All of a sudden we’re here at the start of the last full week before Christmas, from which we’ll tumble, well-fed and rested, into the last week of the year, with 2019 now turning up on invoices, bills, library stamps and short-term planning schemes. If you’re in town and looking to buy some gifts without visiting a mall then you’ll find plenty of small, interesting items within the pedestrianised area, with a quick look at 10 places to buy toys, candy, drink, books and fashion items here.

In addition to the various free Christmas activities on around town, with the easiest to find being the lights and stalls along the river, one month-long festival that continues this week is the Decembrrr Festival at the former Tobačna factory complex, with 36 free music, entertainment, culinary and social events by Slovenian and international artists. The Facebook for that is here, but otherwise there’s not much online about it. There are also concerts in Novi trg each evening.

As ever, clicking on the venue names in the list below should get you more details with regard to the time, price and location, as well as other events on this week in the same place. Finally, if there's something you want to promote in a future edition of What's on in Ljubljana please get in touch with me at flanner(at)total-slovenia-news.com

Getting around Ljubljana

If you want to get a Ljubljana Tourist Card, which gives you travel on the city buses and entry to a lot of attractions, then you can read more about that here, and if you want to use the bike share system, as useful for visitors as it is for residents, then you can learn more by clicking this. Visitors with reduced mobility will be pleased to find that downtown Ljubljana is generally rated as good with regard to accessibility, and that there’s a free, city-sponsored app called Ljubljana by Wheelchair highlighting cafés, attractions and so on with ramps, disabled bathrooms and Eurokey facilities, which you can read about and download here. If you’re driving into town and don’t know where to part, our guide to how to park in Ljubljana is here.

Want / need cigarettes but the stores have closed? Here's an incomplete list of bars downtown that will satisfy your craving for the demon weed. While if you’re having trouble with the ATMs then here’s a guide to the Slovene you’ll see on screen. If you get a hangover then find out where to get paracetamol (and prescription drugs) in Ljubljana here, while details on emergency birth control can be found here.

Ljubljana is a small and relatively safe city, but if need to contact the police then there’s a special number for foreigners, and that’s 113.

Cinemas and films playing in Ljubljana this week

You can read about all the cinemas in town here, while a selection of what’s playing this week is below, and note that kid’s movies tend to be shown in dubbed versions, so do check before driving out to a multiplex and dropping off the young ones if they can't understand Slovene. That said, parents should pay attention to Kinobalon, which is Kinodvor's regular weekend series of film screenings and events for children, from babies on up, with special parent/child events, "first time in a cinema" screenings, and babysitting. Learn more about it here, and see the current schedule here. (And if you like watching trailers with subtitles as a way of learning Slovene, then catch up on some from earlier this year here).

Kinodvor – The arts cinema not far from the train station, but still rather tucked away, is showing The Children Act, Moomins and the Winter Wonderland (dubbed), Capharnaüm, Den tid på året, and Manbiki Kazoku.

Kinoteka – The revival house at one end of Miklošičeva is showing Ridley Scott’s The Counselor (2013), Jean Rouch’s Moi, un noir and then his La pyramide humaine. Finally, Penelope Spheeris’ Waynes World is playing on Sunday 23.

Kolosej - The multiplex out at BTC City Mall is playing all the big movies, which this week include Robin Hood, The Grinch (with both subbed and dubbed versions), Widows, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Bohemian Rhapsody, Johnny English 3, A Star is Born, Gajin svet, Fahrenheit 11/9, Pat in Mat znova v akciji, Mortal Engines, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, dubbed and subbed versions of Spider Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Kursk and  Aquaman. New this week is Bumblebee.

Komuna – The cinema in a basement behind Nama department store is showing Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star is Born, and the The Grinch (dubbed).

Clubbing in Ljubljana

Compared to some European capitals it can seem that nightlife in Ljubljana ends rather early, especially along the river, but there are still bars that stay open late and clubs were you can dance until dawn, and perhaps the best place to stumble across something interesting is the legendary Metelkova. Be aware it's a grungy kind of place and not for all tastes, but also that there's consideable variety to found within the various clubs there, from death metal to electropop, gay caberet to art noise. You can read "the rules" of the place here.

