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The olm, proteus (Proteus anguinus), human fish or baby dragon. Call it what you will, but the small animal that takes pride of place in Postojna is easy to overlook if you know nothing about it. After all, it’s a small swimming blind lizard thing with a strange name that lives in a cave. So what?
Such an attitude would be a shame, indicating not only ignorance of some fascinating facts, as set out below, but also a missed opportunity to commune with the wonders of evolution and the remarkable results it can produce given time and enough selective pressure. Moreover, with Postojna Cave about to showcase another 21 of these animals now’s the perfect time to reawaken your sense of wonder for the human fish.
1. Although most closely associated with Postojna, the olm isn’t only found there. It also has natural homes in Italy, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with some populations having being introduced elsewhere.
2. The olm is totally aquatic, eating, sleeping and breeding underwater in the total darkness of cave system. Wholly adapted to life in a cave, the olm is thus very sensitive that particular environment, and particularly vulnerable to pollution.
3. The name baby dragons isn’t part of some modern marketing plan, but part of the folklore related to this animal. It’s a term used by Johann Weikhard von Valvasor (1641 – 1693), the famed naturalist and historian. His Glory of the Duchy of Carniola, a foundational work of Slovenian culture, stated that after heavy rains the animals were washed up from underground waters, with locals believing they were the children of cave-dwelling dragons.
4. In On the Origin of Species Darwin presents to olm as an example of how evolution can lead to the loss of certain structures through lack of use:
Far from feeling surprise that some of the cave-animals should be very anomalous...as is the case with blind Proteus with reference to the reptiles of Europe, I am only surprised that more wrecks of ancient life have not been preserved, owing to the less severe competition to which the scanty inhabitants of these dark abodes will have been exposed.
However, the term “wreck of ancient life” shouldn't be taken literally, for far from being a wreck the olm is a remarkable testament to adaption.
5. One of the most noticeable adaptations is blindness. While the larvae have normal eyes they atrophy after four months, and thereafter remain as vestigial organs buried in the head. Olm can sense light, though, through their underdeveloped eyes and the skin itself.
6. The pink, translucent skin, resembling that of a white person in need of some sun, is due to a lack of pigmentation. However, if exposed to light the skin will begin to darken. There’s also a black olm, which lives closer to the surface and can be found near Črnomelj.
7. An olm swims with a serpentine twisting of its body, along with a few movements from its underdeveloped legs. These have three toes on the forelimbs, but only two on the hind ones
8. Another physical oddity of the olm is neoteny, retaining the characteristics of youth, like the axolotl. This is most clearly seen in the featherlike external gills, which a red fringe due to the oxygenated blood.
9. The long flat head carries a number of sense organs that help the olm survive underwater and in darkness, with the front part carrying chemo-, mechano-, and electroreceptors. There are also indications that olm use the Earth’s magnetic field for orientation.
It's in Slovene, but the video shows an olm regrowing a leg10. Olm live a long time, with one study estimating a maximum of more than 100 years, and putting the average lifespan of an adult at 68.5 years.
11. An adult female generally breeds once every 12.5 years, laying an average of 35 eggs. The embryos take between 86 and 140 days to develop, depending on the water temperature. It then takes 14 years for the little wonders to reach sexual maturity. Adults grow up to 30 cm long, with females bigger than males.
12. Olm have small teeth that act as a filter, rather than being used for chewing. All food, which includes small crustaceans, snails and insects are thus swallowed whole. If times are hard and there’s no food in the cave then an olm can do quite for a long time. In fact, what are termed “controlled experiments” found that the animals can live up to 10 years without a meal.
If you’d like to learn more about olm, and have the chance to see some baby dragons yourself, then consider a trip to Postojna Cave, with more details of that here.
New figures from SURS show that both arrivals and overnight stays rose by around 8% year-on-year in August, with more than one million of the former and 2.9 million of the latter. Foreign tourists accounted for 78% of all overnight stays, with the largest group coming from Germany (16% of all overnight stays, or just under 365,000), followed by visitors from Italy (13%), the Netherlands (9%), France (6%) and the Czech Republic (just under 6%).
The top attractions, in terms of nights stayed, were mountain resorts (37% of the total, or 1,074,552), followed by coastal resorts (21%), health/spa resorts (16%), and the city of Ljubljana (11%).
When choosing where to spend the night 33% of such stays, over 956,000, were in hotels, followed by private rooms, apartments and so on at 25%, and camping sites at 22%.
So far this year, up to the end of August, 11.8 million overnight stays have been recorded in Slovenia, on the back of 4.5 million arrivals, up 4% and 6%, respectively, on the first eight months of 2018.
More detailed data on tourist arrivals and overnight stays can be found on SURS
STA, 26 October 2019 - Although quite windy, Slovenia has only two wind turbines. This may change if investors and environmentalists find common ground on the eight wind farms for which the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning is drafting national zoning plans.
In March 2018 the government decided that national zoning plans, a key document to find a location for a major new investment, is drafted for two wind farms.
Both of these are now among the eight planned by the ministry, of which three are to be built in western Slovenia and five in the east of the country.
The ministry is working on the national zoning plans in collaboration with investors and the public, but it told the STA the procedures were still in their early stages.
All the planned wind farms for which it is in charge of producing a national zoning plan will have a power rating of at least 10 megawatts, the ministry said.
The wind farms planned for the windy west are Senožeška Brda, Zajčica and Dolenja Vas. Mislinja, Paški Kozjak, Ojstrica, Rogatec and Plešivec are planned in the east.
The government would like to increase the share of energy produced from renewable sources in line with Slovenia's energy policy and climate goals.
But it is hard to say how long it will take before the first wind farm is built, especially since the plans for Ojstrica and Zajčiča have been met by strong opposition by locals.
Locals and environmentalists are usually worried about the wind farms' impact on public health and the damage that they could cause to the environment.
STA, 23 October - The Postojna Cave is planning to put on display almost two dozen olm offspring that hatched three years ago, yet under very strict conditions, the cave operator has announced.
Of the 22 Proteus anguinus offspring, as many as 21 animals have survived, which scientists consider an amazing achievement.
The baby dragons, as they are sometimes lovingly referred to, are growing up in an underground laboratory developed especially for this purpose.
Since Proteus anguinus' larvae are extremely vulnerable and susceptible to various infections, special conditions had to be provided to increase the chances of their survival.
The scientists working for Postojnska Jama are thrilled about the 92% survival rate and the offspring's fast development.
As many as 64 eggs were deposited in 2016 by what is due to its fair complexion often termed "human fish", but the chances of any larva hatching and surviving were minimal.
Statistics show that out of over 100 eggs deposited by a female olm in its lifetime in a natural environment, only two offspring would fully grow up.
