STA, 24 February 2019 - Slovenia's Foreign Minister Miro Cerar has expressed regret after UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt described Slovenia as a former "Soviet vassal state" during his visit to Ljubljana last Thursday.

Hunt made the comment as he commended on Slovenia's progress over the past 30 years during a joint press conference with Cerar.

Another example of @Jeremy_Hunt being out of his depth, saying that Slovenia was a "Soviet vassal state", apparently unaware of the history of Yugoslavia. pic.twitter.com/ApWt5pli6x

— Property Spotter (@PropertySpot) February 22, 2019

"I'm really happy to be here, because as a fellow European country the UK is very proud of the transformation there has been in Slovenia over the last 30 years.

"A really remarkable transformation from a Soviet vassal state to a modern European democracy, a member of the EU, a member of NATO, a country with a flourishing economy, growing its tourism year in, year out, and this is really an example of Europe at its best," Hunt said.

Before declaring independence in 1991, Slovenia had been one of the six republics of the former Yugoslavia, a socialist country that was not part of the Soviet bloc but formed part of the Non-Aligned Movement.

It was Cerar's former party colleague and former speaker of the National Assembly, Milan Brglez, who spoke out to criticise both Cerar and Hunt for what he called an "arrogant insult".

In a post on his Facebook profile, Brglez, an MP for the coalition Social Democrats (SD) after defecting from Cerar's Modern Centre Party (SMC), said the minimum he expected of the country's representatives was a prompt and adequate reaction to insults directed at the country and its citizens.

In a press release issued by his party on Sunday, Cerar said that Hunt came to Slovenia to discuss the UK's future relations with Slovenia and other EU countries after Brexit and the rights of Slovenian citizens living in Britain and British citizens living in Slovenia.

Cerar noted that Hunt complimented Slovenia on its transformation and that he also talked about Slovenia as a partner country from the perspective of the UK as an architect of peace after Second World War.

"This is why during his public address at the press conference I didn't want to respond and interrupt him as a guest.

"Unfortunately, the Soviet vassal assessment was an inappropriate and inaccurate one ... at the first opportunity with my British counterpart, on the sidelines of the EU ministerial meeting, I will talk with him about the matter and instruct him about our past. I believe there will be no similar rhetorical awkwardness in the future," Cerar said.

This was not the first embarrassing error for Hunt. During his debut visit to Beijing as the UK foreign secretary last year, he referred to his Chinese wife as Japanese.

TSN seems to have broken this story in the English-language media, which soon ended up in The Guardian, Independent, Daily Mail and other sources. Read our original article here

Below is a review of the headlines in Slovenian dailies for Monday, 25 February 2019, as summarised by the STA:

DELO

Construction legislation
"Construction law shakes real estate market": Just as the real estate market recovered from the crisis, it suffered another blow - the construction law. Since it took effect in June 2018, the law has severely affected transactions, banning rent and sales of any facilities that are not built in line with the law. (front page, 4)

US-North Korea relations
"By train to the far-off summit": All eyes are on Hanoi these days, as the Vietnamese capital is to host a meeting of US president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday and Thursday. (front page, 6)

Nordic Worlds
"Silver Sunday for superb Slovenian alliance": Slovenia's Katja Višnar and Anamarija Lampič won silver in the women's team sprint classic event at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Austria's Seefeld on Sunday. (front page, 13)

DNEVNIK

Tax reform
"Only cosmetic facelifts in sight": The Finance Ministry has been drawing up tax changes to reduce taxes on labour and somewhat increase taxes on capital. But experts say these will only be cosmetic changes that will not help stabilise the tax system. (front page, 2-3, commentary 16)

Venezuela
"Humanitarian aid still can't get to the country": Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro will not allow entry to the country to trucks carrying humanitarian aid from the US and other countries which the partially recognized interim President Juan Guaido wants to get across the border. (front page, 6)

