologically-minded and socially conscious projects and organizations which provide a better life to the city’s residents and help make Ljubljana a great place to live and visit.

‘Green, how I love you green’Ljubljana is particularly characterized by its connectedness with nature. Its mixed landscape is a patchwork of buildings, tree-lined walks, gardens, parks, green embankments and pocket woodlands. Old parks are being redesigned and rejuvenated and new ones landscaped to serve as the city’s lungs and to provide space for relaxation, play and meditation.

Koseze Pond; Photo: G. Murn

Kongresni Trg Square;

Photo: D. Wedam

Stara Roba Nova Roba Thrift

Store; Photo: T. Janovljak

Gostilna Dela Restaurant;

Photo: T. Destovnik

Botanical Garden; Photo: D. Wedam

Zoo; Photo: P. Hrovatin