While measuring 1.7 centimetres when hatched, the baby dragons are now already 12 centimetres long, so they will soon be transferred to larger aquariums.
"We were worried about how they would accept food, how they would 'socialise'"... A single mistake could result in losing all the 22 precious baby dragons," the company said in a press release on Wednesday.
What do olm eat? How long can they live? How many toes do they have? Learn all this and more here
STA, 24 October 2019 - Slovenian households stepped up saving in 2018, recording a gross household saving rate of 12.6%, up 0.2 percentage points on 2017. The country's gross rate, which shows what share of household disposable income is saved, was one of the highest in Europe, shows the Statistics Office data released on Thursday.
"The saving rate was increasing in the recent years, but it's still lower than it was before the financial crisis," said the office's deputy head Karmen Hren ahead of World Savings Day, observed on 30 October.
For the second consecutive year, the rate was higher than the average rates in EU-28 and EA-19 member states - 10% or 12.4%, respectively.
According to the latest Eurostat data on average saving rates, Slovenian households share the sixth place with Norway in Europe.
The highest rate was recorded in Germany (18.5%), while the lowest was found in Greece (-5.9%).
Slovenians mostly save up for their autumn years, children or grandchildren support, holidays and emergency cash reserves or to buy a flat, said Hren.
Despite low interest rates on deposits, Slovenian households still mainly opt for a typical form of saving - bank deposits. Their share has decreased slightly though.
Cash and deposits (47.7%) stood out in the structure of household financial assets, followed by shares and other equity (30.2%) and insurance and pension schemes (13.8%).
Households have EUR 120 billion in property assets and EUR 53 billion in cash.
Related: Household Disposable Income Rose 5.5% in 2018, Highest in Koroška, Lowest in Pomurje
In 2018, the majority of household liabilities (87.1%) represented loans. Some 80% of those were long-term loans.
In 2014, the loans started to grow gradually, and in 2018 they were up 6.5% compared to the previous year. The consumer loans (up 11.3% in 2018) have been growing at a much faster pace than housing loans (up 4.4%) in particular in the past two years due to favourable economic conditions.
Some 20% of Slovenian households estimated in October that their financial state was good or even very good, which is quite an increase compared to 2015 when the share of such households was 7%. Some 20% also believe that the situation will further improve in the next year, said Hren.
More details on this data can be found here, while more statistics can be found here
Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.
A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here
This summary is provided by the STA:
Retrial ordered for ex-Luka Koper boss in Beltinci case
KOPER - The Koper Higher Court has annulled the ruling in the Beltinci case, ordering a retrial for Robert Časar, who served as port operator Luka Koper chairman in 2005-2009, and for two out of four co-defendants, according to the paper Primorske Novice. The Koper District Court will now have to establish if Časar and two co-defendants, all of whom were given prison sentences in 2018, indeed made a non-written agreement that company Graj Inženiring would charge Luka Koper unreasonably high prices for its services as part of Luka's plans to build a logistics centre in the town of Beltinci. In this manner they allegedly defrauded Luka of EUR 666,000.
Independence remembered at Sovereignty Day celebrations
CERKNO/VRHNIKA - A memorial plaque was unveiled at the site of a secret weapons depot of the Slovenian Territorial Defence force in 1990 and 1991 today as part of celebrations of Sovereignty Day, a public holiday observed on 25 October to remember the day in 1991 when the last Yugoslav People's Army soldiers left Slovenia. "When the last soldiers left the Koper port, Slovenia became truly sovereign and independent," PM Marjan Šarec said as he addressed the event in Cerkno, west. He also attended Friday's main event marking Sovereignty Day in Vrhnika, when he said "this holiday is extremely important and must be observed because a state which has foreign soldiers on its territory is not sovereign".
Due to Austria meat scandal, two small firms recall their products
LJUBLJANA - Two small Slovenian meat-processing facilities pulled out several of its pork products after the national food safety agency said on Friday that meat from a problematic Austrian abattoir could have been imported to Slovenia. Due to suspicion the meat is not suitable for consumption, Spirala and Kmetija Janežič each withdrew half a dozen products, from sausages to minced lard, Slovenia's Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection said today. Austria's food authorities said an abattoir was suspected of processing meat intended for waste disposal. The Austrian news agency APA said the facility is located around Leibnitz, some 40 km north of Slovenia's Maribor.
Pro-Nazi flag tied to Slovenian tennis player makes headlines
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian media reported on a pro-Nazi flag being put alongside the name of Slovenian tennis player Aljaž Bedene during his Friday evening's ATP tournament match in Austria's Vienna. Running the story about Bedene's match under the headline "Vienna Scandal: Domobranci Flag Attached to Aljaž Bedene's Name", the MMC web portal of public broadcaster RTV Slovenija said the organisers of the tournament had done a disgraceful thing. Appearing along with Bedene's name on the display was the flag used by the pro-Nazi Slovenian Domobranci movement during WWII, which the organisers then replaced with Slovenia's flag. The two have the same colours but a different coat of arms. Similar incidents, although not quite as serious, happened before when Slovenian athletes were played Slovakia's national anthem.
Litostroj Power records EUR 10.78m net loss in 2018
LJUBLJANA - Czech-owned hydro turbine producer Litostroj Power finished 2018 with a net loss of EUR 10.78 million at group level after it ended 2017 EUR 742,000 in the black. The Ljubljana-based company, which the state sold to Czech energy giant Energo-Pro in 2014, saw net sales revenue drop by 27.9% to under EUR 46 million, shows its business report. Litostroj attributed the poor results to ineffective production, the wrapping up of old projects, US sanctions against Iran and delays in the construction of the Mokrice hydro power station, which was to start this year. The company had 397 workers at the end of 2018, down 18 year on year.
National zoning plans for eight wind farms in the making
LJUBLJANA - Although quite windy, Slovenia has only two wind turbines. This may change if investors and environmentalists find common ground on the eight winds farms for which the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning is drafting national zoning plans. In March 2018 the government decided that national zoning plans, a key document to find a location for a major new investment, is drafted for two wind farms. Both are now among the eight planned by the ministry, of which three are to be built in western Slovenia and five in the east. The ministry told the STA the procedures were still in their early stages, but added all the planned wind farms would have a power rating of at least 10 megawatts.
Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here
If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here
Keep up with the daily news in Slovenia by checking the morning headlines here. What to find out what happened last week in Slovenia? Look no further.
The following schedule was prepared by the STA:
MONDAY, 28 October
BUDAPEST, Hungary - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec will make an official visit to Hungary to meet his counterpart Viktor Orban and parliamentary Speaker Laszlo Köver. Šarec and Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek will also attend an event promoting Slovenian tourism.
LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary inquiry looking into allegations of politically-motivated prosecution of former Maribor Mayor Franc Kangler will hear several witnesses.
LJUBLJANA - A scientific conference will mark the 90th anniversary of the birth of poet and playwright Dane Zajc (1929-2005).
BRNIK - Lufthansa will launch scheduled flights linking Ljubljana with Frankfurt and Munich.
LJUBLJANA - A week-long autumn term break for primary and secondary school students begins.
TUESDAY, 29 October
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly will wrap up the October sitting by debating a bill to grant government loan guarantees for the new Koper-Divača rail track and part of the north-south expressway. MPs will also vote on several pieces of legislation debated in the past days.
ABU DHABI, UAE - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar will pay a working two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates to inaugurate the Slovenian Embassy and meet his counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He will also co-chair the first meeting of a joint commission for economic cooperation.
LJUBLJANA - The government commission for mass graves will report on the work done on the exhumation of victims from a post-WWII mass grave site of Macesnova Gorica.
WEDNESDAY, 30 October
LJUBLJANA - The main ceremony to mark Reformation Day, with parliamentary Speaker Dejan Židan to deliver the keynote.
LJUBLJANA - The Statistics Office will release the consumer price index for October.
KRŠKO - The Krško Nuclear Power Plant is expected to be brought back online after a scheduled shutdown for maintenance and refuelling.
LJUBLJANA - Labour Minister Ksenija Klampfer, Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar and Defence Minister Karl Erjavec will lay wreaths at Žale cemetery ahead of Day of Remembrance of the Dead.
THURSDAY, 31 October
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia observes Reformation Day, a public holiday.
LJUBLJANA - Kinodvor cinema will screen five films on Thriller Night.
FRIDAY, 1 November
LJUBLJANA - Day of Remembrance of the Dead, a public holiday. A commemoration will be held in Congress Square with attendance by President Borut Pahor, PM Marjan Šarec, and the speakers of both houses of parliament, Dejan Židan and Alojz Kovšca. Šarec and Židan will also lay wreaths at Žale cemetery.
SATURDAY, 2 November
No major events are scheduled.
SUNDAY, 3 November
BEIJING, China - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek is expected to start a multi-day visit to China; until 6 November.
Note: Thursday and Friday are national holidays - 31 Oct and 1 Nov being Reformation Day and All Saints Day, respectively - so expect many stores to be closed and stock up on groceries the day before, if needed
If you're not in town for the week of this guide (28 October to 3 November, 2019) then you can see all the editions here, and if there's event or activity 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 or try and find me on Facebook. If you want something a little different and easy to print, then a comprehensive PDF of events for the next seven days, as prepared by Ljubljana Tourism, is here. If you're in town and want to follow the news then check out our regular morning headlines for Slovenia here.
The clocks will be going back at 03:00 Sunday, 27 October, so the evenings will suddenly darker in the coming days, with Halloween and November also due this week, and the latter brining the start of Gourmet Ljubljana (details).
Halloween isn’t that big a thing in Slovenia, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t pub and club nights along with other events, such as Kinodvor’s all-night horror marathon. Club nights of note on Thursday are Same Old Madness: Darkland, at Klub Gromka, playing goth, death, minimal, industrial and so on. Gala Hala, also in Metelkova, has a very different offer, with Bright & Dark side of the 80's, with the promo promising everything from Killing Joke to Madonna. K4 has a Halloween Rave, with the tracks supplied by Terranigma, Softskinson, and Commercial Break.
Wednesday there’s an od:vod all-night warehouse rave headlined by Nicolas Lutz – learn more and see a set below. Thursday night, 31 October, sees a concert by Alice Phoebe Lou at Kino Šiška. Friday Joker Out are playing at the Castle.
The annual Month of Design continues until 8 November, with details here.
New movies this week include the following.
How much do tourists spend in Slovenia? Find out here
Get to know the city through the daily free tours offered by Ljubljana Free Tour. Free tours are offered 365 days a year, starting in Prešeren Square, and no booking required – just turn up, find the guide with a yellow umbrella, and you’re good to go. All guides are licensed locals who love the town, wish to show it, and are specially trained to deliver entertaining, yet highly informative tours. Note that while free voluntary tips are encouraged at the end of tour, as this is the only income for the guide. Learn more about the tours here, which include a classic city tour, old town and castle tour, communist tour, and more.
Learn Slovene with memes, here
Interested in Slovenian craft beer? Find out what’s new with Damir, of Lajbah and more.
While the Old Town is quaint, and full of music, where does Ljubljana really shop? One popular answer is BTC City, a vast complex of malls, entertainment facilities and more, including more than 70 different food vendors, offering everything from Slovenian to Thai, Indian to Italian, Mexican to Chinese. Check out my recent visit here.
Looking for something different to eat? Trubajeva cesta, running right by Dragon Bridge, has the greatest concentration of "ethnic food" places in Ljubljana, and thus perhaps the country. Check out our walk through guide as of June 2019.
Photo: JL Flanner
Ljubljana is forecast to be the fastest-warming city in the world over the next few decades.
You're in the town of Slavoj Žižek, but do you find yourself lost when conversation turns to the philosopher? If so, check out our collection of quotes and clips to learn more.
Screenshot from YouTube
- Cinemas and films
- Clubbing
- Live music
- Theatre and dance
- Harm reduction and drug testing
- Things to do with children
- LGBT+ Ljubljana
- Ljubljana Castle
- Museums and galleries
- Other things to do in Ljubljana
- Daytrips
- Getting around
- Emergencies
Cinemas and films
You can read about all the cinemas in town here, while a selection of what’s playing this week is below, and note that kids' movies tend to be shown in dubbed versions, while non-English language movies for older viewers will have Slovenian subtitles.Parents should also 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.
Note - most children's films will be dubbed (sinhronizirano) - for subtitles look for 'podnapisi'.
Kinodvor –This is an arts cinema, not far from the train station, that shows new features as well as hosting the occassional festival.
Kinoteka – And not far from Kinodvor you can find this revival cinema, which shows art house classics along with some deep dives in the archives.
Kino Bežigrad - A relatively small theatre, but one which usually has the biggest of the new releases.
Kolosej -The multiplex out at BTC City Mall shows all the big movies, with well over a dozen titles on the schedule, although note that there are far more movies than screens, so some of the older ones mayonly be playing once or twice a week.
Komuna – The cinema in a basement behind Nama department store shows two or three different features a week, usually including the biggest titles.
Looking for a souvenir you'll really enjoy? Take a look at Broken Bones Gin, the first gin made in Ljubljana (learn more here, and try it at the Central Market or selected downtown bars).
Photo: Genius loci d.o.o.