FINANCE

Housing loans
"Why are housing loans in Slovenia costlier than in Germany?": Despite the fact that the European Central Bank forms a common monetary policy for the eurozone, which Slovenia joined in 2007, Slovenian market interest rates are higher than in many countries, including Germany. (front page, 2-3)

Izola hospital
"Banishing urgent cases with doctor memo: send them somewhere else!": The Izola general hospital has issued a memo saying it cannot provide 24-hour emergency care for urology, otorhinolaryngology, neurology and ophthamology. (front page, 4-5)

Subsidies for individuals
"What's available for individuals": The paper brings an overview of subsidies and loans individuals can apply for at the moment across the country. (front page, 10-11)

VEČER

Patient rejection
"She turned down an HIV-infected patient": In what is an unprecedented ruling in Slovenia, a second-instance court convicted a dentist for turning down an HIV-infected patient. (front page, 2-3)

Terme Maribor sale
"Russians just before the sale of Fontana": The sale of the last section of the spa Terme Maribor, the medical and space centre Fontana, is all but completed, the paper says. (front page, 3)

Nordic Worlds
"Slovenians sprint their way to silver": For the first time since Petra Majdič was champion (silver in 2007 and bronze in 2011), Slovenia can look forward to a medal in cross-country skiing. Katja Višnar and Anamarija Lampič won silver in the women's team sprint classic event in Austria's Seefeld on Sunday. (front page, 16)

February 24, 2019

Pust 2019 will be almost one month later than last year, with the last and most important day of the carnival, Tuesday, falling on March 5^th.  This is because Pust (Mardi Gras) or rather Ash Wednesday, the day after, happens 46 days before Easter calculated according to Gregorian, not Julian, calendar, with the latter used by the Orthodox Church.

Originally there are only a few days of masquerade, the most important two being the Sunday and Shrove Tuesday just before the Ash Wednesday, although due to school and work schedules Friday and especially Saturday have gained greater importance in celebrating this colourful pagan holiday.

What follows is the timetable of the main Mardi Gras events across the country for this year, 2019.

Kurentovanje in Ptuj

Kurentovanje in Ptuj, which since December 2017 has been on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage, has already begun this year with various processions and character introduction event. As noted earlier, larger events are saved for the coming weekend and beyond, with the Bourgeoise Parade on Saturday, International Carnival Parade on Sunday, and most importantly, Shrove Tuesday on, well, Tuesday, March 5^th, 2019.

For details, please visit the Kurentovanje English website.

Cerknica Carnival

If we were looking for an overall theme of the Cerknica Pust tradition, we might find it in all possible expressions of political incorrectness. The festival starts with a transition of powers from the City Mayor to the Prince of Pust on Fat Thursday, February 28, and ends on Ash Wednesday, March 6th with the burning of and a funeral for Pust (for this occasion, Pust becomes a puppet in a coffin). The main character of Cerknica carnival is a witch (the big one is called Uršula), as Cerknica, or rather Slivnica, a hill right next to the town, is believed to be a traditional meeting point for witches from all over the country. The group of big headed and quite ugly people called Butalci (after a book), representing various idiotic aspects of Slovenian society and its citizens, is also getting bigger every year in Cerknica. For details in English click here.

Dragon Carnival Ljubljana, Saturday, March 2^nd , 11:00

Dragon Carnival will start on Saturday, March 2nd at 11:00 am from Novi trg, then cross Cobbler’s Bridge to Mestni trg (City Square), from there along Stritarjeva St. to Perešeren Square, and from there on Wolfova to Zvezda Park. The Dragon Carnival includes groups of ethnologic characters, children’s and other organised groups, which will perform at their final destination in Kongresni trg, also known as Zvezda Park. 

Prešerni (Cheerful) Carnival Kranj, Saturday, March 2^nd, 11:00

In Kranj, the children’s Pipi Longstocking carnival will take place in the Main Square from 11:00 and the main carnival will begin at 14:00 at the Town Library, and will lead to Prešeren Theatre. For more details click here.

