If you're not in town for the week of this guide (30 September to 6 October, 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.

In town and want to follow the news? Check out our regular morning headlines for Slovenia here.

Jump to listings

The City of Women Festival continues until 13 October, with many events around town – more details are here.

Tuesday, 1 October, 20:00 Kino Šiška will host 400 RABBITS, a dance work about contradictions. Details.

Wednesday Joker opens, with the trailer below. Details of cinemas are further down the page.

Thursday the Balassi Institute, very close to Dragon Bridge (just keep walking out of town on the castle side of the river and it’s next to the Spar), has a free “sound bath” with a Hungarian flavour. Details.

Thursday, 19:30 the Gallus Hall of Cankerjev dom will have a concert by the RTV Symphony Orchestra with pianist Dejan Lazić, playing Vrhunc, Chopin and Brahms – details. On the programme is Brahms Symphony #4.

Klub K4 has a lot going on, as usual, and on Friday there’s Just A Dance with DJs along with the synthpop banks Futurski.

Friday you can also go along to Torzo Klub for it’s opening night, a club for “gays, lesbians, bisexuals and swingers” – details here.

Saturday, 10:00 to 18:00 Lepa Žoga, in Lower Šiška, not far from the Union Brewery, is having a chili festival.

Saturday, 20:00 to 01:00, Trubarjeva’s Abi Falafel is having an “Oriental Night”, with food, music and belly dancing.

Same evening you could also head to Cvetličarna (Kranjčeva 20) and enjoy hard techno from 22:00 to 07:00.

Saturday Kino Šiška will see a live show from Orlek, with things starting at 20:00. Their “unique knap ‘n’ roll cross between lively rock ‘n’ roll, traditional folk songs and wholesome Slovenian humour has made them one of the most original Slovenian bands of the last 30 years.”

October 5 and 6, Saturday and Sunday, there’s the free to enter Ljubljana Lace Festival, at the Secondary School for Design and Photography Ljubljana (Gosposka ulica 18, Ljubljana, by Križanke)

Saturday Central Market (Pogačarjev trg), the place that hosts Open Kitchen on Fridays, will host Countryside in the city: Lets go to the farms. From 09:00 to 14:00 you can taste the best that Slovenian farms and rural country has to offer.

Sunday CCN - Ballet De Lorraine will take the stage at the Gallus Hall of Cankerjev dom to celebrate 100 years of Merce Cunningham in a work called Histoires sans Histoires(s).

If you're in town Monday to Saturday you really should visit Ljubljana Market - it's small, varied and offers fresh fruit, vegetables, local specialities, snacks and souvenirs, while being next to many other sights. Learn more about it here. Here's how you use the Ljubljana’s milk vending machine.

Learn Slovene with memes, here

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.

Contents

• 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.

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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).

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.

DJs at the top of the Castle (more)

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Museums and galleries

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

Looking to buy some high end, big name local art from a trusted gallery? Check out our look at Sloart.

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.

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

Galerija Kresija – Until 9 October there’s a free exhibition of ceramics at this gallery between Triple Bridge and Town Hall , titled Polona Demšar & Mojca Smerdu: A Touch Of Memory. It’s being promoted as follows: “How do you put yourself in the flow of time, how your own creativity involved in the present and in the future of the past, are some of the questions to which Polona Demšar and Mojca Smerdu respond with exhibited ceramic objects.”

Galerijia Y – Walk along to Trubarjeva cesta 79 and until 19 October you can see some contemporary art from four Slovenian painters, with all the works for sale. See some of them here.

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.

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.

Rafikun Nabi: Poet, 1980, print, 96.5 x 110 cm. Courtesy of the Contemporary Art Center of Montenegro. On display at the Metelova branch of the Moderna galerija

Alan Ford at the National Gallery

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. There’s also a big show on Alan Ford, one of the great comic books of the Yugoslav era, on until 13 October. 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.

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

 Roma Aeterna: Masterpieces of Classical Sculpture - see below

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). From April 18 until October 19 (2019) you can also see a show calledShamanism of the Peoples of Siberia, from the Russian Museum of Ethnography, Saint Petersburg. The place is located near the newer branch of the Moderna galerija and Metelkova. You can read about this fascinating show here.

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

Town Hall – On until 6 October is A Hundred Years of the School for the Blind and Partially Sighted in Slovenia. Until 10 October the same venue has a show on Contemporary architecture in Ljubljana.

Vžigalica Gallery – Until 27 October you can explore a spatial installation from the Berlin-based artist Sinta Werner.

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.

Vžigalica Gallery – If you’re curious about the man who commissioned that Melania Trump sculpture, then you can see more of activities here, in a show called Brad Downey: This Echo.

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

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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 brings market stalls selling food and drink from some of the best restaurants in town every Friday, from 11am to 11pm, in the square between the cathedral and the river - just follow your nose and the crowds. Read more about it here.

Photo: Open Kitchen

Ljubljana has some beautiful buildings from the early 20^th 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 prefer to get in the water rather than on it, then here's a guide to the various open air pools in Ljubljana. Note that it was written last year and so the prices and times may have changed, so do click the links and check.