Know that big triangular building behind the train station? Learn what's inside here.
Clubbing
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 considerable variety to found within the various clubs there, from death metal to electropop, gay cabaret to art noise. You can read "the rules" of the place here. And if you're curious about how the place started then read our story, and look at some pictures, about last year's 25th anniversary.
Božidar - DJ events aren't too common here, but when they happen they often have a big name.
Channel Zero – DJs shows here include regular dub nights as well as electronic music.
Gala Hala – Another Metelkova venue, you can sometimes hear bhangra and Bollywood here, but more often funk, hip hop, breakbeat and so on.
Klub Cirkus – The more commercial end of clubland, and a venue that aims to serve the student party scene. Expect house, anthems, and bangers.
Klub K4 – The home of techno, old and new, along with various other electronic genres,
Koncertna Dvorana Rog– There are irregular DJ sets at this underground (not literally) venue at the far end of Trubarjeva cesta, and they range from techno to goa to drum'n'bass.
Orto Bar– 80s and 90s throwback nights can often be found here, along with rock-based DJ sets.
Live music
Balassi Institute – Free Hungarian music, when available, from the Hungarian cultural institute just a short walk downriver from Dragon Bridge.
Cankerjev dom – The main arts venue in the country hosts classical, opera jazz, folk and occassinally pop.
Cvetličarna – Regional pop and rock concerts can be found here.
Channel Zero – This Metelkova venue sees live shows from punk and rock bands, as well as others.
Gala Hala – Another Metelkova venue with indie bands of various styles.
Kino Šiška – One of the top live venues in the city, with a varied programme that include indie, rock, pop, experimental, hip hop, and so on.
Klub Gromka – Live music is often metal, from sludge to stoner, death to thrash, while punk bands also appear, as do others.
Križanke – The venue that hosts the Ljubljana Festival often has classical music, and some rock, in the open air.
Ljubljana Castle – Jazz, funk and pop every Friday night.
Orto Bar– The home of live rock, metal, punk and other guitar-based genres.
Pinelina dnevna soba – LIve music is rare here, but it does happen.
Slovenska filharmonija– Classical music in the centre of town.
SNG Opera and Ballet - As the name suggests, here you'll find the best of opera and ballet in the country.
Španski borci - While dance is more common here, they also have some contemporary and experimental music shows.
Slovenska cesta, 1959. Wikimedia. See more pictures of Old Ljubljana here
Theatre and dance
Cankerjev dom- The main arts venue in the country always has something of interest going on.
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.
Kino Šiška – One of the top live venues in the city also hosts some dance performance, often of the more experimental variety.
Mini Teater Ljubljana –The English schedule of varied performances, for adults and children, for the month is here.
Ljubljana Puppet Theatre - Puppetry has a long and noble tradition in Slovenia, and you can see performances for children and adults (including non-puppet shows) drawing from the Theatre's rich repetoire as well as new productons.
SNG Opera and Ballet - As the name suggests, here you'll find the best of opera and ballet in the country.
Španski borci - The home ofcontemporary dance(and the EnKnapGroup) in Slovenia.
Pocket Teater Studio– There are regular flamenco evenings at perhaps the smallest venue town, but note that the number of seats is very limited, and thus you should make a reservation via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 070 325 522.
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, and our story on the group is here.You can find the latest warnings on fake drugs and high strength pills and powders (in Slovene) here. However, be aware that all the usual drugs are illegal in Slovenia.CBD is legal, though, and our retailer of choice can be found on Trubarjeva cesta - read more about Sena Flora here.
Photo: Igor Andjelič. See more of his work here
Things to do with children
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, pizza and ice cream. With regard to the latter, take a look at our guide to six places that serve good ice cream in winter, and thus are serious about the dessert.
Mini Teater Ljubljana – The season sees a lot of puppet performances for children, in Slovene, at this theatre not far from Križanke. 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.
LGBT+ Ljubljana
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, although sometimes there are other events
Klub Tiffany –And the gay bar next door is also open on Fridays. Other things coulds also be planned, so click on the name to find out.
Pritličje – This seems to be the only "always open" LGBT-friendly cafe / bar / events space in town, and perhaps the country, so it's a good thing it's 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.
Screenshot from Google Maps, showing the location of the Castle vineyard
Ljubljana Castle
The city’s main attraction is said to be the top tourist draw in the country overall, and to my mind it earns a spot near the top just for the history and views. But beyond that the current owners, the City of Ljubljana, have laid out a varied, interesting and enjoyable programme of events, one that rewards regular revisits. On until 17 November Mighty Guardians of the Past: Castles in the Slovenian Lands, a presentation that delivers on the promise of its title.
I try and get up there every Saturday morning to clear my head and move my feet on the trails, and never tire of that end of the hill. At the other end, where the Castle sits, there’s a lot more than fresh air on offer. There are guided tours, restaurants, a café, Castle museum, puppet museum, a Watchtower you can climb to the highest point in the city, art shows, dances, live music, movies under the stars, festival days and more – enough to reward multiple trips up the hill through the year. All of these activities and events can be found on the Castle website, while on TSN you can see “25 things to know about Ljubljana Castle” here, and “Ten Ways to Enjoy Ljubljana Castle” here.
Museums and galleries
Most public galleries and museums are closed on Mondays, although not the National Museum.
From 15 October to 17 November various venues around town will be hosting events related to Transform 2019: Trans-form:action, featuring students from academies from Zagreb, Sofia, Bucharest, Skopje, Istanbul and Ljubljana. Details.
Bežigrajska galerija 2 – Take a trip to Vodovodna cesta 3 between 3 October and 13 November you can see “selected works by the Prešeren awards recipients originating from Slovenian Istria, coming from the collections of the Piran Coastal Galleries and the Prešeren Award Winners of Fine Arts Gallery Kranj.” The free to enter show includes the following work.
Živko Marušič, Ujetniki dima III, 1986, oil on canvas, 130 x 148 cm © Marko Tušek
Cankerjev dom – On until 3 March 2020 there's an exhibition on Ancient Greek Science and Technology. Details here.
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, and it's also in a really nice part of town, Trnovo, just a short walk or cycle upriver. Read about our guided tour here. On until January 2020 you can see plans and models for some of the things Plečnik planned but never built in Ljubljana. Take a look at some pictures here.
Image: Nejc Bernik. ZRC-SAZU
Balassi Institute – The Hungarian culture centre is next to a Spar and Hofer, and not far from Dragon Bridge, and always has something interesting going on. Learn more here. This month there's also an exhibition with more works like the one shown below for a show described as follows: “The concept of the exhibition “Awkwardly Close” in Balassi Institute is exactly the self-conscious unease coming from artistic and content similarities between the works of Kata Bereczki, and the Slovenian artistic collective Son:DA."