Istrian Carnival in Koper, Saturday, March 2^nd, 15:00

For all of the events on the coast, please see the Istrian Carnival programme. In Koper, the procession of masks will begin at 15:00 on Saturday, March 2.

Litija Carnival, Saturday, March 2^nd, 15:00, 20:00

The tradition of the Litija Carnival is to adopt a political topic, and this year is no different. Under the slogan “Litija first” this year’s carnival will be marked by Litija’s declaration of independence from Slovenia and the EU with a “Gala Independence Dance” starting at 20:00 at the Sport’s Hall with the pop singer Tanja Žagar. For details click here.

At least two big events this week, one nationwide and one local. The first is Pust, or carnival, with the focus being Saturday. There are various parties around town where you can dress up and dance, while in the daytime things will start at 11:00 in Novi trg.

The second event is actually a festival, Gibanica, “a biennial selection of the best contemporary dance productions of local artists and [is] considered the most relevant contemporary dance platform in Slovenia”. If you like dance, then don’t miss this chance to see a varied selection of performances, discussions and more held at various locations around town, many of them with free admission. The event runs from Wednesday 27 February to Sunday 2 March, with the schedule – in English – here.

Finally, it’s also a school vacation, so don’t be alarmed if you see a lot of children out and about during class hours – they’re doing OK.

If you're not in town for the week of this guide (February 15 to March 3, 2019) then you can see all the editions here, and you can enhance your stay in the city and impress or annoy friends and companions by learning some obscure facts about the city here, and the Castle here.

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

Contents

• Cinemas and films
• Clubbing
• Live music
• Opera, 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

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 kid’s movies tend to be shown in dubbed versions, so do check before driving out to a multiplex and dropping off the young ones if they can't understand Slovene. 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.

Kinodvor – The arts cinema not far from the train station is showing, among other features, among other features, Green Book, If Beale Street Could Talk, Ash Is Purest White, Beautiful Boy, Climax, and Faces Places.

Kinoteka – This revival cinema isn’t far from Kinodvor, at the train station end of Miklošičeva, is showing, among other things, the psychedelic classic Altered States, stone cold Soviet classic Battleship Potemkin, and dystopian classic Children of Men.

Kolosej - The multiplex out at BTC City Mall is playing all the big movies, which this week include Papillion, Taksi bluz, a dubbed version of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Green Book, Vice, The Upside, Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (dubbed), The Grinch, A Star is Born, Bohemian Rhapsody, Escape Room, Lego Film 2, Cold Pursuit, Alita: Battle Angel (2D and 3D), Qu'est-ce qu'on a encore fait au bon Dieu?, Happy Death Day 2U, Beautiful Boy, Dumplin',  and Instant Family. New this week are Mia et le lion blanc and a dubbed version of Liliane Susewind.

Komuna – The cinema in a basement behind Nama department store is showing Green Book, Bohemian Rhapsody, a dubbed version of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, and The Favourite.

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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 - 

Saturday you can celebrate Pust by putting on your fancy pants and getting down to Raphaël Top-Secret (FR).

Channel Zero – Friday, March 1, you can greet the third month with Traxman (Tekk Dj'z), with able support from Bakto, SunnySun, and Terranigma.

Gala Hala – Friday 23:00 to 06:00 Saturday Wave Riders! returns, giving you the opportunity to wear sunglasses at night and enjoy the sounds of electroclash, leftfield house and techno, with the beats strung together by DJs Torulsson and Kobayashii and VJ Maii providing the visuals. Saturday there’s Zeleno sonce specialka: Pustna slovenska popevka, which will be Slovenian music played by Udo Brenner and Funkenstein.

