Keep up with the daily news in Slovenia by checking the morning headlines here

This schedule is provided by the STA:

 MONDAY, 1 July

        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Health Committee will discuss a proposal to postpone obligatory standardised packaging for tobacco products until 2023.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Education Committee is to discuss the contentious changes to the system of financing for private primary schools.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Infrastructure Committee will discuss a bill limiting commissions for renting real estate and costs which real estate agencies can charge to their clients.
        LJUBLJANA - Parliamentary Speaker Dejan Židan is to attend an event commemorating the 24th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.
        SEŽANA - A presentation will be held as the Slovenian and Italian police forces launch joint patrols along the border.
        LJUBLJANA - A seminar on Slovenian language, literature and culture aimed at Slovenian emigrants and foreigners will open; until 13 July.
        LJUBLJANA - A week-long 20th edition of the Sajeta art and music festival will get under way, starting a series of summer festivals next to the Soča river near the small town of Tolmin.
        LJUBLJANA - A performance of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida in Congress Square will open this year's Ljubljana Festival; until 5 September.

TUESDAY, 2 July
        PARIS, France - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar will meet OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris.
        LJUBLJANA - President of the National Assembly of Serbia Maja Gojković will pay a visit to Slovenia, to be received by Slovenian counterpart Dejan Židan, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec and National Council President Alojz Kovšca.
        LJUBLJANA - The college of deputy group leaders will discuss the National Assembly session scheduled to start on 9 July.
        TORONTO, Canada - Foreign Ministry State Secretary Simona Leskovar will attend a ministerial on reforms in Ukraine.
        NOVA GORICA/KAMNIK - This year's Ana Desetnica street theatre festival will start; until 7 July.

WEDNESDAY, 3 July
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee will be in session.
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - The government Office for Development and European Cohesion policy will organise a conference on systemic design for circular policymaking.
        BRNIK - The Mountain Rescue Association will speak to the press about problems related to the rising number of tourists in the mountains.
        NOVO MESTO - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec and Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek will attend a presentation of the fifth generation Renault Clio at Renault's Slovenian assembly plant Revoz.
        LJUBLJANA - The Employment Service will publish data on registered unemployment in June.

THURSDAY, 4 July
        POZNAN, Poland - Foreign Minister Miro Cerar and Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar will attend a Western Balkans ministerial within the Berlin Process, discussing security, organised crime, corruption and human trafficking.
        HELSINKI, Finland - Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek will attend an informal session of the EU Competitiveness Council. (until 5 July)
        LJUBLJANA - Weekly government session.
        LJUBLJANA - The Agency for Insurance Supervision (AZN) will present a report on 2018 and speak about the current state of the Slovenian insurance market.
        NOVO MESTO - Shareholders meeting of the pharma company Krka.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for Relations with Slovenians Abroad will organise the 18th meeting for Slovenians who left the country and mostly did not return.
        LJUBLJANA - An exhibition on the occupation of Ljubljana during World War II will open in the town hall gallery.
        KOSTANJEVICA NA KRKI - The Forma Viva international sculptural symposium will open.

FRIDAY, 5 July
        POZNAN, Poland - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec and Foreign Minister Miro Cerar will attend a Berlin Process summit.
        LJUBLJANA - Public presentation of views on a proposed resolution on the Slovenian national security strategy.
        LJUBLJANA - The Economic and Social Council will discuss measures in healthcare, active employment policy and a report of the EBRD on future of work.
        LJUBLJANA - The results of this year's country-wide matura secondary school leaving exam will be revealed.
        PTUJ - The Art Stays festival of contemporary fine arts will start; until 12 July.
        
SATURDAY, 6 July
        GORNJI GRAD - Prime Minister Marjan Šarec will attend a ceremony commemorating the 74th anniversary of a major campaign of the Slovenian Partisan resistance forces.

SUNDAY, 7 July
        TOKYO, Japan - Foreign Ministry State Secretary Simona Leskovar will attend the Scale UP international conference for women in business.