Channel Zero – Monday night is Dub Lab, and this week the show’s is Domaćica, an open mic event. The dub returns on Friday, with Dubwise Massive!, featuring the Dubbing Sun sound system.

Gala Hala –  Friday there’s an all-nighter called Rx:tx predstavlja: Kode9 (Hyperdub), with a set from the headliner below.

Klub Cirkus – A busy week here. Tuesday night there’s a Christmas party being run by the Economics Faculty. Wednesday it’s the turn of the Sports Faculty to take the floor, while on Thursday it’s a party for all the faculties. Friday there’s music from the New Age Gang, with a live performance from AMN. The week then ends with a an all-nighter on Saturday offering house classics, with Roger Sanchez feat. Kristen Knight.

Klub K4 – The kool kids outside of Metelkova are only having two parties this week. On Friday there’s K4DNB w. Roots in Session, with drum and bass from Roots In Session, YooRonYaa, Rak3ta, Fornax, Spade, and Dominus Diaboli. On Saturday there’s SOLVD w. Nevena Jeremić, moving between minimal, acid and electro.

Orto Bar –  Friday night this rock club is going back the 80s, for a super, mega, 80s DJ party.

Harm reduction and drug testing

Drogart is an organization that aims to minimise harm on the party scene, and offers drug-testing services and reports on their webpage. It’s in Slovene, but you can Google translate it or work things out yourself, andout story on the group is here. One thing they recently warned of were pink Pharaoh pills with around twice the normal MDMA content (measured at 261 mg). See pictures and learn more here, but do remember that all the usual drugs remain illegal in Slovenia, while our in-depth profile of the group is here. We've also heard increasing reports - albeit anecdotal - of women's drinks being spiked in the city, so take care and let friends know where you're going.

Things to do with children in Ljubljana

You can find our Top 12 list of things to do with kids in Ljubljana here. If want to read more about the philosophy behind the wonderful House of Experiments look here, while our trip to the Museum of Illusions is documented here, and there’s always riverside walks, ice cream and pizza.

Mini Teater Ljubljana – December sees a lot of puppet performances for children, in Slovene, at this theatrr not far from Križanke, including: The Frog King, Puss in Boots, Carrot Dwarf and The Little Match Girl. The English schedule for the month is here.

Ljubljana Puppet Theatre - The puppet theatre near the Central Market and next to the Castle funicular has a full programme or shows, for children and adults, with the schedule here.

Photo: JL Flanner

December at Ljubljana Castle

The city’s main attraction, the Castle, has a lot planned for December, including an innovative projection on the walls at 17:00 each day. Learn more about what’s going on up on the hill this month here.

Live music in Ljubljana

Continuing until the end of the month is a programme of free festive concerts in Novi trg, while there are also many street performers around town bringing some seasonal cheer and a chance to be charitable.

Cankerjev dom – The Symphony Orchestra and RTV Slovenia’s Big Band are playing a Christmas concert here on Sunday 23.

Križanke – There’s a free Christmas concert in the Knight’s Hall at 18:00 on Monday.

Gala Hala - Wednesday there’s a live set from Vasko Atanasovski Trio: Tradicionalno Vaskovanje. The next night you can then see the New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble.

Klub Gromka – Thursday you can see a live show from Snake, Srack and Lev Quintet, playing contemporary jazz, along with a set by Tea Vidmar.

Koncertna Dvorana Rog – The alternative to Metelkova has a night of techno on Friday, with Tektonika, featuring DJ Ane Marta, among others.

Ljubljana Castle – Saturday night is music night at the castle, and this week sees a show by Wakili

Orto Bar – Thursday night the Kadilnica of Death team is presenting a release party for Nekrotik, with support from Sweet Sorrow. Friday the Drunk in Public crew takes over, with punky good times from Pink Panker, Billy Clubs, and Cener. Saturday, 21:00, you can see veteran crowd-pleasers Partibrejkers.

