STA, 17 June 2022 - The 40th Idrija Lace Festival will open on Friday evening to feature in three days almost 50 various events dedicated to the bobbin lace making in the western Slovenian town, including presentations, exhibitions, lace making workshops, competitions and culinary and musical shows.

The theme of this year's festival, which will open with the raising of the festival flag, is What Will You Do With That?, which "indicates the constant search to express oneself by Idrija lace in a new way," the organisers said.

Almost 50 events will take place as part of the festival, with the main one scheduled for Saturday, when the quality of lace featured will be assessed and the best ones receive the Idrija Lace certificate.

A national lace making competition will take place on Sunday, while the festival will also see an in-person gathering of lace makers who have been connected on-line during the coronavirus epidemic.

A total of 16 lace-related exhibitions will be held at various venues in Idrija, most of which will remain open all summer.

The main exhibition is set up in Idrija Castle, featuring selected projects as part of cooperation between textile design students at the Ljubljana Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering and a local experimental group of lace makers.

"The products are connected by the idea of combining traditional Idrija lace and modern street fashion, with the students transferring the tradition of the past to the present," said Maja Svetlik of the local lace making school.

Multimedia artist Eva Petrič will be featured with two projects, including a 20-square metre "corona rose" made of bobbin lace, which was previously exhibited in Munich and Bern. It will be put on display in the Church of Saint Joseph the Worker.

An exhibition of lace produced as part of an international competition will make a comeback after ten years, featuring pieces from Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and other countries, with as many as eleven authors being under the age of 18.

The local lace making school will stage an exhibition of works by its students, while a collection of golden jewellery modelled after Idrija lace will be on display at Kenda Mansion.

The festival celebrating the tradition that has made it to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity will also feature guest lace exhibitions from Žiri and Croatia's Lepoglava and Split.

Learn more at the website

Časoris is an online newspaper aimed at children. Each week we’ll take an article and post it here as a Slovene-English dual text.

V Plečnikovem letu se spominjamo njegove izjemne arhitekture

In Plečnik's year we remember his exceptional architecture

Written by Sandra Hanžič,  translated by JL Flanner & G Translate

Letošnje leto bodo zaznamovali različni dogodki in obletnice. To bo med drugim olimpijsko leto, leto evropske mladine, doma pa tudi Tartinijevo in Plečnikovo leto.

This year will be marked by various events and anniversaries. This will be, among other things, the Olympic Year, the Year of European Youth, and the Tartini and Plečnik Years at home.

Vlada ga je razglasila, ker praznujemo 150-letnico rojstva arhitekta Jožeta Plečnika.

The government has announced it because we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of the architect Jože Plečnik.

Živel je v Ljubljani, a njegove zgradbe najdemo po vsej Sloveniji.

He lived in Ljubljana, but his buildings can be found all over Slovenia.

Ustvarjal je še na Dunaju in v Pragi, kjer je študiral, delal in poučeval.

He also created in Vienna and Prague, where he studied, worked and taught.

Njegovih del takrat niso razumeli, očitali so mu celo, da je staromoden. Navdih zanje je namreč iskal v antiki pri Grkih in Rimljanih.

His works were not understood at the time, he was even accused of being old-fashioned. He sought inspiration for them in antiquity, from the Greeks and Romans.

Elemente, značilne za ta čas – stebre, piramide, krogle, loke –, lahko opazimo v skoraj vseh njegovih delih.

Elements characteristic of this time - pillars, pyramids, spheres, arches - can be seen in almost all his works.

Danes vemo, da je bil kreativen, inovativen in napreden za svoj čas, pravijo Tina Silič, Barbara Viki Šubic in Tina Gradišer s Centra arhitekture Slovenije.

Today we know that he was creative, innovative and progressive for his time, say Tina Silič, Barbara Viki Šubic and Tina Gradišer from the Centre of Slovenian Architecture.

Arhitekturo je ustvarjal za ljudi. Postavljal jih je v ospredje javnega življenja, umeščal je naravo po mestu, s svojimi deli je krepil skupnost, zavzemal se je za ugodno bivalno okolje ter ustvarjal mesto po meri pešca.

He created architecture for people. He placed them at the forefront of public life, placed nature around the city, strengthened the community with his works, advocated a favourable living environment and created a city tailored to pedestrians.

Njegova arhitektura je bila trajnostna. Uporabljal je lokalne materiale ter recikliral gradbene elemente. Ali veš, da je za stebre cerkve Sv. Mihaela uporabil kar kanalizacijske cevi?

His architecture was sustainable. He used local materials and recycled building elements. Did you know that for the pillars of the church of St. Michael's Church [Cerkev sv. Mihaela na Barju] used sewer pipes?