City Gallery - Until 10 November you can see After the Canal, there was only "our" world: “The exhibition is an invitation to explore a variety of historical and geographical connections between Europe, especially its Easts, and the Middle East, particularly Egypt, with the Suez Canal as the trigger, while contemplating their reflections in the mirror of the present.”
City Museum – The Museum in French Revolution Square an 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
The Faces of Ljubljana in the City Museum. Photo: JL Flanner
Drink like a pro - find gallery openings. Photo: JL Flanner
Ljubljana Castle on until 17 November Mighty Guardians of the Past: Castles in the Slovenian Lands, a presentation that delivers on the promise of its title. New at the Castle is (Un)known Ljubljana, a free to enter National Geographic exhibition with photographs of some of the lesser seen parts of the city, with one example below and more here.
MAO – The Museum of Architecture and Design has much of what you'd expect, along with some temporary shows and a good cafe.
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. The 9th Triennial of Contemporary Art U3 is also on here until 12 January 2020. Titled Dead and Alive: “The exhibition unfolds around three contradictory states of now – the dead and alive state of conceptualism, analogue and liquid materiality, and the subconscious as the battlefield of cognitive capitalism. Because – how do art and avant-garde progress? By making sensible what is beyond. At the end of the day, Dead and Alive is a quantum time search for an engaged form.” More details here, on one of the works on show below.
© Aleksandra Vajd, Collage by K. E. Graebner Nature the Unknown Acquaintance (1971) and a unit of five hand-dyed photograms titled: ‘rivalry of superior vs. inferior’, 2017
Alan Ford was recently at the National Gallery - read more about this comic book here.
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. You can read about our visit to the room containing sacred art from the Middle Ages here. Art for the Brave New World runs until 5 January 2020: “The exhibition will present the beginnings and development of an early government art collection in Slovenia, which, despite the economic and political crisis, was created in the 1930s by artistic and professional personalities gathered around Dr Marko Natlačen, the last ban of the Drava Banovina.”
JL Flanner
The real Robba Fountain can be found in the entrance to the National Gallery - the one you see in the Old Town is a genuine fake, as seen below and reported here.
Photo: JL Flanner
National Museum of Slovenia – There’s plenty to see in the permanent collection here, from Roman times, Egypt and more. Running until 3 November is Roma Aeterna: Masterpieces of Classical Sculpture. With sculptures from the collection of the Santarelli family in Rome, ranging from the age of the Roman Empire to that of neoclassicism. 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.
Roma Aeterna: Masterpieces of Classical Sculpture - see above
A fragment of a Coptic textile; 5th–6th cent.: Upper Egypt; linen, wool; National Museum of Slovenia. Photo: Tomaž Lauko
Until 24 May 2019 you can see Coptic Textiles from the Collection of the National Museum of Slovenia at the branch in the Metelkova museum quarter, by the Ethnographic Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Details.
Natural History Museum – On until the end of December 2019 is Our Little Big Sea, which takes a look at the oceans.
National Museum of Contemporary History - Tucked away in park Tivoli, you can see a permanent exhibition on Slovenians in the 20th century.
Slovene Ethnographic Museum – The museum has 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).
Vžigalica Gallery – Nothing seems to be happening this week, but from 12 November to 1 December there's going to be a show from called SAEBORG: SLAUGHTER HOUSE 17 from the Japanese artist Saeborg which is being promoted with the following image. Details here.
SAEBORG: SLAUGHTER HOUSE 17. Photo: © DARKMOFO
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.
Volčji Potok Arboretum - Running until 3 November you can see a large collection of cacti 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
Other things to do in Ljubljana
Learn more about Ljubljana with "25 things to know about Slovenia's green city of dragons", or take a look at our guide to spending from four to 48 hours here.
If you like the city's architecture then check out this great book, Let’s See the City - Ljubljana: Architectural Walks & Tours, with our review here and a page from the book shown above. We took a walk with one of the authors who showed us how much there is to learn and enjoy if you slow down and pay attention - read about that here.
Open Kitchen has no finished for the year, to be back sometime in spring 2020. Read more about it here.
Photo: Open Kitchen
Ljubljana has some beautiful buildings from the early 20th century, in the Secessionist style, like the one below. Learn where to find them here.
Photo: Neža Loštrek
For something a little more brual, check out Republika trg / Republic Square, in the heart of the political quarter.
Photo: JL Flanner
Photo: JL Flanner
Some view of the city you can only get from the river. If you'd like to take a boat ride then read about my experience here. 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
Want to stretch and breath? Then check out our list of drop-in yoga classes for tourists, visitors and the uncommitted. We go to Nataraja Studio, by Dragon Bridge, and here's a story about it.
Prefer to have someone else stretch you? The check out the totally legit massages you can get from Sense Wellness - either in one of their spas or in you home, office or hotel. (And - to repeat - these are legit and non-sexual in nature)
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, which usually run until the first snow.
Photo: maxpixel.net, public domain
Daytrips
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. We've also written guides on spending from four to 48 hours in Bled and Piran.
Photo: Google Image Search
Getting around
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. Manual wheelchair users can also borrow, for free, an attachment that will motorise their equipment, as reported here.
Screenshot from a Twitter video
If you’re driving into town and don’t know where to park, our guide to how to park in Ljubljana is here.
Emergencies
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.
Photo: JL Flanner
There aren't many places to eat after midnight, and most of them are by the train station, as reported 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.
The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 25 October
Mladina: Student work debate shows MPs out of touch with reality
STA, 25 October 2019 - Mladina, the lef-leaning weekly, is critical in its commentary on Friday of MPs and their disparaging comments about students as they were debating a rise in hourly wage for student work. Criticising students, while failing to make it easier for them to afford going to university, shows that MPs have no clue about the social reality of the country.
The weekly praises the coalition for increasing hourly wages for student work to EUR 4.56 nett, albeit by less than initially planned.
However, the discourse during the plenary debate was barely acceptable. If they had been talking about women, it would be chauvinism, if it were foreigners, it would be racism, Mladina editor-on-chief Grega Repovž says under the headline Students? A Pest?
MPs do simply not understand what a child, or two, at university means for an average Slovenian family. It calculates that two children studying in Ljubljana cost about EUR 1,000 a month, which is a lot of money even for a middle-class family.
Students work and they have expenses besides just housing and food. This is 2019 and there is nothing wrong with the notion that student life should not be complete misery.
Many MPs likely had to sacrifice a lot and work hard manual jobs in exchange for poor pay, while they were studying. "But this society has advanced, GDP has grown to EUR 22,000, and the standard of living has increased for students, just like for everybody else."