If you're not in town for the week of this guide (01 to 07 June, 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.

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

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

As ever, links to the basic listings are after the following selection, while a comprehensive PDF of events for the next seven days, as prepared by Ljubljana Tourism, is here.

  Jump to listings

The summer really begins this week, and you can expect more events each day throughout the season, both free and paid, with the streets coming alive with music, performances and crowds.

Photo: JL Flanner

The biggest thing is the start of the Ljubljana Festival, which continues until 5 September and has a packed programme of world-class concert, opera, and ballet events – see more here.

Other festivals of note include the start of Gala Hala Summer Stage at Metelkova Mesto, running until 31 July and offering bands and DJ sets, with all evenings free. Details here (Slovene only). There’s also the Ana Desetnica street theatre festival, from 3 – 6 July, in various squares around town. All the performances are fee and it’s a lot of fun. See more here.

Thursday you can head to Tivoli Park – under the pine trees, next to the playground – for a 17:00 concert by the Wild Strings Trio. It’s free, and bringing something to eat is encouraged.

Every Thursday in the summer, at Kavarna Plato, Ajdovščina 1 (on end of Slovenska cesta, not far from Nebotičnik) there’s free open-air salsa, starting 20:00.

Same same, but different, every Friday, 20:30, there’ll be free live jazz in Stari trg (Old Town Square).

Ljubljana Castle – Parallel Worlds of Alan Hranitelj runs from July 5 to September 8, showing the work of acclaimed costume designer Alan Hranitelj.

The Summer in Ljubljana Old Town goes on until 28 August. This presents classical concerts, many of which are free, in the churches, inner courtyards and squares in the old city centre. The programme is here.

Running until 1 September is the Mini Theatre’s season for children and young people, with details here.

Volčji Potok Arboretum (Volčji Potok 3) has a rose garden in bloom until 31 August, nature permitting.

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts 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.

Photo: JL Flanner

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 & miscellaneous

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 that TOY STORY 4 seems to be only on in dubbed versions

Kinodvor –This is an arts cinema, not far from the train station, that shows new features as well as hosting the occassional festival, and this week, starting the 13th, it's the Let it Roll festival of music documentaries.

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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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.

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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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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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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, while every Monday until June 2019 there'stangoat 18:00. 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, and - as noted at the start

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.

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. On until 25 September is Treasures from Russian Museums, an exhibition showcasing more than 80 Russian icons from leading Russian museums.

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

International Centre of Graphic Art  – The 33^rd Biennial of Graphic Arts runs until 29 September. It's called Crack Up – Crack Down, and is curated by the collective Slavs and Tartars, with a focus satire and the graphic arts. Learn more here.

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. On until 19 September is a show called Creators, on contemporary Slovenian fashion and textile design, which is being promoted with the following image.

Photo: Urša Premik

A new show by one of the best photographers of the city, Igor Andjelič, on the theme of Bauhaus, is on at Galerija ŠKUC until 17 July (here).

Photo: Igor Andjelič. See more of his work here

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. Opening Thursday, April 25^th, 20:00, The Visual Arts in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, 1929–1941, which then runs until September 15^th 2019. This offers “an overview of painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, photography, and film from the time the king's dictatorship was set up (6 January 1929) to the beginning of World War II on Yugoslav soil (April 1941)” - you can read more about it here. The museum's Metelkova branch also has a big new show, runing until at least September 2019, an the art of the Non-Aligned Movement, with an example shown below.

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. The Space Within the Space: Scenography in Slovenia before 1991 will provide a comprehensive historic, stylistic, visual and theatrical overview of Slovenian scenography until 8 September. There’s also a big show on Alan Ford, one of the great comic books of the Yugoslav era, on until 13 October.

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

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

 Roma Aeterna: Masterpieces of Classical Sculpture - see below

National Museum of Contemporary History - Tucked away in park Tivoli, in addition to his permanent collection will be showingIn Search Of Freedom: 1968-2018 until 16 August. Until 29 September there also a retrospective on the photographer Edi Šelhaus, which is being promoted with the following image. Opening 4 June and closing 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.