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

Nataraja Studio

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.

Photo: maxpixel.net, public domain

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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

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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.

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Art enlivens life and soothes the soul, can change how you see the world, can change the world, and – like a good rug – really tie the room together. We were thus thrilled to learn about SLOART a few months ago, which, as we found out in an interview with the owner, Damjan Kosec, aims to connect Slovenian artists with buyers and collectors, using both an online platform and real world gallery. Moreover, aware of the scandals, fraud and other shady practices that have damaged the Slovenian art market in recent years, SLOART focuses on providing the transparency and trust needed to make the scene work in the interests of both artist and buyers.

Related: Ljubljana’s Modern Gallery Highlights Recent Painting in Slovenia

As we noted at the time: It offers works from 1800 to the present day, and even just a passing familiarity with the biggest names of Slovenian art, as seen in the National and Modern Galleries, will make clear what an impressive list of names SLOART offers. Names such as Drago Tršar – the subject of a major retrospective earlier this year, and the man behind many of the most well-known sculptures in Ljubljana; Hinko Smrekar – who did the illustrations for much-loved edition of Martin Krpan; Zoran Mušič – who has his own room at the National; or Rihard Jakopič, the leading Impressionist who founded the school that would go on to become the Academy of Fine Arts at the University of Ljubljana. Beyond the dead there’s the living, with exciting works by current artists with years of work and discovery ahead of them.

Some of the works on offer on the SLOART website

This week the brick-and-mortar version of the project, Galerija Y (with the Y pronounced “epsilon”), at 79 Trubarjeva cesta, the end of the street away from Prešeren Square, opened a new show, Nove Pozicije (New Positions). This showcases works from four of the gallery’s contemporary artists, Tina Dobrajc, Duša Jesih, Arjan Pregl and Sašo Vrabič, which are also for sale. These are paintings, not conceptual art, and so no artists' statements are needed or provided. You can enjoy some of them below, along with pictures from the opening to give a sense of scale, or see them in person until 18 October 2019.

Arjan Pregl, Dan čarovnic, iz serije Karneval (2018). Photo: Galerija Y

Arjan Pregl, Shrek z žago, iz serije Karneval (2018) - detail. Photo: JL Flanner

 Sašo Vrabič, Vrh krize 2 (2019). Photo: Galerija Y

 Sašo Vrabič, Romeo, (2019) - detail. Photo: JL Flanner

Tina Dobrajc, Enemy of the State II: Desperate Kingdom of Love (2019). Photo: Galerija Y

Tina Dobrajc, Enemy of the State II: Desperate Kingdom of Love (2019) (detail). Photo: JL Flanner

Duša Jesih, Red Cross (2019). Photo: Galerija Y

Duša Jesih, Never Really Here I, (Re)konstrucija), Hommage a Malevich (2017). Photo: JL Flanner

Photo: JL Flanner

Photo: JL Flanner

You can learn more about Galerija Y here, and pay a visit at 79 Trubarjeva cesta, 1000 Ljubljana.

In the past few days Slovenes have been activated by a social media campaign, supported by a story from the national broadcaster, to raise about €2 million needed to save a 19-month old boy from Koper, who suffers from a serious genetic disease.

Kris suffers from type 1 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA1), a disease caused by a mutation in the SMN1 gene, responsible for a synthesis of a SMN protein, necessary for survival of motor neurons. If left untreated, the majority SMA1 patients do not reach the age of four, with recurrent respiratory problems being the primary cause of death.

The currently available drugs are Nusinersen, a drug approved in 2016 in the USA and 2017 in Europe, which modifies the alternative splicing of the SMN2 gene and is given directly to the central nervous system and Onasemnogene abeparvovec, a gene therapy drug, which delivers SMN1 transgene into the neurons, solving the problem at its source.

As an intravenous formulation to be administered to SMA1 patients under 24 months of age in a single treatment, Onasemnogene abeparvovec was approved by the USA Food and drug administration (FDA) in March 2019, but is still awaiting its approval from the European and Japanese authorities. The price of Zolgensma, which is a trade name of the drug developed by AveXis, a company acquired by Novartis in 2018, was set at $2.125 million (approximately €1.942 million), which makes Zolgensma the world’s most expensive medication by far.

Since the drug has not yet been approved in Europe, it is also not part of the health insurance system. For European patients, the drug is therefore available in the USA and at their own expense.

Kris is not the first European boy whose treatment with Zolgensma, and therefore chances of survival, depend on a successful crowdfunding campaign. Reports of at least two recent campaigns that took place in Europe can be found online: one took place in Hungary earlier this month and one in Belgium about a month before that. Both campaigns were successful and children are presumably on their way to receiving the needed genetic treatment.  

The crowdsourcing campaign for Kris has been led by a small charity called Palčica Pomagalčica. Since the organization is led on a voluntary basis by two fully employed elementary school teachers, who have been more than overwhelmed by the amount of PR they have to process in their free time, it is not yet clear whether enough money has been gathered as of writing this or not.