Most students do not work 170 hours a month, most work between 60 and 70 hours a month and make about EUR 300. Saying they represent unfair competition is obscene.
They are hired because they are more flexible, they can work weekends, when most full-time employees need to get childcare. What is more, students do not get paid extra for working weekends, nights and holidays, like full-time employees.
While a family with average income can barely afford to send two children to university, those leasing apartments to students in Ljubljana will on average make an additional EUR 2,400 in the coming year as a result of growing rents, the weekly says.
Of course, these rents are off the books so that flat owners can avoid paying tax. While MPs were not short on words in their criticism of students, did they take any measures against Airbnb to reign in the growth of rents?
"How many student dorms will be built next year? Hasn't the coalition given up on a property tax? Didn't the coalition just now lower tax on labour, especially for those with highest pay?"
Reporter: SOVA should be rebuilt from scratch
STA, 21 October 2019 – Reporter, the right-leaning weekly, takes the opportunity of the controversial hiring of an acquaintance of PM Marjan Šarec in SOVA (Slovenska obveščevalno-varnostna agencija) to say in its latest commentary that the national intelligence and security agency should be rebuilt from scratch as it has been completely discredited by politicians.
"SOVA should be demolished to the ground and then built anew," Silvester Šurla, the editor-in-chief of the right-leaning weekly says under the headline From a Target to Death.
Politicians who have been in power in the last three decades have completely "plucked and discredited this mysterious bird", he adds in reference to SOVA meaning an owl in Slovenian.
The secret service which should protect the interests of the state has been the grounds for political battles, with SOVA being hit by scandals under every government. Its agents have even been on strike and the agency has become a "caricature of itself, a disgrace for the country."
Each government has been employing their people in the agency following the party affiliation or family lines, with the first public call for applications being published only this year. "A bunch of rotten eggs have ended up in SOVA's nest."
In this "spy brothel", there are few innocent politicians who would be without a sin, and the battle for SOVA, for who will use it and (probably) abuse it for their political goals, is actually a battle for power.
"Politicians who should act from the position of statesmen towards SOVA, they engage in politicking. And then everybody are surprised by intelligence information produced by SOVA having practically no applicable value."
All our posts in this series are here
Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.
A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here
This summary is provided by the STA:
Top court suspends controversial inquiry into Kangler's prosecution
LJUBLJANA - The Constitutional Court decided on Thursday to impose a temporary injunction on the legislation governing parliamentary inquiry pending its final decision. This means the National Assembly's inquiry into prosecution of former Maribor Mayor Franc Kangler, a member of the upper chamber of parliament, will not be able to investigate judges for now. The Judicial Council, which had petitioned the court, believes the legislation does not contain proper safeguards to prevent interference in the judiciary's independence. The inquiry started its hearings on Monday, but is boycotted by coalition parties and the opposition Left. Its chair Žan Mahnič of the Democrats (SDS) announced they would respect the decision, but otherwise continue their work.
Management of energy company Petrol resigns
LJUBLJANA - The Tomaž Berločnik-led management of energy group Petrol resigned "by mutual agreement" yesterday, capping a day of speculation about its fate amidst what media labelled a politically-motivated struggle to control one of Slovenia's largest companies. The official reason for the resignation of all but the employees' representative on the board is differences in views on the implementation of the strategy with the supervisory board. Since becoming director general in early 2011, Berločnik has transformed Petrol from a traditional fuel retailer into a well-performing all-round energy group. The government expects a detailed explanation of the move by 4 November.
Erjavec defends presence in Afghanistan, defence spending
BRUSSELS, Belgium/LJUBLJANA - Defence Minister Karl Erjavec stressed the government would continue investing in the Slovenian Armed Forces as he rejected the calls by the opposition Left to withdraw Slovenian soldiers from Afghanistan and cancel the planned purchase of Valuk six-wheeled armoured personnel carriers (APCs). Erjavec, speaking on the sidelines of a NATO ministerial in Brussels, said "if everybody started to withdraw, we could expect terrorism to flourish there, and repeated mass violations of human rights and disrespect of international law".
Slovenia signs special operations memorandum with Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Defence Minister Karl Erjavec signed a memorandum to set up regional command for special operations with his counterparts from Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia as part of a NATO ministerial in Brussels. According to Erjavec, Austria also signed the document. Erjavec told the press the initiative was important, because the Western Balkans could face mass migration or other challenges that could pose a threat to the public order, peace and stability.
PM Šarec to visit Hungary on Monday
LJUBLJANA - PM Marjan Šarec will pay his first official visit to Hungary on Monday to discuss with counterpart Viktor Orban bilateral relations, economic cooperation and a number of EU-related topics. He will also meet Speaker Laszlo Köver and the Slovenian ethnic minority living in Hungary. The prime minister's office said the visit would confirm the good neighbourly relations and regular political dialogue between the two countries, both members of the EU and NATO.
Commissioner-to-be Lenarčič quits diplomatic service
LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's likely new European Commissioner Janez Lenarčič, who has worked for the Foreign Ministry since 1992, handed in his resignation last week in what seems a move made out of protest against a legal requirement which he belives deters Slovenian diplomats from taking jobs in international institutions. The law says a diplomat who does not return to the ministry after six years of serving in an international organisation and after that does not remain at the ministry for at least half of the duration of their absence, must pay a contractual penalty amounting to 50% of their last basic pay at the ministry. He said his resignation was an act of protest against the neglectful attitude of the ministry toward "diplomats, diplomacy and by that the state", but the ministry said it had launched the procedure to change the foreign affairs act months ago.
Two Slovenian minority officials honoured with state decoration
LJUBLJANA - Rudi Pavšič and Marjan Sturm, the long-serving retired leaders of umbrella minority organisations representing ethnic Slovenians in Italy and Austria, respectively, were honoured with the Medal of Merit for their decades-long efforts to promote minority rights and inter-cultural dialogue. Pavšič, 67, headed the Slovenian Cultural and Economic Union (SKGZ) for 22 years until last March. Sturm, 68, served as head of the Association of Slovenian Organisations (ZSO) for 25 years. In his acceptance speech, Pavšič said the Slovenian minority in Italy now enjoyed a better status than ever before, while Sturm acknowledged his political credo of consensus and dialogue had not always been met with approval, even among the minority, but said that a large majority would follow it.
Horizon Europe presented in Ljubljana
LJUBLJANA - The EU's new programme promoting research and innovation, Horizon Europe, was presented in Ljubljana at an event hosted by the Brussels-based Slovenian Business and Research Association (SBRA) and the Education, Science and Sport Ministry. According to SBRA head Draško Veselinovič, the idea was to provide information on the drawing of EU funds "first hand". With Horizon Europe for the 2021-2027 period, the EU wants to "correct the mistake of the current programme, Horizon 2020", he said. Under the current proposal, almost EUR 100 billion will be available in the next seven years.