Klub Cirkus – Tuesday there’s an all-nighter with a focus on YugoRock, as hosted by the Faculty of Economics. Wednesday it’s TRAPped in the city, with DJs Alpha Z and Young Sanci bringing you the all the Trap, RnB, and hip hop you can handle between the hours of 22:00 and 05:00. I guess there’s some tests coming up, because Thursday the night is Millennium AFTER EXAMS Edition, another student party, which promises retro music from the ‘00s. Friday, March 1, it’s time to dress with care and deal with any lingering dandruff, as its BLACK MOON – UV Gathering, with the soundtrack to the visual thrills being a steady diet of dance, future house, EDM, house, RnB, hip hop, and trap until dawn. A packed week at the more commercial end of clubland then comes to a shaking climax with the Legendarna Cirkuška Pustna Sobota, a celebration of Pust with dance music being played by Matthew Z and DJ Dey. Pust is like the Slovene Halloween, so maybe put a costume on and win a prize – although as the promo says “Being dead drunk is never considered an original mask”, so play nice and take of your friends.

Klub K4 – The klub for kool kids that’s just entered its fourth decade, and thus now open to the kids of the original kids, if not their grandkids, has two parties this week if you want to feel the noise. On Friday it’s K4 x New Blood, with house and techno being played by new DJs who learned at K4 workshops, with the names to remember being PGB, Alex Agara, Goryk and Chiro. Saturday K4 also gets in on the Pust action, with Pustni RAVE, presenting acid, techno, break, disco, and house from Dulash, Softskinson Commercial Break, Borka and Le Berg.

Klub Gromka – Saturday, 22:00 to 04:00, there’s a Pust event with few details other than “On the carnival Saturday, you are given a bunch of super women. With its superlative power, the sounds of gold and silver erected from the speakers will protect you against the attack of evil forces and make sure you dance all night long!”

Orto Bar – Friday, March 1, there’s a night called The Scene '80s and '90s Electric Boogie, which seems fairly clear with regard to what’s on offer, with the sounds lined up by Lab Doctors - Old Scool Suits. Devious & Mikel Wonic. It’s same same but different on Saturday, with Orto Maškare! The Dancing Queen (70s, 80s, 90s Pop, Dance hits). This will be a Pust party.

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Live music

Božidar – Friday, March 1, there’s the chance to see Dollkraut Band (NL) in action, with a tasty taster below.

Kino Šiška – Tuesday evening Neneh Cherry will be in town presenting her new album new album Broken Politics, recorded with Kieran Hebden (Four Tet). On Wednesday “Belgian ensemble Echo Collective will play their take on the famed album Amnesiac by Radiohead. The neoclassical instrumental arrangements of well-known songs such as “Pyramid Song” and “I Might Be Wrong” have astounded critics, who have declared the album a “glorious homage” to the original”.

Klub Gromka – Saturday, 22:00 to 04:00, there’s a Pust event with few details other than “On the carnival Saturday, you are given a bunch of super women. With its superlative power, the sounds of gold and silver erected from the speakers will protect you against the attack of evil forces and make sure you dance all night long!”

Ljubljana Castle – Friday night is jazz night, with the music sometimes crossing over into other genres, This week it’s Café Mezclado.

Orto Bar – This guitar-friendly venue has Legendarni C4 on Thursday, starting 21:30. Friday it’s post-rock with Shadow Universe and Monstrumental, while on Saturday there’s a heavy sludge punk bill with Weedwolf, Goragorja, and Chains, with both events being Riffeater productions. See the headline acts from the last two below, while there seems to be nothing from Legendarni C4 online.

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Opera, theatre and dance

Cankerjev dom – The largest arts centre in the country is one of the key venues for the Gibanica biennial of contemporary dance, as noted in the introduction. You can see the centre’s programme of dance events here. On March 2^nd you can see Ballet National De Marseille & Ick Amsterdam: Appearance / Disappearance, as promoted below.

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

Klub Gromka – One our favourite groups of performers, Tatovi podob (Image Snatchers), will be here on Thursday, 21:30, with their burlesque show Matilda in njene žemljice, aka Matilda and Her Buns. Expect music, dance, comedy and nudity.

Mini Teater Ljubljana – The English schedule of varied performances for the month is here.

SNG Opera and BalletVerdi’s Rigoletti will be staged here on Saturday, March 2.