In case you’d like to donate, you can still do so.

Donations can be made either to the following bank account number:

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Almost every time I meet a Slovene person I tell them I just moved from Barcelona. And almost every time I hear the same question: “But… why?”. My answer is always the same: isn’t it obvious?

The first time I crossed the border from Austria I was amazed about how the landscape changed in only minutes. Everywhere I looked there was astonishing, breathtaking view, usually with long, never-ending green valleys surrounded by sharp mountains. Nature was – and, of course, still is – everywhere, and I could only hope to try not to blink so I wouldn’t miss a thing.

The best part was to discover that my first impression was not an underestimation, and in fact I was even more impressed about all that Slovenia had to offer. All the main landmarks are, maximum, two hours away – by car – from Ljubljana. For me, this meant that I could easily discover magnificent natural scenery while still coming back to sleep in my own bed at the end of the day. We made new adventures with friends on daily basis: Portorož, Piran, Škocjan and Postojna Caves, Predjama Castle, Bled, Triglav National Park, Maribor, Ptuj…

But natural beauty is only the surface. What really made me want to live here was the way Slovenes look at life. Everything is calm, peaceful and relaxed. Coming from a big city like Barcelona, I was used to running from place to place without paying attention to what was around me. All I did was check the time every two minutes to make sure I wasn’t late to my next appointment. Even during my free time everything was in a hurry. For example, on Sunday mornings I had to rush to the park to have the best spot, even when I just wanted to chill next to a tree with some friends. Once I was there, I could relax for about 30 minutes before realising I had to leave earlier than I expected because there was going to be a queue at the restaurant. How much free, relaxed time did I have on my “peaceful” Sunday morning, then? Certainly not as much as you would expect.

But everything is different here. Slovenia is a stress-free country that allows me to focus on the small details I couldn’t see before: the waiter asking how my day’s been and smiling while giving me the change back after I order my morning coffee. That stranger that lets me rent the last public bike because the next station is not that far away. Going to the river and reading a good book on those 20 minutes that I have for myself. Being able to meet friends for coffee in the afternoon without checking my phone every 40 seconds, because there’s no rush on what to do after that.If you’re reading this and you’re from Slovenia, I can’t tell you enough how lucky you are to enjoy this way of life. If you just arrived -maybe you’re visiting as a tourist, maybe you moved for Erasmus or for work, then  get ready for the best period of time of your life. Slovenia will blow your mind.

Serbia defeated France 3:2 in the European Championship's semi-final match on Friday, qualifying for the finals where it will play against Slovenia this Sunday.

The situation is reminiscent of the 2017 European basketball championship, in which Slovenia, considered by many as not a strong medal contender, qualified for the finals, where it overpowered historically a much stronger team of Serbia thereby winning the title (and its first medal ever).

Two years later, Slovenia entered European Volleyball Championship seriously underestimated by many again. Although the team suffered a decisive defeat against Russia (3:0) in the qualifiers, Slovenia met Russia again during the knockouts, eliminating it in the quarterfinals, while the team beat Poland, another gold medal contender,  in the semi-finals. To win the volleyball championship Slovenian team will thus, just like two years ago in Eurobasket, have to beat Serbia in the finals, which will take place in Paris, France this Sunday, and be watched in homes, cafés and bars all over Slovenia

The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 27 September

Mladina: If Germany can rescue its companies, why can't Slovenia?

STA, 27 September 2019 – Mladina, the left-wing weekly, criticises Slovenian governments for failing to protect the interests of Slovenian companies, including Adria Airways, saying they usually give EU rules as an excuse not to act, whereas engines of capitalism such as Germany always help their companies. What is more, they are indirectly buying Slovenian companies.

Due to the government's inactivity, nearly 600 Adria staff will lose their jobs and at least another 600 jobs will be lost indirectly, while the budget will suffer a loss of EUR 20 million, the weekly says in its editorial on Friday.

When Economy Minister Zdarvko Počivalšek met on Wednesday a group of Adria workers who are seeking a solution, he said the state was not indifferent to its troubles, and mentioned Adria's irresponsible owner, which had put at stake the company's operating licence.

But it is surprising he became aware of Adria's troubles only now when the rest of Slovenians realised how deeply in trouble it was much earlier, and that he forgot to mention he was the economy minister in the Miro Cerar government, which sold Adria to Germany's 4K Invest in 2016.

At the time, the government argued the sale would enable Adria to "develop, expand and provide for Slovenia's new links to the world", and those who warned this would not be the case because Adria was sold to a speculative venture capital fund were said to be ignorant of the very basics of capitalism.

When Počivalšek visited Adria, Germany announced it would help the airline Condor get a loan to prevent its bankruptcy. Two days before the German rescue effort, former Adria director Peter Grašek proposed a similar solution for Adria to the Slovenian government.