Slovenian Philharmonic Hall – Thursday, 18:00, there’s a Christmas concert from the orchestra and choir.

LGBT+ Ljubljana

If you want to learn more about Ljubljana Pride, then take a look at our interview with its president here. If you're looking for more general links on "gay Slovenia", including a history of the scene and various projects, then you can find that here, while our stories about the community can be found here.

Klub Monokel – This lesbian bar in Metelkova is open every Friday night.

Klub Tiffany – The gay bar next door to Monokel is also open every Friday, and every Monday until June 2019 there's tango at 18:00. On Thursday, 20:00, there's the Cafe Evening with a New Year Quiz. Saturday there's then a Madonna-themed Trash-out party, which, per the Facebook, promises the "najbolj queer zabava v mestu."

Pritličje – This is the closest Ljubljana comes to a "gay bar" so it's a good thing this LGBT-friendly cafe / bar / events space is such a good one, open from morning to night, and with fliers and posters letting you know what's happening outside the narrow confines of, say, a general interest online what's on... guide.

Museums and galleries in Ljubljana

Most public galleries and museums are closed on Mondays, although not the National Museum.

Plečnik's desk. Photo: JL Flanner

Plečnik’s House is worth a visit if you want to learn more about the architect who gave Ljubljana much of its character. Read about our guided tour here. Something on for a limited time is Plečnik and the Sacred, showing here until January 20, 2019.

Cankerjev dom – Running until the end of February 2019 is an exhibition titled Ivan Cankar and Europe: Between Shakespeare and Kafka. This is “An examination of Cankar’s art through an analysis of influences and interpretations, and juxtaposition with contemporary European writers. The visually elaborate architectural and graphic layout, supported by audio-visual media, installation art and diverse visual highlights, offers a vivid account of Cankar’s excellence, his comprehensively exquisite aesthetic and artistic vision.”

City Art Gallery – Drago Tršar recently had a show at the main Moderna looking at his monumental works, and now this smaller gallery in the Old Town, not far from Town Hall, is showing some the sculpture’s erotic works, on until January 20, 2019. It’s being promoted with the following example.

City Museum – The Museum in French Revolution Square has an exhibition on the writer Ivan Cankar that’s on until the end of February 2019, with pictures, books and manuscripts, all presented in Slovene and English. It also has a very interesting permanent exhibition on the history of Ljubljana, from prehistoric times to the present day, with many artefacts, models and so on that bring the story alive.You can read about my visit here. Until March 2019 there's a show highlighting the work Elza Kastl Obereigner (1884-1973), a pioneer Slovenian sculptress, with an example of her work shown below.

Photo: M Paternoster

The Faces of Ljubljana in the City Museum. Photo: JL Flanner

Galerija Vžigalica – Saša Spačal has a show here until January 6, 2019 called Earthlink, “working at the intersection of intermedia art, exploration of living systems and audio frequencies, links Earth to the post-human present, that includes both a seed of the future as well as a shadow of the past.” A promotional image is what's shown below.

Simbiom – ekonomija simbioze, 2016 © Dejan HabichtArhiv Moderne galerije

Galerija Jakopič – On until March 3 is Over My Eyes (Na moje oči), an exhibition of photographs from Iraq taken by Iraqi photographers.

International Centre of Graphic Arts – Running from Friday until March 3 2019 there will be a show of posters from Milton Glaser, while until March 3 2019 you can enjoy paintings, drawings, prints and murals from Nathalie Du Pasquier in a show called Fair Game.  The latter is being promoted with the following image.

Ljubljana Exhibition & Convention Centre – Just outside the centre of town, at Dunajska cesta 18, you can see a lot of plasticized bodies at the Body Worlds Vital show, running from October 20 until January 20 2019.

Photo: Body Works Vital

MAO – The Museum of Architecture and Design is showcasing Slovenian designers in a show called Made in Slovenia, lasting until the end of 2018: “The selling exhibition aims to present good practices of Slovenian designers and companies in the creative sector.”

