English - Ljubljana
English - Ljubljana English - Ljubljana
Spring/Summer 2010 pr! a perfect rendezvous
- Page 2 and 3: OPENING HOURS: MONDAY TO FRIDAY 09.
- Page 4 and 5: 4 Photo: R. Zakšek Europe Day in L
- Page 6 and 7: 6 Film Stories under the Stars On p
- Page 8 and 9: HOTEL KRONA RESTAVRACIJA With Us Yo
- Page 10: 10 The Legendary Laibach Group Phot
- Page 13 and 14: 13 Even Angels Would Love Staying H
- Page 15 and 16: SLOVENE NATIONAL THEATHRE OPERA AND
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
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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 />
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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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