But the government is actually not seeking a solution, it is waiting for the situation to calm down so that it may start pointing fingers and complain about its hands being tied by EU rules. Yet, the same rules do not prevent Croatia or Estonia to help their airlines, or Germany to immediately rescue an airline or car factory when in trouble.

Mladina says that Slovenia's national airport operator Aerodrom Ljubljana was not sold just to any company in 2014, it was sold to Germany's Fraport, which is indirectly in majority ownership of Germany.

"Isn't it strange that we are being constantly told it is vital to sell companies and banks for the state to be successful and efficient, while at the same time it always turns out that the countries which are considered the culmination of capitalist efficiency and success, are buying our companies and banks?"

What is more, they purchase our companies in collaboration with their private companies, Mladina says, noting Fraport is partly owned by Lufthansa, the airline which will most certainly take over Adria's business.

Mladina says it is clear Počivalšek knew Adria was sold to speculative funds which would drain it. And as prime minister, Alenka Bratušek also knew airport operator Aerodrom was actually bought by the German state.

"She also knew that as soon as the national airport is sold, there will be an end to the complementarity between the airport and Adria, which will be fateful for Adria in five years' time," editor-in-chief Grega Repovž says in They Knew.

Reporter: Bratušek attempting power grab in corrupt energy sector

STA, 23 September 2019 - The right-wing weekly Reporter says in Monday's commentary that a recent failed attempt by Infrastructure Minister Alenka Bratušek to be given the final word in the appointment of executives at two state-owned energy companies had not been about wanting to end rampant corruption but merely about trying to seize control over it.

While managing to subjugate SODO, the state-owned electricity distribution system operator, to the government in this way, Bratušek failed to get same statue change proposals passed by the government last week for ELES, the transmission system operator, and for power market operator Borzen.

While Reporter's editor-in-chief Silverster Šurla says that Bratušek, whose proposal had been rejected by Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) president and Defence Minister Karel Erjavec while the remaining ministers abstained, should in fact be believed when she speaks of rampant corruption in the sector.

However, in any normal state accusations of such gravity as the ones issued by her would immediately be examined by authorities specialised in the prosecution of organised crime.

"The minister should report these things to the police immediately and share everything she knowns, including with all the names," Šurla says.

He argues Bratušek has not done that because she is part of one wing of the energy lobby herself. The two wings are engaged in a struggle for the executive posts and thereby for control over the bountiful money flow in state-owned energy companies.

Šurla says under The Fox and the Sour Grapes that Bratušek "is a cunning political fox, who will stop at nothing to reach her goals and is possibly even ready to bring down the government".

All our posts in this series are 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.

This summary was prepared by the STA:

FRIDAY, 20 September
        LJUBLJANA - Iztok Purič stepped down as the head of the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, citing personal reasons.
        LJUBLJANA - The Civil Aviation Agency grounded two Adria Airways Bombardier CRJ900 planes, after lessors terminated lease contracts for the two planes due to payment default.
        LJUBLJANA - Media reported that the national motorway company DARS selected for further talks three out of the five bidders vying to build the second tube of the Karavanke tunnel: Turkish builder Cengiz, a consortium of Kolektor CGP, Riko and Turkey's Yapi Merkezi, and Implenia Österreich, a consortium including Implenia Švica and CGP Novo Mesto.
        LJUBLJANA - Culture Minister Zoran Poznič welcomed the government's decision to endorse a "culture euro" bill which envisages additional funds for culture to promote its development through investment. The price tag of the new bill for 2021-2027 is EUR 122.6 million.
        METLIKA/KOSTEL - Thirteen municipalities along the border with Croatia joined forces in urging the government to start renewing local roads that have been damaged from heavy use by the police patrolling the border and to start cleaning the border fence.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's consumer confidence deteriorated for the second month running in September to a level last seen in late 2016. Nevertheless, the index remains eight percentage points above the long-term average.
        BLED - The Pergam confederation of trade unions marked the 150th anniversary of the formation of Slovenia's first trade union at a general assembly in Bled that saw Prime Minister Marjan Šarec stress the importance of social dialogue.

SATURDAY, 21 September
        LJUBLJANA - Modern Centre Party (SMC) members unanimously elected Zdravko Počivalšek the SMC's new leader at a congress. Taking over from party founder Miro Cerar, Počivalšek called for economic stability, a fair welfare state, a liberal approach and sustainability.
        MARIBOR - The SNG Maribor was honoured with the Golden Order of Merit for its outstanding contribution to performing arts and Slovenian cultural identity as the theatre, bringing together drama, opera and ballet, marked its centenary at a high-profile ceremony.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's information and communications technology (ICT) sector generated EUR 4.4 billion in revenue last year, 3.9% more than in 2017. Growth was slower than the year before, when revenue increased by 6.4% year on year, according to data from the Statistics Office.

SUNDAY, 22 September
        LJUBLJANA - Banks will have to adapt to changes in the business environment, Slovenian central bank Governor Boštjan Vasle said as he commented on a recent set of measures taken by the ECB to revive inflation. Without the ECB measures, inflation would have been even lower and the economic cooling even stronger, he told Radio Slovenija.
        LJUBLJANA - Stories from the Chestnut Woods, a debut feature film by up-and-coming Gregor Božič, won eleven of a total of 23 Vesna awards given out at the 22nd Festival of Slovenian Film, plus the audience award.