Sam, 1966, fotografija na srebroželatinskem papirju. ©Stojan Kerbler

Moderna galerija – The main branch of this gallery, to be found near the entrance to Tivoli Park, has a good collection of modern art, as well a nice café in the basement, and it's latest exhibition focuses on the photographer Stojan Kerbler, which runs until January 13, 2019, and shows rural live in Slovenia for the recent past.

Museum of Contemporary History – The museum in Tivoli Park has two new shows. One is called Museum's (R)evolution 1948-2018, marking the place's 70th anniversary with an exhibition tracing its evolution through artefacts, photographs and personal stories and running until January 6 2019 (details here). There's also In Search of Freedom: 1968-2018, looking at the 1968 student protests.

National Gallery – The country’s main gallery has “the best” of what’s on offer from the Middle Ages to non-contemporary modern visual arts, and is in a great location for exploring other areas, just by Tivoli Park and opposite the main branch of the Moderna galerija. Running until February 10 2019 is a show called Ivana Kobilca (1861-1926): But Of Course, Painting Is Something Beautiful!, featuring works like the one below. You can read about our visit to the room containing scared art from the Middle Ages here, and see a picture from our trip after the two girls.

JL Flanner

National Museum of Slovenia – There’s plenty to see in the permanent collection here, from Roman times, Egypt and more, with the big draw this season being the exhibition of over 140 items of gold from Ming Dyntasy China, as reported here, and with an example below. This runs until February 15th.

Photo: Wang Wei Chang

Meanwhile, the museum's Metelkova branch, located between one branch of the Moderna galerija and the Ethnographic Museum has some rooms on Church art, furniture and weapons, with the latter including more guns than you'll see anywhere else in town, and quite a thrill if coming from a nation where such objects are not household items.

Natural History Museum – On until the end of June 2019 is Our Little Big Sea, which takes a look at the oceans.

Slovene Ethnographic Museum – The museum currently has a temporary show on Bees and Beekeeping, on until June 16 2019, as well two permanent exhibitions. One of these is called Between Nature and Culture, and has a great collection of objects from Slovenia and around the world, well worth the trip up to the third floor to see it (as recounted here). This place is located near the newer branch of the Moderna galerija and Metelkova.

Vodnikova Domačija Šiška – Until December 29 you can see works by a few dozen Slovenian illustrators at the December Illustration Fair, and also buy some for yourself or as a unique gift.

Union is "the Ljubljana beer", but now both it and Laško are owned by Heineken. There are many local brews on offer, though, if you want to explore IPAs, stouts, wheatbeers, sours and so on Photo: JL Flanner

Union Experience – The Ljubljana-based brewer has a museum showing the history of the company, with the ticket also including access to part of the factory and a few samples of the product. You can read about our visit here.

It's not a formal museum, but if you're interested in "Yugo-stalgia" then you'll enjoy a trip to Verba, a small, privately run space that's crammed with objects and pop culture items from the era, and is conveniently located at the start of one of the short walks to the castle. It's also a great place to take pictures, if you leave a donation, and you can read more about it here.

Verba. Photo: JL Flanner

Alternative Ljubljana isn't a museum or gallery, as such, but instead turns the city streets into a museum and gallery. Learn more about their tours of street art, history and LGBT Ljubljana here.

Photo: JL Flanner

Opera, theatre and dance in Ljubljana

Gledališče IGLU - IGLU Theatre – Saturday night this group is usually putting on an English improv show somewhere in town, but it’s generally promoted after this is written, so check the Facebook before putting on your shoes.

Klub Gromka – Wednesday night, 20:00, theatre comes to Metelkova with Zatiranje v Gromki: Pravljični večer z Mojimi prav(lj)icami.

Pocket Teater Studio – There’s flamenco music and dance this Friday with Noches de Tablao: Urška Centa, Anja Mejač & Žiga Murko. The number of seats is very limited, and so you must make reservations via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 070 325 522. The price of ticket is 20€ and 15€ for students (state in advance), and this includes wine throughout the whole evening.