Photo: Edi Šelhaus

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. On until September 15 is Petra Šink: The circle between design and nature, in which the award-winning designer takes visitors through the life cycle of useful products for the home which are made from natural biodegradable fungal materials.

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

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

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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

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 & miscellaneous

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 part, our guide to how to park in Ljubljana is here.

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.

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

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Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also ollow 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

Visiting Ljubljana? Check out what's on this week, while all our stories on Slovenia, from newest to oldest, are here

This summary is provided by the STA:

Koper rail track could reopen by midnight, kerosene removal continues

LJUBLJANA - The Koper-Divača rail track, a crucial transport link for the Koper port, is expected to be reopened at midnight and not at noon as initially planned, railway operator Slovenske železnice announced. The reason is the decision to remove more of the material potentially affected by Tuesday's massive kerosene spill. Slovenske železnice director general Dušan Mes said that "it would have made no sense to expose everybody to risk to save 12 hours." To address the backlog and also direct the rail cargo to roads, heavy goods vehicles will be allowed to use roads from and to the Koper port during the upcoming weekend.

Annual inflation rate at 1.8% in June

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's annual inflation rate in June stood at 1.8%, with the prices of services going up on average by 2.9% on the yearly basis, and the prices of goods by 1.2%, the Statistics Office reported. Contributing the most to the annual inflation in June were higher prices of goods and services in the fields of housing, water supply, electricity, gas and other fuels (0.7 percentage points). Monthly inflation in June stood at 0.3%. The annual the rate went up by 0.4 percentage points compared to the annual rate in May. Measured with the harmonised index of consumer prices, the annual inflation in Slovenia was at 1.9% in June, down 0.4 percentage points year-on-year.

Government budget surplus minimal in Q1, public debt down

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's general government budget generated a minimal surplus of EUR 4 million or 0.03% of GDP in the first quarter of 2019, down 0.3 of a percentage point compared to the same period last year. General government debt amounted to EUR 31.58 billion or 67.9% of GDP, said the Statistics Office. General government debt was down by 2.2 percentage points compared to the last quarter of 2018, when it stood at 70.1% of GDP. Similarly to the past seven quarters, general government generated a surplus also in the first quarter of 2019, but this time it was minimal.

Slovenia joins call for preservation of Iran nuclear deal

LJUBLJANA/VIENNA, Austria - Seven European countries, including Slovenia, issued a statement to stress the importance of preserving the Iran nuclear deal as representatives of Iran are meeting in Vienna with five signatories of the deal who are trying to convince the country not to exit the deal over the US sanctions. In the statement, Austria, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Slovenia say that in cooperation with France, Germany, the UK and the EU's foreign service and the European Commission, they were looking for ways for legal trade and financial transactions with Iran. One of the key initiatives is establishing the ISTEX instrument.

Ministry says border barriers Italy's internal decision

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Interior Ministry responded to the announcement by Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of the possibility of setting up barriers on the Slovenian-Italian border by saying that such a step would be part of Italy's internal political decision-making. Salvini plans to put up barriers in case the countries' joint border patrols, which are expected to start on 1 July, will not turn out to be effective at reducing illegal migration.

Govt ready to contribute to bail-in repayment, stakeholders remain unhappy

LJUBLJANA - Featuring almost 80 amendments, the second reading of a bill designed to provide legal recourse for holders of subordinated bank liabilities who were wiped out in the 2013 bank bailout proved too much for a single session of the parliamentary Finance Committee. Several open issues are to be addressed at a forthcoming session. A key novelty among the new amendments, mostly filed by the coalition with a view to the reservations expressed by parliament's legal service and some of the stakeholders, is that Banka Slovenije would no longer be made to shoulder the entire burden of what could be over EUR 963 million in damage payments.