MONDAY, 23 September
        NEW YORK, US - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec started a five-day visit to New York where he will address the general debate of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly on Friday. He started the trip by attending the UN Climate Summit and a World Economic Forum (WEF) debate on sustainable development.
        NEW YORK, US - Former President Danilo Türk told the STA that US foreign policy was being undermined due to President Donald Trump's unpredictable and poorly thought through decisions.
        LJUBLJANA - Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar expects Slovenia to see a rise in the number of people crossing the border illegally before the winter, but not to the extent seen in 2015 and 2016, he said during questions time in parliament.
        LJUBLJANA - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, his party and the government all saw their popularity ratings fall in the latest poll commissioned by the private broadcaster POP TV, with voter support for the government falling below 50% for the first time this year.
        LJUBLJANA - Roman Kirn, a seasoned diplomat who until recently served as the foreign policy adviser to PM Marjan Šarec, was critical in an interview for Reporter of Šarec's recent visit to Russia, in particular because it had not included a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
        KOPER - Logistics company Intereuropa said that Pošta Slovenije, the state-owned postal operator, plans to acquire a 72% stake in Intereuropa at EUR 1.45 per share for a total of EUR 28.75 million.
        LJUBLJANA - Sales of new housing properties have dropped to the lowest level on record in the second quarter of 2019, according to data from the Statistics Office. Meanwhile, more than 1,360 second-hand houses were sold this second quarter, the most since the second quarter of 2017.
        VIENNA, Austria - Klagenfurt-based Slovenian-Austrian author Maja Haderlap is to receive an Austrian Art Prize which comes with EUR 15,000.

TUESDAY, 24 September
        LJUBLJANA - Carrier Adria Airways suspended virtually all its flights due to a shortage of cash, in what is the biggest upset in Slovenian civil aviation in decades. On 25 September it was given a week to submit to the Civil Aviation Agency a credible financial restructuring plan or lose its operational licence. Meanwhile, a bill was drafted that would allow the government to subsidise selected routes to and from Ljubljana Airport.
        NEW YORK, US - PM Marjan Šarec addressed the first summit dedicated to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the UN General Assembly, highlighting Slovenia's ambitions pursuit of the agenda's goals. Šarec also attended the opening of the general debate of the 74th General Assembly session.
        NEW YORK, US - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar took part in a EU-hosted high level meeting on Syria, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, condemning attacks on civilians. In his address, Cerar said that the solution to the Syria conflict could only be a political one.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's business sentiment deteriorated in September to 4.8 percentage points, down 1.2 percentage point on the month before and down 3.4% year-on-year, data from the Statistics Office showed.
        BRUSSELS, Belgium - Infrastructure Ministry State Secretary Bojan Kumer rejected the recent allegation by several NGOs that Slovenia is planning new subsidies for fossil fuels, arguing that such subsidies will be phased out.

WEDNESDAY, 25 September
        NEW YORK, US/LJUBLJANA - Commenting on reports about Croatia getting a go-ahead to enter the Schengen area in October, Foreign Minister Miro Cerar said it was in Slovenia's interest to see Croatia joining, but only if the neighbour showed respect for all EU democratic and legal standards. Indicating a potential veto over Croatia's ignoring of the border arbitration decision, PM Marjan Šarec added on Thursday that should the EU Commission act politically, so would Slovenia.
        LJUBLJANA - The Left tabled a legislative motion that would in effect abolish supplementary health insurance and replace it with a progressive levy, having failed to find common ground with the coalition parties despite weeks of talks.
        LJUBLJANA - The newspaper Dnevnik reported that Justice Minister Andreja Katič had reported Maribor Labour Court president Stanko Omerzu to the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption for having employed at the court a daughter of a witness who testified in his favour in a case in which he stands accused of stalking his ex-lover.
        MARIBOR - The teachers' trade union SVIZ told University of Maribor Chancellor Zdravko Kačič to consider resigning over contentious payments at the university. The union blames Kačič for failing to immediately present all the facts to the public and notify the police of potential irregularities related to EUR 50 million being paid through works contracts.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) conferred awards for breakthrough innovations at the 17th Innovation Day. Pharma company Lek won two top awards, for a new procedure for the purification of biopharmaceuticals and a new generation of probiotics, while its rival, Krka, was honoured for an innovative generic drug.
        LJUBLJANA - General government receipts from taxes and social contributions increased for the fifth year running last year, by 7.2% to EUR 17.3 billion, according to the Statistics Office. Tax revenue rose by 7.4% to EUR 10.1 billion and the take from social contributions increased by 6.8% to EUR 7.2 billion in 2018.