SNG Opera and Ballet – Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker is on stage from Tuesday to Sunday, and tickets tend to go fast at this time of year. You can try and buy some here. Note that the performance below is not from Ljubljana.

Other things to do in Ljubljana...

If you'd like to spend an evening painting with others, then take a look at Design with Wine, which organises painting parties on Trubarjeva cesta,

If you want to see some antiques, then check out the wonderful Antika Carniola, as discussed here. The man behind it, Jaka Prijatelj, has a fine eye for life on this street, as you can see on his Facebook account.

Photo: JL Flanner

If you’re in town and want to go jogging or walking in nature, why not take another look at the Castle, with a brief guide to the trails here. If you want something bigger, head to Tivoli Park.

And if you're bored with the Old Town, why not take a walk, cycle or boat ride to nearby Špica and enjoy the riverside life. Learn more about that here.

visitljubjana.si

maxpixel.net, public domain

Want to stretch and breath? Then check out our list of drop-in yoga classes for tourists, visitors and the uncommitted. If you're heading to the coast, check out our interview with a yoga teacher who offers breakfast sessions there, while if you're staying in town (or nearby) and want to try some "family yoga" then you can learn more about that here and maybe get your kids to calm down a moment or two.

There are some golf courses near Ljubljana, but even ones further away are not far, as seen in our list of all the golf courses in Slovenia. Note that these close when the snow starts.

Photo: maxpixel.net, public domain

Daytrips from Ljubljana

Most of Slovenia is only a few hours from Ljubljana, and you can easily visit Lake Bled, Lipica Stud Farm, Postojna Cave, Predjama Castle, the coast and other locations, while if you'd like to take a photo of from that bench in Bled, then you can learn how to get there here. If you’re looking for something more ambitious, then check out our recent guide to the 17 members of the Association of Historical Towns of Slovenia

Photo: Google Image Search

Finally...

You can see all our stories tagged Ljubljana here, while you can watch someone skateboard through the town below.

STA, 16 December 2018 - Slovenia has the largest share of women graduates in sciences, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) among all EU member states, show figures released by European Commission earlier this week.

According to the study Women in the Digital Age, the share of women graduates in STEM stands at 20.5 per 1,000 persons aged 20 to 29 in Slovenia, which compares to the EU average of 13.1 per 1,000 graduates.

The study brings an assessment of the participation of women in the digital economy, showing women lag behind men in several areas in the EU.

Only one in six information and communications technology (ICT) experts are women, and although women represent 52% of the EU's population, only 17% work in ICT.

However, data for the 16-24 age group are more encouraging, as the gap in digital participation between women and men is fairly narrow.

In the age group, 55% of women are active in the digital world compared to 60% of men, with the trend even starting to reverse in certain countries, with women outperforming men in the category.

Slovenia is the 10th best performing country in terms of integrating women in the digital sector, while the leader is Finland, with Bulgaria at the bottom of the list.

Slovenia performed best in specialist skills and employment (3rd place) and worst in the use of the internet (19th).

The Commission's first annual review of women's participation in the digital economy is based on the Women in Digital Scoreboard, which brings together 13 indicators in three fields: internet use, internet user skills, and specialist skills and employment.

It is to serve as a tool for the Commission and national governments to identify shortcoming and take action to improve the situation.

December 15, 2018

Too busy or too late to go on a full search for Christmas gifts and worried that online won’t arrive in time? We suggest ten shops that will save you from your kids' or spouses' tears on the gift unwrapping day, all in walking or short cycling distance from each other in downtown Ljubljana. The shops are chosen according to the variety, quality or originality of merchandise they offer and come in pairs, with two for each festive gift category: toys, candy, books, drinks and fashion.

1.Toys: Ristanc and TojeTo

Ristanc is a small but well stocked shop for the youngest. Mostly made of wood and other natural materials, the toys are appealing to the eyes, hands and ear, and challenge a young mind’s creativity in all of the areas one can imagine. If you get your pre-school kid in there, you might have problems getting them out, while grandparents will be delighted to find things they haven’t seen in years. If you’re not sure what to get to a child of a certain age, the multilingual owner of the shop will be more than willing to assist in terms of developmental advice, as well as to point out the toys which will have the biggest effect without breaking the bank. For the location of Ristanc, and all the other stores, see the map at the bottom.