President Pahor honoured by Crans Montana Forum

GENEVA, Switzerland - President Borut Pahor was honoured with the Prix de la Fondation given out by the Crans Montana Forum for efforts for peace, freedom and democracy. Addressing the award ceremony, Pahor talked about EU enlargement to the Western Balkans and the need to "consider the region more as an entity" in bilateral talks. He said it was clear that enlargement onto the Western Balkans would not be a priority of the next European Commission, underlining that it should become just that.

Parliamentary arbitration wire tapping inquiry to end soon

LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary Commission for the Oversight of Intelligence and Security Services is to conclude its investigation of the 2015 arbitration wire tapping scandal on 8 July, when it will conduct the final interviews. A report, marked confidential, will be ready by September, commission chair Matej Tonin said. The report will "state very clearly who was in the know about who was being briefed by Simona Drenik," said Tonin, referring to Slovenian agent, who was recorded in 2015 speaking over the phone with Slovenian-appointed tribunal member Jernej Sekolec. It is unclear who recorded the communication, prohibited under the rules of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

Trend of increasing number of foreign tourists turned in May

LJUBLJANA - May was an unusual month in terms of foreign tourist arrivals in Slovenia as their number was down by 2% and the number of overnight stays then generated dropped by 6% year-on-year, contrary to the steady trend of an increasing number of tourists recorded in the recent years. May was unseasonably wet and cold, which is probably the main reason for the number of foreign tourists dropping to 383,000 and the number of overnight stays to 841,000. According to the Statistics Office, the overall number of tourists in May stood at 500,000, almost flat compared to the same month in 2018. The number of overnight stays meanwhile dropped by almost 4% to around 1.1 million.

Slovenian veterans condemn war crime complaint against Kučan

LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Independence War Veteran Association (ZVVS) and the Sever association of veteran police officers voiced a strong condemnation and opposition to a criminal complaint against former Slovenian President Milan Kučan, which accuses him of alleged war crimes. They described the complaint as a way to besmirch Slovenia. The statement refers to the complaint against Kučan and five more individuals with Serbia's War Crimes Prosecutor's Office. According to the Serbian newspaper Politika, it has been filed by Serbian lawyer Dušan Bratić, who is studying alleged crimes against members of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s.

Izola hospital gets new helipad

IZOLA - The Izola general hospital opened a new helipad in what is a significant achievement for the main coastal hospital. The state-of-the-art landing platform will be used for some 80 patients in a critical condition every year, according to the hospital's estimates. The project is valued at EUR 500,000, with the hospital earmarking EUR 350,000, and the remaining amount coming from the cross-border Emergency EuroRegion project, co-run by the hospital and aiming to improve emergency services in the Slovenian-Croatian region.

Higher Court orders retrial in Janša defamation case

CELJE - The Celje Higher Court has quashed the ruling of the Celje District Court that sentenced politician Janez Janša to a three-month suspended prison sentence over an offensive tweet in which he called two female journalists prostitutes and likened public broadcaster TV Slovenia to a whorehouse. A retrial has been ordered. The court found that an unauthorised person had appointed a substitute lay magistrate following a recusal request.

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

June 28, 2019

While these days some complain about the heat, others look at the weather as perfect for trips.

Trips, however, can mean soaking in the sea or perhaps lakes, and close to lakes there are often mountains. However, the sartorial differences between a swim in a lake and a hike up a mountain are often not taken very seriously, especially by foreign tourists, who have been causing a lot of work for mountain rescue services in the past few weeks.

Good to know: Overworked with saving lives in situations that could easily be avoided, the mountain rescue service repeatedly pleads to mountaineers and hikers not to wave at helicopters if no help is needed.

Since many rescue missions happen due to hikers’ inappropriate equipment, local police and mountain rescue units occasionally check out the wannabe mountaineers even before they reach the terrain where difficulties might occur.

Earlier this week, a group of twelve heading towards Triglav lakes on the fastest route across Komarča, a quite a serious mountain to climb, was caught wearing the latest street fashions instead of something more appropriate. The rescue service, after taking some photographs, turned them around and sent them back to the Savica hut, the starting point of the trail.