THURSDAY, 26 September
        NEW YORK, US - PM Marjan Šarec has expressed regret about the developments at Adria Airways, sympathising with the passengers and the employees' families, but also noted that the air carrier is no longer state-owned and that the outlook for its rescue is not good. Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek on the other hand said potential solutions were still being examined to rescue the company and preserve Slovenia's air links with the rest of the world.
        NEW YORK, US - PM Marjan Šarec underlined Slovenia's support for multilateralism and the need to honour human rights and agreements as he met UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York.
        LJUBLJANA - The National Assembly passed the Resolution on National Security Strategy with 46 votes in favour and 29 against after the opposition SDS and the Left succeeded in throwing out an expansion of powers of the intelligence service to fight home-grown terrorism.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia defeated Poland 3:1 in the semifinal of the European Volleyball Championship to qualify for the final in Paris.
        LJUBLJANA - Retailer Mercator saw group sales revenue increase by 0.4% to EUR 1.06 billion in the first half of the year. Group net profit rose by 58.4% to EUR 2.4 million. EBITDA increased by almost 73% to EUR 83 million and operating profit by over 76% to EUR 29.9 million.
        LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Foreign Ministry paid its tribute to late French President Jacques Chirac by describing him as an important ally of Slovenia in its accession to the EU and NATO.
        PODGORICA, Montenegro - Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec and his Montenegrin counterpart Predrag Bošković sought ways to further deepened already close defence cooperation. The Slovenian Defence Ministry announced defence attaches would be sent by both countries to Podgorica and Ljubljana respectively.
        LJUBLJANA - Bank Asset Management Company (BAMC) generated EUR 17.9 million in net profit in the first half of the year, which was 12% less than in the first half of 2018. The company attributed the decrease to a shrunken portfolio.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliament passed a legislative proposal dealing with the indexation of transfers to individuals and households under which such transfers worth around EUR 1.25 billion will be indexed to inflation once a year. The opposition Democrats (SDS) and the Left were the only parties to oppose the amendment.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia gained two spots on the IMD World Digital Competitiveness ranking over 2018, placing 32nd this year.

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:

Šarec makes strong plea for efficient multilateralism at UN

NEW YORK, US - PM Marjan Šarec made a strong plea for efficient multilateralism in his address to the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. He also stressed the importance of fundamental principles such as the rule of law and respect for human rights. He pinpointed the rule of law and human rights, climate change and sustainable development goals, and challenges related to new technologies as the key areas where multilateralism was required. He also called on delegates to back at November's UNESCO general conference Europe's first international AI research centre that would be set in Slovenia's capital Ljubljana.

Lenarčič to seek holistic approach to crisis management

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Slovenia's European Commissioner-designate Janez Lenarčič, nominated for the crisis management portfolio, believes in a comprehensive approach to crisis management that will integrate humanitarian, development, security and climate aspects of crisis management, follows from his responses to written questions by MEPs in advance of next week's hearings at the European Parliament's working bodies. He commits to three main goals: close cooperation with commissioners in charge of foreign policy, development, neighbourhood policy and security; distribution of humanitarian aid in accordance with international humanitarian law and principles; and strengthening of emergency response and humanitarian aid.

Cerar hosts Green Group ministers in New York

New York, US - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar hosted in New York ministers and high representatives of the Slovenian-sponsored Green Group initiative, uniting six small countries that are promoting green policies, and encouraging the transition to a green economy and the use of renewable energy sources. The Green Group was formed upon Slovenia's initiative in 2009 to raise the profile of green diplomacy. It is an informal forum of foreign ministers from Slovenia, Iceland, Costa Rica, Cape Verde, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.

Slovenia presents resolution on human rights education in Geneva

GENEVA, Switzerland - The 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council wrapped up in Geneva, with Slovenia presenting its resolution on human rights education. The proposal envisages a multi-annual strategy for educating the young about human rights. According to the Foreign Ministry, the council's members addressed a wide spectrum of issues during the three-week session, including the human rights situation in Venezuela, Yemen, Myanmar, Sudan and Ukraine.

Foreign carriers already filling supply gap at Ljubljana airport

BRNIK - The flight cancellations by Slovenia's airline Adria Airways have increased demand for and accordingly the supply by rival carriers already operating the Ljubljana route. The first changes are already being made to the winter schedules, while new carriers are reportedly also expressing interest to start flying to Ljubljana. The airport's operator Fraport Slovenija said several airlines increased the number of flights per week or used larger planes. Meanwhile, Adria announced it would execute two evening flights to Frankfurt this weekend, whereas the plan for Monday is to execute 11 flights. Adria's owner, the German turnaround fund 4K, is still waiting for the government to decide whether to grant it the EUR 4 million in aid which 4K claims can prevent receivership.

Industrial relations forum suspended as partners feel ignored

LJUBLJANA - Employers pulled out of the Economic and Social Council (ESS) in protest of bills being filed in parliament without any regard for the industrial relations forum, whereas the head of the ZSSS trade union confederation Lidija Jerkič followed suit by resigning as ESS chair. What angered the employers was a series of bills the Left, an opposition partner of the minority government, has filed to parliament which have a major impact on companies and workers. Both the employers and unions now expect PM Marjan Šarec to break the deadlock and give the ESS the role it is supposed to play in the process of legislation adoption.