Zveni znano? Z vsemi temi vprašanji se arhitekti ukvarjajo še danes.

Sounds familiar? Architects still deal with all these issues today.

Vedno bolj se zavedajo blagodejnega vpliva narave, dreves, potreb po ugodnem življenjskem prostoru za vse prebivalce in problemov, ki jih v mesta prinaša promet, navajajo sogovornice.

They are becoming more and more aware of the beneficial effects of nature, trees, the need for a favourable living space for all residents and the problems that traffic brings to cities.

V Ljubljani bodo kmalu prenovili njegovo trafiko. Banka Slovenije bo izdala njegove spominske kovance, v teh dneh pa bo izšel ponatis njegovega stripa.

His trafika [newsstand] will soon be renovated in Ljubljana. The Bank of Slovenia will issue his commemorative coins, and a reprint of a graphic novel about him will also be published soon.

Izjemnost njegove arhitekture se kaže tudi z vpisom njegovih del med Unescovo svetovno kulturno dediščino.

The exceptionality of his architecture is also shown by the inscription of his works among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.

STA, 12 January 2022 - The municipality of Ljubljana has announced a public call for the reconstruction of the Plečnik Auditorium, the former open-air amphitheatre in a clearing behind Tivoli Mansion in Ljubljana's Tivoli Park. It was designed by architect Jože Plečnik (1872-1957) and constructed in 1933, but left to decay after the Second World War.

In Plečnik's design, a wooden grandstand was placed to the west of the clearing behind Tivoli Mansion, where the terrain naturally rises, while a gravel stage overlooked Ljubljana. Above the wooden stands stood a fountain, which was later moved to a different location, next to the Ljubljanica River.

After the Second World War, the amphitheatre was left to decay. Until the mid-1960s, the area was used to host an open-air summer cinema, which was subsequently abandoned and the site was overgrown. The clearing is now surrounded by tall trees and is a protected plant habitat.

However, when the Švicarija arts centre in Tivoli was renovated a few years ago, the idea of reviving the amphitheatre was born as well. According to the plans drawn up by the architectural firm Medprostor, the wooden grandstand will be rebuilt on a steel structure, to its former extent and in its former location, with the trees and vegetation adjacent to the clearing to be fully preserved.

The stage of the reconstructed open-air theatre will be covered with grass, and the whole area will be linked with the Švicarija arts centre and Tivoli Mansion, the newspaper Dnevnik has reported.

"When planning the reconstruction, we felt it was important not to introduce new original elements, but simply to bring in modernity and also to be true to the original," said Rok Žnidaršič, the architectural project manager from Medprostor.

According to Dnevnik, Žnidaršič added that although the project followed the form and concept of Plečnik's design, it is not a "replica of the lost architectural spatial development, but rather an interpretation of it."

You can see the details of the public tender (in Slovene) here

Dnevnik: Govt Withdrawing Funds from of Independent Artists, Producers to Silence Critics

STA, 12 January 2022 - The Culture Ministry is trying to discipline independent artists and producers by denying them funds offered as part of a EUR 3.8 million call for applications for 2022-2025, the newspaper Dnevnik says in Wednesday's commentary headlined Unbearable Simplicity of Suppressing Critics.

Vasko Simoniti is not the first culture minister to say that Slovenia has too many artists, but he is the minister who has made the greatest effort to do something about it.

For him, "superfluous" are those who are active in the non-governmental sector, whom the current government finds stubborn and whom it does not get along with.

As a result, the idea that the number of NGOs and self-employed in culture is "financially unsustainable" found its way into a new draft national culture programme, even though funds for non-institutional culture represent but a few percent of the entire culture budget.

It is thus no surprise that the public call for applications for funding for the next four years, on which many NGOs depend, has caused uneasiness among the applicants.

This is partly because the number of programmes to be funded is limited and partly because, despite a record culture budget for the coming years, the ministry has hinted at a cut in funding of independent artists and producers.

The scarcity of funds for this group is nothing new because the country has a rigid culture model in which most of the funds go to public institutions. While the previous governments made efforts to cushion the situation, Simoniti seems to be using it to dismantle the culture sector to make it to the liking of "the second republic".

It is hard to overlook comments that it is those who criticise the government's policies that have been left without funds, which is a kind of censorship of thought and creativity.

Dnevnik points to Glej, an independent theatre group, which has been left without funding, formally because other NGOs' programmes have scored more points than it had.

However, it indicates that the true reason could be the fact that Glej's head is also the head of an association that "regularly points to disputable and harmful decisions of the ministry".

In other words, depriving NGOs of funds is the only true tool the authorities have at their disposal for disciplining, Dnevnik says, adding that in NGOs, politics cannot simply replace heads that are not to its liking with servile staff without professional integrity, as is the case in public institutions.

