STA, 30 September 2021 - The torrential rainfall that hit the capital last night caused significant damage to the SNG Drama Ljubljana, the country's leading theatre, and the Moderna Galerija, the national museum of modern and contemporary art. Both are closed until further notice. The damage caused is yet to be estimated.
Water started pouring in through the roof of SNG Drama last night just as a play was being staged, the theatre's spokesman Jernej Pristov told the STA.
The water flowed in streams to the stage and backstage, so the show had to be interrupted, the audience evacuated and electricity shut off.
"The water was flowing in the hallways, got in to the upper and lower boxes, into the Šugman lounge and the coffee shop. A lot of it was caught near the box office, where it flooded computer equipment as well," said Pristov.
Luckily, the lights and other computer equipment were not damaged, he said.
The theatre has already had problems with water coming into the lower parts of the building, and with dampness.
Pristov said that they had acted quickly to prevent mould. Since this morning, dehumidifiers are being used to suck out the dampness.
As repair work is under way, the shows scheduled for tonight and tomorrow evening have been cancelled and there are also no rehearsals in the building today.
At Moderna Galerija, the right wing of the building was particularly affected, where an exhibition of Pablo Picasso's illustrations was to open today.
With much effort the art works were protected and removed from the rooms on time, the museum said in a press release.
"The building currently does not allow for the exhibition to be set up again," it added.
The water also poured into depositories, so firefighters helped staff in their efforts to save the art pieces. Most of the works were rescued.
Since the building's roof, rooms and electric wiring were damaged, the museum is temporarily closed. The extent of the damage will be estimated in the coming days.
All art pieces that have been exposed to flooding will also be carefully examined, the museum said.