Youth across Slovenia protesting against climate inaction

LJUBLJANA - More than a thousand young people took to the streets in Ljubljana, gathering in front of parliament as part of the Global Climate Strike and #FridaysForFuture movement to urge politicians to declare a climate crisis and come up with practical measures. The protest, held by the Youth for Climate Justice, saw young people chanting "we're sick of promises, we demand measures". The young decided not to meet state representatives given that nothing had improved since they held talks during the March strike. but Environment Minister Simon Zajc expressed his support for the protests, deeming the strike a wake-up call and a call for action. Apart from Ljubljana, climate strikes were also held in more than ten other cities across Slovenia.

Manager of the year Berločnik: Petrol on track to meet ambitious targets

PORTOROŽ - Tomaž Berločnik, the general manager of energy company Petrol, received this year's Manager of the Year award, conferred by the Manager Association last evening. During his eight-year stint he is credited with having transformed the company from a traditional oil firm to future-focused group setting new trends in energy and retail. Petrol had its best-ever year in 2018, posting group sales revenue of EUR 5.4 billion, up 20% over 2017 and a near doubling from 2010. Berločnik told the STA the company was now on track to exceeding the revenue target of EUR 5.6 billion for 2019 and beating the profit target.

Extensive constitutional changes from 1989 remembered

LJUBLJANA - 30 years to the day, socialist Slovenia thoroughly overhauled its constitution to facilitate declaring independence from Yugoslavia in June 1991. As many as 81 constitutional amendments were passed in its assembly in a bid to give Slovenia more sovereignty within the Yugoslav federation. The modernised constitution set down the right to self-determination, the freedom of movement and economic independence, enabling the establishment of political parties and the firts free elections. It was a culmination of calls for democracy in the second half of the 1980s. President Borut Pahor marked the occasion with a reception featuring some of the members of the commission which had drafted the changes.

Official Gazette gets new boss, and it's not Šoltes

LJUBLJANA - Denis Stroligo was on Thursday appointed the director of Uradni List, the state-owned company publishing the Official Gazette, which has been recently involved in a scandal surrounding political pressures related to the appointment procedure. Stroligo, a law graduate which has gained managerial experience at various senior posts in his 26-year career, will take over on 1 October for four years. His appointment comes after the scandal which last month swept senior ruling LMŠ party official Brane Kralj out of office for calling up Uradni List chief supervisor to instruct her to appoint former MEP Igor Šoltes.

Govt budget spending on R&D up over 12% in 2018

LJUBLJANA - The funds allocated by Slovenia for research and development rose by 12.4% last year compared to 2017, amounting to EUR 191.7 million. The GDP share of R&D funding after what was the third consecutive increase was 0.42%, up from 0.40% the year before, the Statistics Office said. Like in the preceding years, the bulk of these funds went to the state sector (51.6%), followed by higher education (38.4%), business (7.9%), the private not-for-profit sector (1.1%) and foreign entities (1%).

Ljubljana gets new art gallery

LJUBLJANA - Ljubljana is getting another commercial gallery, focussing on Slovenian contemporary fine art, as the SLOART gallery and auction house expanded and opened a new gallery in Trubarjeva Street in Ljubljana's city centre. The gallery is a project carried out in cooperation with SLOART's contemporary art Gallery Y and will showcase works of Gallery Y authors Sašo Vrabič, Arjan Pregl, Tina Dobrajc and Duša Jesih as part of an exhibition dubbed New Positions. It aims to represent a total of ten acclaimed Slovenian artists of younger and middle generations by 2025.

New website promoting Slovenian music launched

LJUBLJANA - A new website was launched by the Slovenian Music Information Centre (SIGIC) presenting the Slovenian music scene to the domestic and international publics. Music Slovenia features a database of musicians, bands, festivals, venues, agencies and organisations connected with the scene. The main purpose of the website musicslovenia.si is to present the scene to foreigners who want to invite Slovenian musicians to perform abroad or get acquainted with the infrastructure enabling foreign musicians to perform in Slovenia.

Roglič's red jersey fetches EUR 30,000 for charity

LJUBLJANA - The red jersey Slovenia's Primož Roglič received as the overall winner of the Vuelta fetched EUR 30,000 at a charity auction, money that will be spent to help talented young athletes. The winning bid of EUR 22,000 came from the DIY chain Bauhaus, with two more bidders chipping in EUR 8,000 despite losing the bidding. The auction was organised by public radio station Val 202, one of the sponsors of Botrstvo, a long-running charity project for children.

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

Are you up for some cheese? Cheese lovers are in for a treat: The Association of Rural Cheesemakers of Slovenia is holding its 2nd Slovene Cheese Festival at the Brdo Congress Centre in Kranj on Tuesday, October 1, from 12 noon till 7pm. 

In just one afternoon, visitors to the festival will get the chance to taste and buy various traditional and contemporary Slovenian farm cheeses, get to know their producers and enjoy cheese-based snacks.