The pictures were then published, for educational purposes, on the Police Directorate Kranj’s Facebook site, with a warning: only ankle-high mountain boots are appropriate footwear for difficult Slovenian mountain trails.

And thus note that worn down sneakers, the coolest trainers, and beach-friendly sandals are not considered safe footwear for Slovenian mountains. And, if we might add, dresses and skirts might hinder your climbing, too.

Inappropriate equipment                                             Photo: Police Directorate Kranj

Appropriate equipment                                                  Photo: Neža Loštrek

STA, 28 June 2019 - Ljubljana ranks among the top 20 friendliest cities for cyclists in the Copenhagenize Index once again this year. After placing 13th in 2015 and 8th in 2017, this year it is in place 14 of the index, which is compiled every other year.

Praising Ljubljana for its efforts to be as bicycle-friendly as possible, the index also sees several issues, such as lack of secure bicycle parking options near transit and schools, and numerous interruptions of the cycling network outside the city centre.

The index also says that design standards are not up to par in terms of protection and width, and that there are maintenance problems throughout winter.

But despite the fact that Ljubljana "slid down a number of spots on the index this year, it still most certainly deserves its space among the top 20 in 2019 for its continued push for innovation and bicycle-friendly development."

It says that "the last two years featured a number of new developments to cycling in the city, with the highest ever ridership numbers recorded for the local bike share system Bicikelj, and a number of one-way streets made accessible to cyclists travelling in two directions".

Additionally, new intersection designs and traffic lights for cyclists have been consistently rolled-out since 2018, as well as car-free and reduced speed zones were expanded, the Copenhagenize Index website says.

Related: How to rent a bike in Ljubljana

STA, 28 June 2019 - The Koper-Divača rail track, a crucial transport link for the Koper port, is expected to be reopened at midnight today and not at noon as initially planned, railway operator Slovenske železnice has announced. The reason is the decision to remove more of the material potentially affected by Tuesday's massive kerosene spill.

"We removed the contaminated rocks during the night, conducted probes in collaboration with the Environment Agency (ARSO) and planned to reopen the track at noon. Upon consulting with the Geological Survey and ARSO this morning we then decided to dig out additional material that could contain kerosene," Slovenske železnice director general Dušan Mes told the press.

"Thus the track will be reopened with a 12-hour delay," he announced.

Mes explained the need to remove another layer of the material was established after the removal of the first. The initial plan had been to do the second step within a period of 14 days, but security concerns prevailed.

"It would have made no sense to expose everybody to risk to save 12 hours," Mes said, while speaking of enormous pressure to reopen as soon as possible coming from everybody at home and abroad who are using the track for freight transport.

Tuesday's spill of an estimated 10,000 litres of kerosene caused by a derailed freight train near Hrastovlje in SW Slovenia has been causing serious water supply concerns as the oil is expected to reach the groundwater eventually.

The emergency efforts have been conducted under the watchful eye of the Koper municipal authorities, which is not happy with the work done so far and expects explanations.

A press release by the municipality says that the kerosene must not reach the spring of the Rižana river, which is a water source not only for the Koper municipality but for the entire Slovenian coast. A failure in this respect would have human as well as economic consequences.

Another major issue has been transport, as the rail link needed to be closed, including for freight transport to and from the country's commercial port of Koper.

To address the backlog and also direct the rail cargo to roads, the Infrastructure Ministry announced today it would allow heavy goods vehicles to also use roads from and to the Koper port during the upcoming weekend.

Heavier traffic is thus expected during the weekend, with roads already being busier than usually because of the tourist season.

The weekend permit was urged by port operator Luka Koper and the transport department of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS).

Mes said it was too early to estimate the damage caused by the suspended rail transport. However, he expects it will be possible to make up for a lot of the backlog in July when there is usually less freight transport. Some of the cargo has meanwhile already been transported via road or through other ports.