STA, 4 January 2022 - The dramatic canon of Ivan Cankar, considered to be Slovenia's greatest playwright, has been translated into English for the first time to allow the West to discover a literary genius often compared to the likes of Henrik Ibsen.

Devised by the Prešeren Theatre of Kranj in collaboration with the Crane Creations Theatre Company from Canada, the project Cankar Goes West aims to present to foreign audiences what is a major part of Slovenia's literary and dramatic canon.

In his plays Cankar (1876-1918) explores topics such as political corruption and greed, morals and the quest for truth, employing complex characters.

Cankar's dramatic oeuvre has been translated into English by Michael Biggins, Rawley Grau, Jason and Alenka Blake, Tina Mahkota and Tom Priestly, who sought to preserve his style and language.

The plays Romantic Souls, Jakob Ruda, Lackeys, King of Betajnovi, Beautiful Vida, Depravity in St. Florian Valley and For the Good of the Nation have come out in physical and digital forms. Also planned is a collector's luxury edition of 400 hardback copies.

Paperbacks and e-books will also be available at Amazon, the Prešeren Theatre has told the STA, expressing the hope that Cankar's plays will soon be put on stage abroad.

Launched at the 51st Week of Slovenian Drama festival last year, the project Cankar Goes West was supported by the Slovenian Culture Ministry and the EU as part of the Creative Europe programme.

The plays are accompanied by a timeline of historical events that influenced Cankar (1876-1918) and his work and those leading to Slovenia's independence. They are accompanied by photographs of various productions of his plays at Slovenian theatres.

The translation and publication of the books mark only the start of what the Kranj theatre says is a long-term project aimed at stimulating foreign theatres to produce Cankar's plays.

As part of the project's ongoing promotion, Cankar's plays were read on stage in London late last year with further readings planned at theatres elsewhere.

STA, 15 December 2021 - The Slovenian register of intangible cultural heritage has been expanded with three new entries: the traditional building of nativity scenes, the traditional Slovenian festive pastry - potica, and the health profession and practice of midwifery.

The nativity scene is a popular Christian tradition, a display of art objects that represent the birth of Jesus, usually exhibited around Christmas time in different forms, with figures representing characters from the nativity story.

Nativity scenes have a long tradition in Slovenia, but they were revived particularly in the 1990s, says the website of the Culture Ministry.

In 1990, the first live nativity scene was staged in the Postojna Cave, while a life-size nativity scene was built on Šmarna Gora near Ljubljana in 1991. The first documented nativity scene in Slovenia was displayed in 1641 in a church in Gornji Grad.

The second addition, Slovenian potica, is a traditional Slovenian festive pastry made of rolled leavened paper-thin dough and filled with any of a great variety of fillings.

The characteristic potica is round with a hole in the middle, and made with a filling of walnut or tarragon. There are also variants with quark, hazelnut, pumpkin seed, poppy seed, and even salted ones with cracklings or bacon.

Potica is commonly regarded as the most recognised pastry in Slovenia. It is thought to have originated as a ceremonial type of bread that was made in the country as early as the Middle Ages. The first to mention potica was Slovenian priest Primož Trubar in 1575.

See the recipe for potica from Cook Eat Slovenia

The third addition to the register, midwifery, covers the specific knowledge and skills of childbirth support. Traditionally, midwifery was an exclusively female activity, and midwives have held a special status within the community.

As it became more professionalised, a midwifery school was founded in Ljubljana in 1753, and the first maternity hospital in Slovenia was established in 1789. Today, there is also a special midwifery course available at the Faculty of Medicine in Ljubljana.

STA, 3 December 2021 - A collection of Slovenian cultural and natural heritage, folk tales, stories and traditions was presented on Friday as part of the Google Arts & Culture portal. "This project will give many people around the world the opportunity to hear about Slovenia's natural beauty, culture and unique features," said president Borut Pahor.

Slovenia is a small but diverse country, both naturally and culturally, and Pahor believes that the Stories from Slovenia collection within the Google Arts and Culture project is of great value for Slovenia and its people.

"Those who are curious about Slovenia will now have the opportunity to see what they might be interested in, and then actually visit our country," Pahor said at Friday's presentation of the project at the Cankarjev Dom cultural centre in Ljubljana.

Google Arts and Culture Director Amit Sood explained that Google's new service was available free of charge, online or as a smartphone app. The Stories from Slovenia collection has been in the making for almost a year and, according to Sood, would surely inspire people to visit Slovenia.

The project presents Slovenia's culture, nature and its many unique features. The collection contains more than 60 different stories, folk tales and virtual tours, while visitors can also admire more than 1,200 photographs, artworks and frescoes.