Pocket Teater Studio – It’s a busy week at perhaps the smallest dedicated venue in town, not far from Križanke, a place where you can feel the air move from the performers. On Tuesday and Wednesday, 20:00 there’s Človek, ki je prodal svet - “Viewing the performance is possible only with a reservation at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at the telephone number 070 977 937, while the price is 10 €.” Friday there’s 'Strings to the past', a special dance and music program of baroque music and flamenco – 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. The price of ticket is 20€ or 15€ for students, and includes wine throughout the evening.

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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 isn't thought, and our favourite store is on Trubarjeva, as noted 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. 

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

Klub MonokelThis lesbian bar in Metelkova is open every Friday, and this week there’s a concert by Croon and support from DJ Annarch.

Klub Tiffany – And the gay bar next door is also open on Fridays, while every Monday until June 2019 there's tango at 18:00. Thursday, 19:00 to 22:00, there’s Roza Škis – večer taroka in družabnih iger, which will be an evening of card, board and table top games. Friday, 20:30 to 21:45, there’s A mi daš cifro?, which will be an evening of improv.

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.

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 & Galleries

Most public galleries and museums are closed on Mondays, although not the National Museum, and - as noted at the start

Plečnik's desk. Photo: JL Flanner

Plečnik’s House is worth a visit if you want to learn more about the architect who gave Ljubljana much of its character. Read about our guided tour here.

Balassi Institute – The Hungarian culture centre has an exhibition entitled “Encounters in Visual Art” introduces works of selected visual artists, painters and sculptors, who define today's art scene in Hungary and Slovenia, as promoted with the image below. Free to enter, this venue is next to a Spar and Hofer, and not far from Dragon Bridge, and always has something interesting going on. Learn more here.

Cankerjev dom – On until February 28 is the exhibition Ivan Cankar and Europe, Between Shakespeare and Kafka, while until March 10 there’s a photographic show on the Ljubljanica, with images of the city’s river captured by Bojan Velikonja. Showing until the end of March is a selection of specimens from The Newspaper Museum.

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

Photo: M Paternoster

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

City Gallery - Not far from the Robba Fountain and running until March 24 is a show presenting drawings by Iztok Sitar, the original pages that were used to make his graphic novels over the last three decades. Rather adult in nature – think Robert Crumb in terms of sex, drugs and religion, in places – it’s free to enter and has much to enjoy. One of the pictures I took on my visit is below.

Photo: JL Flanner

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

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

MAO – The Museum of Architecture and Design has much of what you'd expect, and until March 25, 2019, has a show on Ljubljana and it's relation with water. Until February 24 visitors can enjoy Toasted Furniture, which presents some experiments with the reuse of plastic waste, and until February 28 there's a show on Oskar Kogoj and his chairs.

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. Running until March 31 is a major show on young Slovenian painters, Time Without Innocence – Recent Painting in Slovenia, where you’ll see works like the following. You can read about my visit here (I loved it).

Iva Tratnik, Mating Season Totalitarianism, 2014, oil on canvas, 210 x 194 cm

Arjan Pregl, from the Carnival series, oil on canvas (6 paintings 120 x 100 cm; 3 paintings 80 x 60 cm), 2018

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

Photo: JL Flanner

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

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

visitljubjana.si

maxpixel.net, public domain

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

There are some golf courses near Ljubljana, but even ones further away are not far, as seen in our list of all the golf courses in Slovenia. Note that these close when the snow starts, if it ever does this year, in which case you might be interested in what's new at Slovenia's ski resorts for 2019, as reported here.

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

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 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.

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STA, 23 February 2019 - The 59th Kurentovanje, the biggest carnival in the country, started in Ptuj on Saturday with an early highlight, a procession of traditional local and foreign costumes. The festivities will last for eleven days and conclude with a symbolic burial on Shrove Tuesday.

After the Mayor of Ptuj Nuška Gajšek symbolically hands over control of the town to a new prince of the carnival, Ptuj turns into the goofiest and most joyful Slovenian town.