STA, 27 June 2019 - An exhibition on famous Slovenian architect and designer Jože Plečnik (1872-1957) and his designs of sacred objects opened in the Vatican Museums on Thursday evening, featuring 33 selected liturgical vessels as well as video presentations of his sacred architectural works.

Related: Playful and Austere - A Visit to Plečnik's House in Ljubljana

The opening was attended and addressed by Prime Minister Marjan Šarec and Culture Minister Zoran Poznič.

Šarec said at a reception for Slovenian Statehood Day, which followed the opening of the exhibition, that Slovenia should be proud and happy as this was the first Slovenian exhibition in the Vatican.

"Jože Plečnik is the greatest son of Slovenian architecture. He was a deeply religious man, which is perhaps less known, and it is not a coincidence that he created objects which we admire today."

Minister Poznič said that it was one of the largest events in culture this year. "The exhibition tells us how our artist, master Plečnik, associated the spiritual and material works in his work," he was quoted by the Culture Ministry.

Labelling Plečnik as one of the greatest men in Slovenian cultural history, the minister said that the "exhibition is an exceptional opportunity, serving as a booster of what sometimes we as a society lack - self-confidence."

Barbara Jatta, the director of the Vatican Museums, is happy that Pinacoteca Vaticana is hosting an "important exhibition of sacral objects by Jože Plečnik, a great architect and designer of the 20th century".

"Plečnik created an original and innovative style, which shows both in his church architecture and in the field of liturgical vessels," Jatta was quoted by the Ljubljana Museum and Galleries (MGML).

According to Peter Krečič, an expert on Plečnik's life and work who arranged the exhibition in cooperation with the Plečnik House curator Ana Porok, Europe and the world truly discovered the greatness of the architect's opus after his work was presented at the Paris Pompidou Centre in 1986.

Primarily famous for being an architect and urbanist, he was also a great designer, with his work being mostly showcased in three European capitals - Vienna, Prague and Ljubljana.

He established himself at the beginning of the 20th century by designing the famous Zacherl Palace in Vienna, then moved on to renovating the Prague Castle and its vicinity, transforming them into the symbol and political centre of a modern democratic state.

Plečnik also turned his hometown Ljubljana into a modern capital, having designed iconic buildings and spaces there.

Encouraged by his brother, who was a priest, he started designing liturgical vessels in 1913, including chalices, ciboria and monstrances, thus revolutionising traditional concepts of such design by introducing modern, clear lines and simple decoration featuring gemstones.

Designing the vessels, Plečnik drew inspiration from the art of sculpture, which makes those designs stand out and provides that transcendent aesthetic value which is essential to experience the sacred, according to Krečič.

The exhibition, entitled Plečnik and the Sacred, has been put on by the MGML in cooperation with the Slovenian Embassy to the Holy See, the Culture Ministry, the Ljubljana Archdiocese and Vatican Museums.

According to the MGML, Plečnik is the first Slovenian artist whose work will be showcased at the Vatican Museums. The exhibition will run until 7 September.

On Wednesday, Pope Francis received sculptor and painter Miko Simčič, the author of a one-tonne bust of the pope, made of Carrara marble, and standing on a pedestal made of two-colour Hotavlje marble.

Simčič said he had made the bust with the pope's approval, which he sees as a great honour, as Pope Francis had so far been rejecting the idea. The bust will be housed in the Vatican, and the artist wants to make more of them and give them to various cathedrals around the world.

You can learn more about the exhibition here

Spend any time in Slovenia and you’ll soon notice how active the people are, especially when it comes to enjoying the great outdoors. Whether it’s hiking, biking, mountaineering, skiing or simply foraging in the woods for mushrooms and plants, a close relationship with nature and the joys of physical exertion seem to be baked into the national character, as evident in the appearance of Mount Triglav on the Slovenian flag.