Google was supported in the design and implementation of the project by the Slovenian Tourist Board, the Computer Museum, the National Museum, the Posavje Museum Brežice, the Slovenian Mountaineering Association, the Slovenian Mountain Museum, the Beekeeping Museum in Radovljica, and the National and University Library.

More than 2,000 cultural institutions from 80 countries around the world are participating in the Google Arts and Culture project.

You can visit the site here

STA, 28 July 2021 - Ljubljana's landmarks designed by architect Jože Plečnik (1872-1957), including the Triple Bridge, Congress Square and Žale Cemetery, have been included in UNESCO's World Heritage List in line with a decision adopted by the World Heritage Committee on Wednesday.

Slovenia submitted the bid in January 2020 after an earlier joint bid with the Czech Republic was abandoned. All of Plečnik's major works in Ljubljana are thus included in the world heritage list, except for the dilapidated Bežigrad Stadium.

The country's bid Ljubljana: The Timeless, Human Capital Designed by Jože Plečnik, covered the works that Slovenia's most acclaimed architect completed during both world wars.

The decision of the World Heritage Committee comes after the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) positively assessed Slovenia's bid on 4 June.

ICOMOS recognised Plečnik's works in Ljubljana as an exceptional example of urban space design in accordance with the architect's deeply human vision that transformed a former provincial town into a symbolic national capital.

According to ICOMOS, Plečnik's approach is based on the reformist architectural movements of the early 20th century that is currently under-represented in the World Heritage List.

Špela Spanžel from the Ministry of Culture, who headed the task force preparing the nomination, said that the process that had led to this recognition had gradually started ten years ago, initially as a reflection on the value of Plečnik's heritage.

"We believe that Plečnik's Ljubljana illustrates in an exemplary way an approach to heritage that honours the achievements of the past and conceives the future tailored to the people, which means it very much reflects modern notions such as quality architecture and built environment, management, sustainability, beauty and a sense of space," Spanžel said.

Slovenia's bid was prepared by a group of experts in protection, preservation and management of cultural heritage in cooperation with the owners and managers of Plečnik's landmarks. The process was led by the Ministry of Culture and coordinated by the Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO).

Slovenia already has four entries in the World Heritage List - heritage of mercury in Idrija, prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, and ancient and primeval beech forests, and the Škocjan Caves.

STA, 17 September 2020 - Three economists agreed at a discussion on the budget fund cuts for culture that the sector in Slovenia is in an unenviable situation, and that some systemic solutions could be conceived during the coronavirus crisis, which may also be an opportunity for the sector.

Thursday's discussion, hosted by the Asociacija association of NGOs and individuals in culture, also discussed measures that the culture sector would need to continue to function and develop.

Bogomir Kovač of the Ljubljana School of Business and Economics noted that the supplementary budget provided more funds to the majority of departments, but not for culture, adding that this should be perceived from the economic and political aspects.

From the former, he sees the approach as better than during the 2008 economic crisis, when public borrowing and balanced budgets was one of the main tools for fighting recession.

The way the EU member states are being aided now is different, and there is much more wiggle room to cover deficits, so the supplementary budget is more technical than "economically and politically dramatic."

For Kovač, the culture sector being one of the rare sectors whose funds are being taken away by the government is a very political and non-economic move, "a kind of political punishing of culture".

His colleague Andrej Srakar agreed that culture is being punished and that the new budget is not being particularly strategic, and Marko Jaklič drew parallels with science, which has also been facing fund cuts in recent years.

The economists believe that production is going to suffer the brunt of the EUR 8 million cut for culture, as it is easiest to make cuts there.

Jaklič said that the funds were being taken away under the pretence that certain institutions were not able to operate, which he sees as a wrong approach. Smart countries have not cut budgets for science and culture, he added.

"The mission of culture is to put us in front of a mirror, unless we want to destroy it," said Jaklič, who thinks that Slovenian society does not understand yet that culture is also related to competitiveness of a country's companies.

The economists also noted that the attitude to culture had also shown in the anti-corona legislative packages, which did not cover the culture sector.

Kovač said that no Slovenian government saw an opportunity in culture, and added that if Slovenia wanted to build on its "political identity, which is cultural identity", culture should be in the core of political and economic strategies.

He believes that it would simply not work without a clear political decision that culture is important, and costs and losses are piling up during the crisis and there will also be a group of people "who have been pushed into an impossible position."

Srakar has the feeling that peace and status quo is being attempted to be maintained in culture, while there are several measures which are available but are not implemented, such as the share for culture in public investments and tax breaks for investors.

The economists agreed that culture should be discussed extensively because of its various forms which require different approaches. An alternative option is for the culture sector to propose changes on its own and try to put them into law.