Ristanc, Gallusovo nabrežje 11, 1000 Ljubljana

TojeTo is a store for children and adults who have outgrown what Ristanc has to offer. Here you can find from the classic to the newest board games, puzzles, and circus equipment, all following the same quality Ristanc has established for the earlier age, which includes the advice of the store's owner, if needed.

TojeTo, Gallusovo nabrežje 29, 1000 Ljubljana

2. Sweets: HlebOsol and Sweet Tooth

Not that sweets are difficult to find in Ljubljana, but in case you got fed up with Balkan classics and German alternatives from Mueller, you might want to take a look at the HlebOsol, a Russian candy store at the entrance of the KOŽ city library, also called 1000 slaščic. Besides the traditional Russian and Ukrainian sweets, Hlebosol offers a variety of refrigerated goods and spirits.

1000 slaščic, Slovenska cesta 47, 1000 Ljubljana

In case your heart beats more for the Western side of the global divide, or if your kid’s been nagging for some candy they’ve seen in their favourite American TV show, there is an American sweet’s shop further down Slovenska Street, called Sweet Tooth.

Sweet Tooth, Slovenska cesta 12, 1000 Ljubljana

3. Books: Konzorcij and Felix

Konzorcij is also on Slovenska cesta, and is the largest bookstore in town, a branch of Mladinska knjiga, with a variety of picture books, comics, novels and professional literature in foreign languages, mostly English.

Konzorcij, Slovenska cesta 29, 1000 Ljubljana

Just around the corner from Konzorcij you can find a budget alternative with some treasure amid trash. This is Felix bookstore on Čopova street, with many bestsellers on discount and mostly English language books upstairs. if nothing interesting is found on the bookshelves, then the store also has a small range of toys, souvenirs and novelties.

Felix, Čopova ulica 7, 1000 Ljubljana

4. Drinks: Štorija (wine) and Že v redu, Primož (beer)

Štorija is a well-stocked wine store on Trubarjeva street, with a good selection of the Slovenian biodynamic, natural and orange wines. For a short explanation of what this means, click here.

Štorija, Trubarjeva cesta 17, 1000 Ljubljana

In case your loved ones prefer beer to wine, one of the best beer stores in town can be found a little further down Trubarjeva cesta, heading away from the centre, Že v redu, Primož?. Primož offers cans and bottles from the growing list of ever-more adventurous Slovenian brewers, to be found on the right side of the store, while on the left are imports. The kind of beer store where a big brand means Chimay, Oedipus or Bevog rather than Heineken.

Že v redu, Primož, Trubarjeva cesta 44, 1000 Ljubljana

5. Fashion: Goldsmith Atelier Kodre and Matea Benedetti

Goldsmith Atelier Kodre (Zlatarski Atelje Kodre), which boasts with about 90 years of tradition of craftsmanship, refuses to succumb to the modern trand for generic machine-made production of jewellery, and insists on manual creation of unique artefacts, which allows for what some might consider flaws in gems to be transformed into unique fairy-tale landscapes. A silver base allows for prices of these beauties to remain within the range of an average generic big brand perfume. And don’t forget, unlike a scent these items are forever.

Zlatarski Atelje Kodre, Tavčarjeva ulica 4, 1000 Ljubljana

Just around the corner from the Goldsmith Atelier Kodre on Tavčarjeva, there is Matea Benedetti’s atelier on Cigaletova, a must stop for every fashionista on their visit to Ljubljana. In the atelier you can get 40% off and more on samples of Benedetti’s latest sustainable high fashion ready to wear collection that includes clothes and accessories made from exotic and classic materials such as pineapple leather and organic silk. Don't forget to contact Matea Benedetti (here  or here) before your arrival, to make sure someone is there to welcome you.

Matea Benedetti, Cigaletova ulica 5, 1000 Ljubljana

The Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS) has pulled together some data and made a few observations ahead of International Migrants Day on December 18.