Business sentiment deteriorates in October
LJUBLJANA - Business sentiment in Slovenia again deteriorated at monthly level in October, dropping by 0.7 percentage points over September and being by 7.5 points lower year on year, the Statistics Office said. Affecting business sentiment the most at the monthly level was a drop in consumer confidence, while the deterioration at the annual level is mostly attributed to a lower confidence in manufacturing. Slovenia's consumer confidence worsened for the third month running this month to reach a three-year low.
Supervisors get code of conduct to tackle political pressure
LJUBLJANA - A code of conduct advising members of supervisory boards on how to act in case of political pressure has been formed to tackle the issue in wake of a recent staffing pressure scandal. The new protocol provides specific guidelines, aiming to make any kind of pressure on supervisors completely unacceptable. The code of conduct was produced by the Commission for the Corruption of Prevention and the Slovenian Directors' Association after the secretary general of the ruling LMŠ party called the chief supervisor of Official Gazette to allegedly try to secure a top job for a former MEP.
Spreme Court wins Crystal Scales of Justice Prize
OSLO, Norway - The Slovenian Supreme Court received this year's Crystal Scales of Justice Prize, an award given out by the EU Council and the European Commission for innovative and effective judicial practices in the EU. The court received the award at today's ceremony in Norway for its initiative Improving the Quality of Justice, which focusses on further improving judicial skills, know-how exchange, training court personnel and fairness of procedures.
UEFA fines Olimpija for racial abuse
LJUBLJANA - The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has slapped the Slovenian club Olimpija Ljubljana with a EUR 50,000 fine over its fans racially abusing the goalkeeper of the Turkish side Yeni Malatyaspor in a qualifier for the UEFA Europa League in August, the newspaper Delo reported. The Ljubljana club was also ordered to play its next home match in the European competitions in a partially empty Stožice Stadium. According to the sports newspaper EkipaSN, Olimpija has already appealed against the fine.
Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here
If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here
What follows is a weekly review of events involving Slovenia, as prepared by the STA.
If you’d like to keep up on the daily headlines then follow those here, or get all our stories in your feed on Facebook.
FRIDAY, 18 October
BRUSSELS, Belgium/LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, speaking at the conclusion of the EU summit, said Slovenia opposed for the outgoing EU Commission to take a decision on Croatia's meeting the requirements to join the Schengen zone. This was after six of the eight Slovenian MEPs addressed an appeal calling for the new Commission to make that decision to Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen, outgoing Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and current and next president of the European Council.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Commenting on the EU summit's failure to greenlight the launch of accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec said that an opportunity had been missed, that the damage was done now and that the EU's credibility in the region was shaken.
NICOSIA, Cyprus - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar met his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides and Parliament Speaker Demetris Syllouris as part of an official visit for an exchange of views on topical developments in the EU, Mediterranean and the Middle East, and bilateral relations. Cerar was accompanied on the two-day visit by a business delegation.
LJUBLJANA - A committee in support of Catalan leaders, set up at the initiative of former President Milan Kučan, philosopher and sociologist Spomenka Hribar, Ljubljana Faculty of Arts professor Rudi Rizman and former Foreign Minister Ivo Vajgl, held its maiden session to protest against the "draconian" prison sentences handed out to the nine independence leaders, as well as against the EU institutions' silence on the issue. The committee later sent a protest statement to Slovenian and European leaders.
LJUBLJANA - The Defence Ministry announced that the chief of staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces, Major General Alenka Ermenc, withdrew her proposal to prosecute Brigadier General Miha Škerbinc, whom she had sacked as force commander in April, for commenting on her health. However, Ermenc will push ahead with legal action against the online tabloid Požareport, which was the first to report about her health.
LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Academy of Music launched a facsimile of a copy of Ludwig van Beethoven's manuscript of Symphony No. 6 containing the composer's handwritten corrections, allegedly Beethoven's present to the Philharmonic Society in Ljubljana in gratitude for being admitted as its honorary member in 1819. Kept by the National and University Library, the Ljubljana copy of the Pastoral Symphony is one of the two preserved copies of Beethoven's autograph score.
LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana District Court held pre-trial hearings in an insurance fraud case that shocked Slovenia earlier this year involving a young woman who cut off her hand to claim insurance. The 21-year-old, Julija Adlešič, and her 29-year-old partner Sebastien Abramov, who allegedly persuaded her to saw off her hand, pleaded not guilty. They are both in custody.
SATURDAY, 19 October
WASHINGTON, US - Central bank Governor Boštjan Vasle and Finance Ministry State Secretary Metod Dragonja, attending the annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the IMF, told reporters that Slovenia's economic condition was sound despite risks to the global economy. They did note the issue of high public debt, though.
TRBOVLJE - Delo reported that Lafarge Cement, the Slovenian subsidiary of the Switzerland-headquartered multinational LafargeHolcim, asked for an environmental permit to resume cement grinding, storage and dispatch in Trbovlje at the beginning of next year. Lafarge Cement suspended operations in February 2015, having lost an environmental permit.
SUNDAY, 20 October
LJUBLJANA - Voter approval rating for the Marjan Šarec government fell by 11.4 percentage points in the October Vox Populi poll commissioned by TV Slovenija and newspapers Dnevnik and Večer. The proportion of supporters and opponents is all but tied at 49.2% against 48.2%. Šarec's LMŠ party slid 3.2 points to 20.1% ahead of the opposition Democrats (SDS), who lost 0.8 points to 14.7%.
MONDAY, 21 October
LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec said Slovenia's position on the British parliament's request for another postponement of Brexit was that "another delay would make sense" as long as it would justifiably contribute to an orderly Brexit.
LJUBLJANA - Addressing parliament in questions time, PM Marjan Šarec said he was convinced a draft proposal amending Slovenia's electoral law by adopting the relative preferential vote would get enough support in parliament, also because voters had shown they were in support of such a vote.
LJUBLJANA - Ex-Maribor Mayor Franc Kangler appeared as the first witness in the contentious parliamentary inquiry into the allegation that criminal prosecution against him was politically motivated. Kangler described the prosecution against him as a plot unthinkable in a law-ruled country, while the inquiry proposed parliamentary oversight of the Maribor police force. While the inquiry is being examined by the Constitutional Court, concern has also been raised by the OECD.
BELGRADE, Serbia - Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar met his Serbian counterpart Nebojša Stefanović at the outset of a two-day visit to Serbia for talks focused on bilateral relations, a spike in illegal migration and Serbia's EU integration. The next day the pair visited Slovenian-Serbian border police patrols at the Preševo crossing with North Macedonia aimed at stopping illegal migrants.