The show piece of the opening ceremony will be a performance by four UNESCO-protected carnival figures - the Slovenian Kurents, Bulgarian Survakari, and Croatian Zvončari and Buše - all of them scary, colourful and covered in sheep skin. The procession includes eleven foreign carnival groups from six countries.

The main event of the carnival is the international procession on Sunday, 3 March, which typically attracts the most visitors from Slovenia and abroad who come every year to admire Slovenian and foreign costumes, the most distinct one being the local Kurents.

Related: Old Photos – Pust in Ptuj, 1962

Wikipedia, CC-by-2.0

STA, 23 February 2019 - Slovenian alpine skier Ilka Štuhec, who is the reigning downhill World Champion, injured both of her knees in a crash during Saturday's downhill World Cup race in Crans Montana, which rules her out for the remainder of the season, her team said.

The injury is a crushing blow to the 28-year-old, who had made a phenomenal comeback this season after missing the Olympic season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee.

While Štuhec was able to get up after crashing into the protective fences on the course, she felt pain her knees. Her team decided to have her checked at the hospital in Crans Montana, with the tests showing she suffered a posterior cruciate ligament tear in the left knee and a bruised right knee.

The two-time downhill World Champion, who was third in the downhill rankings for the season ahead of today's race, will already be transported to Basel today. Additional tests will be conducted there by Niklaus Friedrich, who already performed surgery on Štuhec in the past.

Jeremy Hunt – the British Foreign Secretary who replaced the gaffe-prone Brexit-booster and serial adulterer Boris Johnson in mid-2018, the latter resigning to spend more time with his latest mistress and snipe at the government from the side-lines for being unable to enact the have cake, eat cake policy he promoted for nakedly careerist reasons – visited Slovenia on Thursday for bilateral talks on Citizens’ Rights. The headline result was a pleasing one, with assurances from both sides that as much continuity as possible would be provided in the event of a deal or no-deal Brexit.

However, Mr Hunt, a man who by now is surely well aware of the dangers of a slip of the tongue, perhaps failed to make the best impression while on the Sunny Side of the Alps. Indeed, it seems that while travelling from Berlin he and his team did little to prepare for the trip, making at least two unforced and undiplomatic errors in public, and who knows how many more in private.

First the tweet marking his landing in Slovenia referred to the country’s Foreign Minister as Karl Erjavec, the man who left this position after last year’s election to be replaced by the former Prime Minister, and Mr Hunt’s supposed focus for the day, Miro Cerar.

The tweet was deleted, and this screenshot comes from the excellent Pengovsky, who you really should be reading, with his take on the incident here.

But these things happen – after all, Mr Hunt once referred to his Chinese wife as Japanese – and the tweet was soon corrected. More serious, in terms of being indicative of the lack of preparation or historical and geopolitical understanding that seem to surround the entire Brexit project, was what came in the public statement that Mr Hunt made while standing next to Mr Cerar:

Another example of @Jeremy_Hunt being out of his depth, saying that Slovenia was a "Soviet vassal state", apparently unaware of the history of Yugoslavia. pic.twitter.com/ApWt5pli6x

— Property Spotter (@PropertySpot) February 22, 2019

This is my first visit to Slovenia as Foreign Secretary, not the first in my life but my first in a professional capacity. And I’m really happy to be here, because as a fellow European country the UK is very proud of the transformation there has been in Slovenia over the last 30 years. A really remarkable transformation from a Soviet vassal state to a modern European democracy, a member of the EU, a member of NATO, a country with a flourishing economy, growing its tourism year in, year out, and this is really an example of Europe at its best.

Now leaving aside the general patronising tone here – why is the UK proud of Slovenia? – or that while being a leading Brexiteer Mr Hunt seems to suggest that being a member of the EU is a good thing, there’s the simple factual error that Slovenia, even when part of Yugoslavia, was never a Soviet vassal state.