The headline figure is that one in eight residents of Slovenia is an immigrant, with up to 250,000 (12.1% of the population) people being foreign-born, although just over half of these (137,000) now have Slovenian citizenship. Moreover, some of these individuals were born as Slovenian citizens (i.e. born to Slovenian parents abroad), while others became so by naturalisation. In addition, not all foreign citizens in Slovenia are classed as immigrants, as among the roughly 122,000 residents of the country with foreign citizenship about 8,600 (7%) were born in Slovenia, and so not immigrants.

In terms of country of origin, most immigrants, 86%, are from other members of the former Yugoslavia, followed by Germany (7,300), Italy (4,100) and the Russian Federation (3,000). The most common non-European countries of birth are China (1,000), the United States (800), and Argentina and Canada (400 each).

The number of immigrants is rising, and has been for decades. A census in 1948 found that just 5.5% of those living in Slovenia were born outside its borders. In 2002 this figure was 8.5%, and in 2018 it had risen to 12.1%. Overall, there are slightly more foreign men than foreign women in Slovenia (57% vs 43%), although this is mainly due to the greater imbalance seen in the 2000s, when roughly two men came to Slovenia for every woman. The figures for recent arrivals are much more balanced.

Finally, SURS notes that the average immigrant to Slovenia is a man with upper secondary education, citizen of Slovenia, born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, aged almost 49 years who first immigrated to Slovenia in the 1990s.

You can learn more about the data by visiting SURS here, where you’ll find many other links and figures of interest about the country.

Related: The places where foreigners live in Slovenia and where they come from

STA, 12 December 2018 - Rihemberk Castle, a monument of national importance in the west of Slovenia, is to be renovated with the help of the Restaura project, which aims at encouraging private investment into public historical cities and buildings in Central Europe.

The castle opened to the public in June 2017, and was visited by some 8,400 people in some 100 days before being closed again.

The municipality of Nova Gorica would like to turn it into a tourist site accessible to a broad audience and a kind of development centre for the area.

Restaura project manager at the municipality Nataša Kolenc told the STA the castle should also present its story and premises in an innovative and creative manner.

When the municipality became the owner of the castle in 2014, renovation costs were estimated at EUR 8-10m.

Since it did not have the needed money nor was it possible to obtain funds from the EU's 2014-2020 budget, an opportunity opened up with Restaura, she said.

Neva Makuc from the Milko Kos History Institute explained that several Central European countries were faced with a lack of public funds to renovate cultural heritage sites.

Restaura, which started in 2016 and is to end in May 2019, encourages private investment into public historical buildings through a public-private partnership.

With a budget of around EUR 2.1m, it is part of the Central Europe 2014-2020 programme and co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

But Restaura does not provide funds for direct investments into the castle, it only facilitates that funds are secured from other sources.

Nova Gorica has some EUR 205,000 at disposal as part of Restaura for three years, of which some 31,000 comes from the municipal budget.

So far, all relevant documents for Rihemberk have been collected and studied and ideas discussed with stakeholders from the village of Branik, where the castle is situated.

Technical plans and documents needed for a public-private partnership are also in the making, while an option to host start-ups will also be checked.

The castle is currently in a state of "a secured construction site" with restoration works designed in the period from the 1960s to 1980s not completed yet.

Restaura brings together partners from Slovenia, Croatia, Slovakia and Poland, with the Polish city of Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki the lead partner.

STA, 8 December 2018 - As 45 years pass this year since the lynx was reintroduced to Slovenia, preparations are under way for the first new animal to be brought to Slovenia early next year as part of the Life Lynx international project.

The wildcat will come to Slovenia from Romania or Slovakia, depending on which country manages to catch it first, the Life Lynx project group has told the STA.

The Eurasian lynx was reintroduced to Slovenia in 1973 upon the Slovenian hunters' initiative.

There are perhaps between 15 and 20 lynx in Slovenia

The current population, estimated at 15 to 20 animals, are descendants of six animals brought to Slovenia then from Slovakia.