KOPER - The police forces of Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Europol dismantled a criminal ring smuggling illegal migrants to the EU through the Balkan countries. Ten persons, including four Slovenians, are charged for having smuggled at least 150 migrants across the border.
TUESDAY, 22 October
LJUBLJANA - As the European Commission gave Croatia its go-ahead to enter the Schengen zone, PM Marjan Šarec labelled the decision political and regretted it was made right before the end of the Commission's term. He indicated Slovenia would act politically on the matter too. Slovenian diplomatic sources expressed belief that the country should veto Croatia's joining the passport-free zone. Meanwhile, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party (SDS) Janez Janša argued that Croatia's joining the Schengen zone was in Slovenia's strategic interest.
TOKYO, Japan - President Borut Pahor started a two-day visit to Japan by attending Emperor Naruhito's enthronement ceremony. The next day he met Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and visited the High Energy Accelerator Research Organisation in Tsukuba, decorating director-general Masanori Yamauchi with the Order of Merit for his contribution to international promotion of Slovenian science.
ZAGREB, Croatia - Defence Minister Karl Erjavec met his Croatian counterpart Damir Krstičević with the pair lauding the countries' defence cooperation. Erjavec did not want to comment on whether Croatia was prepared for joining the Schengen area, saying this was not in his purview.
LJUBLJANA - The government-sponsored bill designed to provide legal recourse for up to 100,000 potential plaintiffs - holders of subordinated bank liabilities wiped out in the 2013 bank bailout - was passed in a 46:34 vote. The central bank had announced a constitutional review.
LJUBLJANA - The Fiscal Council found the draft budgets for 2020 and 2021 in compliance with fiscal rules, but warned of risks because the financial impact of bills that are being adopted, including those pushed by the minority government's opposition partner, the Left, was not factored in. Finance Minister Andrej Bertoncelj said not all the risks could be fully included in the budget documents.
LJUBLJANA - Parliament backed legislative changes that raise the minimum net hourly rate for student work from EUR 4.13 to EUR 4.56. The opposition Left, which initiated the raise, had been pushing for more, but failed to get the coalition's support because of concerns about the impact on businesses.
LJUBLJANA - The foundation stone was laid for the construction of nearly 500 public rental flats in the Ljubljana Brdo borough. The EUR 57 million project is part of the national Housing Fund's project to build 1,500 rental flats to expanding its portfolio by 10,000 new flats by 2025.
LJUBLJANA - Virs, the Lendava-based supplier of welding and cutting solutions, won the Golden Gazelle Award for the fastest-growing company in Slovenia, conferred by the newspaper publisher Dnevnik. It increased revenue almost fourfold in five years to EUR 8.2 million in 2018.
WEDNESDAY, 23 October
LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed a package of tax bills that reduce personal income tax while increasing taxes on capital gains and rental income and introducing a minimum corporate income tax rate of 7%. The government's aim was to reduce the tax burden of highly skilled workers, in order to attract such staff to Slovenia, while the Left insisted the reform would primary benefit the rich.
LJUBLJANA - Chile Eboe-Osuji, the president of the International Criminal Court (ICC), held meetings with Foreign Minister Miro Cerar and Justice Minister Andreja Katič as part of a visit to Slovenia. They discussed the challenges of international criminal justice. Cerar pledged for Slovenia to remain a firm ally of the ICC and to promote its values in bilateral and international activities.
LJUBLJANA - The newspaper Delo reported that the government had put forward to Brussels three candidates for the post of Slovenia's prosecutor at the emerging European Public Prosecutor's Office; Jaka Brezigar, Tanja Frank Eler and Marjana Grašič.
LJUBLJANA - The Trade Union of Pensioners and a civil initiative presented a petition, calling for a 7.2% extra indexation of pensions to compensate for the austerity measures that have affected pensioners since 2010. Signed by almost 14,000 people, the petition was handed to PM Marjan Šarec and parliamentary Speaker Dejan Židan.
LJUBLJANA - Data from the central bank showed that Slovenia's inbound FDI stock increased by 8.6% in 2018 to EUR 15.2 billion, as outbound FDI stock rose by 1.6% to EUR 6.1 billion.
LJUBLJANA - The Ljubljana Music Academy marked its 80th anniversary and the centenary of higher music education with a ceremony at Cankarjev Dom. Dean Marko Vatovec told the STA in an interview that the academy had made great progress with its graduates a feature of Europe's leading orchestras.
THURSDAY, 24 October
LJUBLJANA - The government as the founder and only shareholder of 2TDK approved a EUR 56 million recapitalisation for the company managing the Koper-Divača rail project in accordance with the relevant law. This will increase the company's share capital to EUR 77 million.
LJUBLJANA - The government decided to recall Iztok Jarc as ambassador to Serbia and appoint him permanent representative to the EU, to succeed Janez Lenarčič, a European commissioner-designate.
LJUBLJANA - The management of energy company Petrol headed by CEO Tomaž Berločnik agreed with the supervisory board to step down over differences in the company's strategy.
LJUBLJANA - The state-run Farmland and Forest Fund confirmed that it had been ordered by the Ljubljana Higher Court to pay just over EUR 21 million in damages to the Ljubljana Archdiocese due to delays in denationalisation of forests, EUR 17 million of which it paid already.
LJUBLJANA - David Tasić, a former journalist of the weekly Mladina who was one of the four political convicts in the 1988 JBTZ trial, a key event leading to Slovenia's independence, died aged 57. The quartet tried by a military court included Janez Janša, the long-serving leader of the Democrats (SDS).
LJUBLJANA - The government adopted an annex to the agreement governing the scope of public healthcare services and their financing to allow an extra EUR 10 million worth of services to cut waiting times. The money will be secured by the Health Insurance Institute.
LJUBLJANA - A report by the Mapping and Surveying Authority showed signs of stagnation in property prices in the first half of 2019, following three years of steep growth. Prices of flats are very close to the record levels in 2008, while prices of houses are lagging behind significantly.
LJUBLJANA - A report from the Statistics Office showed that Slovenian households stepped up saving in 2018, recording a gross household saving rate of 12.6%, up 0.2 percentage points on 2017 and one of the highest in Europe.
MARIBOR - Police revealed that they had dismantled a criminal ring that made an estimated EUR 1.3 million in illegal gains by smuggling at least 143 Chinese from China to Italy through Slovenia over the past year and a half. Of the four Slovenians and eight Chinese operating the ring, three are in detention and two in house arrest.
LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Writers' Association presented the EUR 1,000 Jenko Prize for best poetry collection from the past two years to Kaja Teržan for her second collection, Krog (The Circle).
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