Thursday was not the first time Mr Hunt made use of the USSR to insult his negotiating partners

During the Second World War Yugoslavia was occupied by the Germans and Italians, but the partisans, led by Tito, managed to liberate the country with little help from the Russians, and thus the land was never part of the of the Soviet empire. And while in the immediate post-war period there was seen to be an uneasy alliance between Stalin and Tito, this broke in 1948. From then on Yugoslavia took a famously independent approach, receiving aid from the Marshall Plan as well as founding the Non-Aligned Movement. In short, Yugoslavia was never a Soviet vassal state, while Slovenia was always the most open of the socialist republics that made up the federation, a matter not only of historical fact but also considerable pride.

Of course, Mr Hunt’s statement did not go unnoticed in the country, once again proving that just because British politicians can’t understand what foreigners are saying, this doesn’t mean that foreigners can’t understand what they’re saying. For example, Milan Brglez, former Speaker of the National Assembly, made the following comment on Facebook that was then widely reported in the media:

Loosely translated:

Dear citizens,

Take a look at the footage below (somewhere around 14:30). A guest (the British Foreign Minister) comes to us with a request (to discuss with our Foreign Minister how to avoid a hard Brexit if the UK doesn’t sign the Withdrawal Agreement with the EU) and arrogantly insult. We have never been "the vassal state of the Soviet Union".

At a minimum what I expect and demand in international relations from my representatives (diplomats and those who have general powers to represent and bind the state under international law – i.e. the president, prime minister and foreign minister) is that they will react immediately when someone insults the state and its citizens. And not that they are meekly silent, perhaps not even noticing the insult.

With President Borut Pahor due in the UK next week, and Britain in desperate need of friends and allies as the March 29 Brexit deadline looms, one can only hope that his hosts in London are a little better informed, and a little better prepared for his visit.

All our stories on Brexit and Slovenia can be found here.

STA, 22 February 2019 - The Archbishop of Ljubljana Stanislav Zore expects that the ongoing meeting of Catholic Church dignitaries on sexual abuse would result in a handbook on how to handle such cases. Talking to the Catholic Radio Ognjišče on Friday, he also encouraged believers to fight against paedophilia in society.

The meeting, which started yesterday and will run until Sunday, will have to result in "concrete steps, a handbook of sorts, to help handle and resolve such cases," he said.

"This does not mean that we have nothing now. We have everything that was expected, what the Holy See demanded. We have guidelines... but things do need to be upgraded."

He said that he had met a victim abused by a priest. "It is very important to show deep respect for these people, their intimacy and privacy."

He added that his knowledge on the topic was expanding, especially about the far reaching effects of such abuse. "The earlier in childhood it happens, the farther it reaches and marks the rest of [the victim's] life."

"These people definitely need empathy, concrete measures to help their treatment, the healing process. Their families also need this."

He said that good priests are also victims, many are distressed because they are being viewed as potential paedophiles. "They also need support and encouragement."

"But on the other hand this is a part of our penance for the sins of individuals within Church."

He also called on believers to "report sexual abuse if they detect it" instead of spreading rumours "that are no use to anybody".

"If names and concrete matters are known, I expect them to be reported... It is also important that believers seek to uproot this evil from society in general. It is a daunting task but this does not mean we should not attempt it."

He also commented on the launch of an initiative fighting for the protection of victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by priests earlier this week by a group of Catholic Church members, including priests.

He said the Church would cooperate with the initiative but also expressed hope that "this group of people will study the relevant legislation and try to understand why such accusations may not produce the outcomes expected" by those who voice the charges.

"These are complex affairs that demand complex treatment, of course in line with canon law and the legislation of the society in which the cases are reported to the court."

STA, 22 February 2019 - Port operator Luka Koper posted a group net profit of EUR 60m last year, an increase of 71% compared to the year before, as net revenue rose by 7% to EUR 226m on a record volume of transshipment.

Operating profit (EBIT) was up 90% to EUR 70m. Discounting one-off compensation payment of EUR 9.6m accounted for in 2017 revenue and provisions for legal liabilities of EUR 15.7m accounted for in 2017 expense, EBIT was up by 15% in real terms, the company announced via the Ljubljana Stock Exchange.