Of course, not all such activities take place on dry land, nor would they in a country blessed with so many rivers and lakes. And it’s a water-based sport that’ll be the focus of much attention this weekend, as one of the stages of the Canoe Slalom World Cup is being held, once again, in Tacen, where visitors will be able thrill to world-class athletes competing on a world-class course, all in the open air and not far from the centre of Ljubljana. Perhaps best of all, the tickets are only €5 a person, and can be bought at the event, which takes place at the Kajak kanu klub Tacen, Marinovševa cesta 8A. Note that children under the age of 15 enter free, and that dogs are not allowed.

The action officially runs for three days, from Friday 28 June to Sunday the 30th, but the programme started on Monday with various training events, and Day 1, on the official schedule, is Thursday, with extreme slalom time trails in the afternoon, and course construction and demonstration in the evening. The formal event then begins at 09:00 Friday, with heats for Groups 1 and 2, and runs until 18:00. Saturday then has the Group 1 and C2Mx semi-finals, finals and medal ceremony, the day starting at 09:00 and ending at 13:15. The same happens on Sunday for Group 2 and Extreme Slalom event, with the day running longer, to 16:00. The full programme can be found here, while all the events will also be livestreamed (here).

So if you’ve been meaning to get the River Soča all summer, but never found a free weekend, then why not head to Tacen to enjoy some white-water action, the kind you can safely watch from the stands with a cold drink in your hand.

STA, 27 June 2019 - Environment Minister Simon Zajc visited on Thursday the location of the kerosene leak caused by a derailed freight train near Hrastovlje in SW Slovenia, saying that after the last damaged wagon had been removed from the tunnel, works on removing the polluted soil would start Thursday night. Rail traffic on the section is expected to resume on Friday.

Speaking to the press after a meeting with stakeholders, Zajc said that everything had been arranged with the national railways operator Slovenske Železnice regarding the rehabilitation of the area hit by the spill.

The removal of the pollutes soil will start tonight, with representatives of the Environment Agency and the Environment Inspectorate being present to make sure that the soil is treated in accordance with law, he added.

Asked when railway traffic on the section is to be resumed, Zajc said that "we will speak about traffic once the threat of kerosene getting into the groundwater is minimised."

According to Slovenske Železnice director general Dušan Mes, rail traffic is expected to be resumed on Friday, but he could not tell when exactly. He added that the cargo accumulated in the port of Koper equalled some 200 to 250 trains, which would have to be compensated for in July.

Threat to water remains, further measures needed

The meeting was held at the Koper seat of the regional water system operator, Rižanski Vodovod, as there are concerns that the leak might have contaminated the local river Rižana, which supplies the system.

Zajc announced that the ministry would provide full support for Rižanski Vodovod in terms of monitoring of water and further measures, especially if the kerosene reached the groundwater.

The minister talked in Luxembourg yesterday with his Croatian counterpart, who expressed his country's readiness to help the Slovenian coast needed additional water from the sources from the Croatian part of the Istria peninsula.

Rižanski Vodovod director Martin Pregelj reiterated that the situation was under control, while warning that the threat of the kerosene entering the groundwater remained. The operator is regularly monitoring the quality of water and taking samples, he added.

Zajc added that a permanent solution for an additional water source for the Slovenian coast needed to be found, adding that "this event was a clear signal." He intends to call a meeting with all mayors from the area to agree on how to find a solution.

The work on removing the derailed wagons from the tunnel is meanwhile going as planned. Dragan Puzić of the Koper Fire Brigade told the STA that only two out of the six wagons remained to be removed from the Hrastovlje tunnel.

STA, 27 June 2019 - Heat records for June have been shattered in some parts of the country on Thursday, as temperatures climbed to the upper 30s. People in Brežice (SE) saw their thermometers exceed 39 degrees Celsius, meteorologist Andrej Velkavrh told the STA.

He said that records were broken today in Ljubljana (36 degrees) and at Kredarica, the country's highest mountain cottage at 2,515 metres of altitude (20 degrees), as well as a few other places.

Meanwhile, storm cells are moving across the eastern half of the country from the north. Strong winds, rain and hail have been forecast.

Ozone levels have also been exceeded in Nova Gorica, Koper and Otlica in Trnovski Gozd plateau, all in the west of the country.

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