This is Slovenia’s most important cheese festival that features products from all over the country. It also gives visitors the opportunity to get acquainted with boutique cheese production in Slovenia. Farm cheese producers will be on hand to explain whatever people are interested in knowing about their cheese-making processes and products.

Cheese-aging cellar (Photo: Združenje Kmečkih Sirarjev Slovenije)

Vast Cheese Selection

Thirty-two cheesemakers, including both boutique and major dairies, will present their cheeses this year. It will also be interesting to see the influence of certain foreign cheese-making traditions on Slovenia’s more prominent cheesemakers. 

Such cheesemakers don’t just stick to making traditional cheeses, simply because they’re limited. Instead, they choose to add to their offering by producing more cheeses in other styles. You’ll be able to see the result of their cheese-making education in France and Germany in their vast cheese selection.

Special Treat

Chef Jože Godec of Resje restaurant in Bohinj will delight festival-goers will his potato- and cheese-based finger foods. Last year, he impressed guests with his goat cheese mousse served on a buckwheat pancake. How he will pamper visitors to this year's festival is yet a secret—to be unfolded on October 1.

This Year’s Novelty

A novelty for this year’s edition is a B2B event that will enable cheese producers to showcase their products to restaurants, chefs, and shops. One main aim of this business section of the festival is to emphasise that businesses in Slovenia should present local cheeses to their customers, rather than foreign ones. This B2B event will take place prior to the festival, between 10 and 11.30am.

The duo Bakalin will provide music entertainment during the festival opening at noon. This duo is from Čadrga nad Tolminom, a village that’s recognised for its rich cheese tradition. Its members are Jani Kutin (voice) of the organic cheese farm Pri Križarju, and Renata Lapanja (accordion).

Cheese occupies a special place in gastronomy today (Photo: Združenje Kmečkih Sirarjev Slovenije)

Special Place in Gastronomy

At a press conference held last Wednesday to present this year’s festival, Cvetko Zupančič, President of the Slovenian Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry, emphasised that cheeses occupy a special place in gastronomy today. “They are gaining value as consumers are becoming ever more appreciative of and interested in cheese products,'' he added.

Festival details:

The festival grand opening begins at 12 noon, with a B2B pre-event running from 10am to 11.30am.

Entrance fee is €15 per person. For groups of 10 or more visitors, the fee is €12 per person. Entrance fee includes unlimited tasting of over 90 different cheeses and one cheese-based snack.

For more information contact Sara Ketiš; phone number: +386 3164 9002, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

More about the Association of Rural Cheesemakers of Slovenia

The Association of Rural Cheesemakers of Slovenia (ZKSS) is an active member of the Farmhouse and Artisan Cheese and Dairy Producer’s European Network (FACE). ZKSS joined the FACE Network in 2017, and since then has been involved in its activities, including the setting up of policies and priorities. The Board of Directors of the FACE Network met for the first time in July this year in Slovenia.

STA, 27 September 2019 - The flight cancellations by Slovenia's troubled airline Adria Airways have increased demand for and accordingly the supply by rival carriers already operating the Ljubljana route. The first changes are already being made to the winter schedules, while new carriers are reportedly also expressing interest to start flying to Ljubljana.

The airport's operator Fraport Slovenija told the STA on Friday that current data showed Air France increased the number of flights per week from six to 13 and is also using larger capacity aircraft if needed.

LOT Polish Airlines added one flight to its seven per week and is also flying more frequently with the larger Boeing B737.

Air Serbia is also frequently resorting to the Airbus A319 solution in place of the smaller ATR planes, Montenegro Airlines has increased the number of flights from four to five, and Russia's Aeroflotis is also increasing capacity by using Airbus A319 planes instead of the Sukhois.

Turkish Airlines is preserving its number of flights so far, but Fraport said it would secure larger planes if needed.

The airport operator said Adria's cancellations had also boosted interest in the airport on the part of new carriers, but no details could yet be provided.

Also responding are airports in neighbouring countries, with Austria's Klagenfurt airport for instance posting an ad in the Slovenian newspaper Delo.

The Graz airport in Austria could also benefit, as Lufthansa has announced it would revive its Graz-Frankfurt route at the end of October.

Also noted have been ads by foreign carriers which are inviting Slovenian pilots among their ranks.

Meanwhile, Adria announced today it would execute but two evening flights to Frankfurt this weekend.

For Monday, the plan is to execute 11 flights: to Frankfurt, München, Brussels, Zürich and Vienna. Return flights will be carried out for all these destinations as well, while Adria also plans to fly from Ljubljana to Tirana, the company said today.

Adria's owner, the German turnaround fund 4K, is still waiting for the government to decide whether to grant it the EUR 4 million in aid which 4K claims can prevent receivership. According to the newspaper Finance, a decision could already come today.

It is unlikely that aid in this form will occur. This has also been stressed by Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, while Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said Adria would not get a single euro from the state as long as it is owned by 4K.

All out stories about Adria are here