Without taking into consideration the compensation received and the provisions, net profit increased by 9% in real terms in 2018.

The port transshipped a record 24 million tonnes of cargo in 2018, up 3% from the year before. Container throughput was up by 8% to 988,000 TEUs and car throughput rose by 2% to 754,000 vehicles.

The port's cruise terminal recorded 101,415 passengers, a rise of 41% from 2017.

Capital expenditure decreased by 56% to EUR 16m, while the number of the group's employees increased by 12% to 1,242.

Mladina: Šarec's popularity result of well-placed ideology

STASTA, 22 February 2019 - The weekly Mladina says in its latest editorial that the growing popularity of Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, his party and the government is a success of an ideology which avoids declaring the state of emergency and portraying leaders as messiahs.

The high popularity "deserves a serious analysis: what we can see is not popularity, not someone being sympathetic, but a success of an ideology of a certain authority, which is fitting very well with the state of society."

In order to understand what is going on, one needs to use political and ideological glasses, not marketing or some other glasses used by the media. "It is about politics and ideology," editor-in-chief Grega Repovž adds in Victory of an Ideology.

He notes that Šarec has, probably not deliberately, abandoned certain concepts which had marked the work of governments for a long time, including in particular portraying the situation as catastrophic while at the same time playing messiahs.

"Up to and including the government of Miro Cerar (2014-2018), all governments were building their image on attempts to normalise allegedly horrific situations which they had inherited, to prevent the worst from happening, to save us, the country and the world, to be our saviours."

This concept is always comfortable and comes in handy, but people actually do not like to live in an abnormal state, as this causes stress and anxiety. What is more, they feel it as a threat, an actual political mobbing of the nation, Repovž writes.

He argues that the Šarec government has not significantly changed the ideological framework of operation, it is still a slightly leftist government, but predominantly neo-liberal. The essential difference is that it does not harass the citizens and create a state of emergency.

"What people feel and how they respond is the ideological framework of that government. Only when one acknowledges this enables the understanding of the political changes we are witnessing. This is why the first catastrophist in the country is losing support," Repovž says in reference to Democrat (SDS) president Janez Janša.

Demokracija: Macron & Merkel Threaten EU

STA, 21 February 2019 - The right-wing magazine Demokracija claims in the latest issue that the only real danger to Europe at the moment is the "multi-cultural axis Berlin-Paris", arguing that the only way for the EU to survive is as a formation of nation states whose sole interest is to create prosperity based on economic cooperation.

Writing under the headline Sixth Reich, editor-in-chief Jože Biščak dismisses the controversy provoked by Antonio Tajani, the president of the European Parliament, in his Foibe Victims Remembrance Day address, asserting that no one in the EU truly cares about what he said.

Instead, Biščak is more concerned about German Chancellor Angela Merkel's stating that "Nation states must today be prepared to give up their sovereignty".

He says that few expressed indignation or protest at her statement and that "no one warned that they will not push their nation into dependence from a new, so far still imaginary sixth reich ... which would give rise to new Europeans, a mix of natives, camel shepherds and Negroids."

Biščak launches an attack on the Brussels bureaucracy, European Council President Donald Tusk and French President Emmanuel Macron, whom he says the nationally minded French consider to be a German vassal.

"Macron is a man who, without asking anyone, put Germany in a position to lead the EU. And the European army. This means that he will hand over to it nuclear arms that only France and the UK among EU countries posses."

Biščak says that the obstacle to these plans is Brexit, arguing that the UK saw through it on time and decided to leave the EU. He says that it will be no disaster for Britain regardless of whether it will be a hard or soft Brexit.

"They can merely encourage to leave the countries which are resisting the senseless EU bureaucracy even now. These are Italy, Hungary and Poland, the targets of the strongest desire for control.

"Only a thorough change of priorities and a rethink about the future can save the EU. It can only be a formation of free nation states whose sole interest is to create prosperity based on economic cooperation."

All our posts in this series can be found here