The Life Lynx project group also launched this year a systematic monitoring of lynxes with automatic cameras, but results have not yet been fully analysed.

The largest wildcat in Europe is at the verge of extinction; it is believed that it could die out in a few years' time unless action is taken.

The Life Lynx project aims to save the lynx population in the Dinaric Alps and in south-eastern Alps.

It brings together eleven organisations from five countries, with Slovenia's partner being the national Forestry Service.

The first lynx will be released in the area of Loški Potok in the region of Kočevska in the south on the border with Croatia.

Before it is released, it will spend some time in a quarantine in the area, also to get used to the new environment.

"We expect an animal to spend some three weeks in quarantine," the group said.

Ten more animals due to arrive in the country

As part of the project, ten animals are expected to be brought to Slovenia, five to the regions of Kočevska and Notranjska and five to Gorenjska, north-west.

"The lynx released in Gorenjska will help connect Dinaric lynx populations with those in the Alps, which is vital for their long-term existence in Slovenia and in the Alps."

As part of the reintroduction, the Slovenian Hunters' Association will help train some 20 police officers who will investigate illegal lynx hunting, in what the project group said was unique in Europe.

You can learn more about the Life Lynx project in Slovenia here

STA, 7 December 2018 - The prosecution has withdrawn charges of negligence against a former Ljubljana primary school headteacher who banned two male final year students from school grounds after they allegedly sexually harassed a pair of their female classmates.

In a press release, the Ljubljana Supreme Prosecution Office said on Friday that the district prosecution took the decision after examining the defendant's written and oral arguments and documents in the file.

"In his plea, Dušan Merc shed light on the matter by presenting relevant circumstances material for the assessment of his conduct," the release said.

The prosecution concluded that Merc cannot be accused that he caused grave violation of human rights of the two students because their constitutional right to education was not violated.

According to media reports, Merc, the former headteacher of the Prule primary, was put on trial on charges of negligence at work for allegedly violating the two boys' right to education.

The case goes back five and a half years when two year 9 Prule students harassed their classmates in a swimming pool during a sports day.

After pushing them under water several times to the point of exhaustion, they sexually attacked the girls and later even made fun of them on school premises.

Five days later, after the marking period was over, Merc banned the boys from school grounds in order to protect the victims, but a schools inspector found him in the wrong and the case was later taken up by the prosecution.

STA, 6 December 2018 - The government has adopted a disaster risk assessment report for the past four years and a new national disaster risk assessment which finds that floods are the only top-level risk to the country.

The report sets out scenarios for various types of accidents or disasters and their effects on the population, business, the environment and cultural heritage. It also assesses probability levels.

Considering the scope of political and social impacts and the likelihood of disaster, the only top-level risk to the country is represented by floods.

An earthquake, ice storm or the risks of biological, chemical, environmental or of unknown nature for people's health are assessed as entailing high-level risk.

Related: Floods in Slovenia, Especially Along Drava (Videos)

Meanwhile, a nuclear accident is assessed as mid-level risk because of the very small likelihood of such an accident happening.

Also assessed as middle-level risks are cyber threats and large wildfires, despite being assessed as the likeliest of all types of accident.

The lowest level of risk represent radiological or train accidents.

Related: Slovenia’s 38^th Earthquake of the Years Strikes Near Postojna

The biggest impact from the aspect of the effect on people is attributed to a major nuclear incident at the Krško Nuclear Power Plant.

In the worst-case scenario and providing inadequate protection measures, up to one thousand people could die and up to several thousand could be injured or exposed to radioactivity. Between 40,000 and 100,000 would have to be moved from the area permanently.

The country would also face grave consequences in case of a flu pandemic, which falls in the category of a danger of risks of biological, chemical, environmental or unknown nature on people's health.

Such a pandemic could claim some 1,850 lives with up to 45% of the country's population taken ill, although not within days but in a space of between several months and up to almost a year.

A major earthquake in central Slovenia would claim 60 casualties, 600 injured and the evacuation of more than 5,000 people.

The map at the top of this story is from the Institute of Water for the Republic of Slovenia