The Slovenia Times 119 by Slovenia Times

j in ana si de ma p !

Lj u

The Slovenia Times, Slovenian magazine in English, volume 6, number 119, EUR 4,80

LIFE STYLE: It is ... Trekking time! August 2009

CONTENTS

August 2009 4

Panorama

POLITICS

6 10 12

Homophobic violence alarm A new constitution on the horizon Slovenian drinking habits

Partners

ECONOMY

16 18 19 20 22 23 24 26 28 30

Bringing the state back in: Mercator on sale Sprawling: Istrabenz pays the price of unchecked ambition Jure Apih and Meta Dobnikar talk about advertising trends Mura: The biggest European textile company bites the dust Interview: Patrick Vlačič, Slovenia’s transport minister IEDC Bled’s conference tackles regional issues Franc Beravs of Eco Fund explains green finance Running on light fuel: LPG and electric cars get in vogue Trimo supports young architects and enlivens Metelkova The secrets of wines as seen by Dveri Pax’s Danilo Flakus

31-34 Centrefold map of Ljubljana

LIFESTYLE

35 42 44 50

The joy of trekking in Slovenia Dejan Romih on trends in active vacations People: Pavle Kozjek, climber Dine with Style

CULTURE 52 53 54 56 59

Perpetuum Jazzile sings to the world Open air concerts Vlado Kreslin’s USA tour Event guide Ljubljana Jazz Festival Review

SPORTS

The joy of paragliding

Every Picture Tells a Story August 2009

CY CMY

PANORAMA

source: STA, Slovenian Press Agency

Borderline Terrorist

Croatian media have identified the man as Josip Zagajski, a Croatian war vet-

eran. The veteran was mentally ill after receiving wounds to his head during the Croatian independence war. Pahor labelled the alleged attempt of attack on him as an isolated case. He told that he had been informed about the possibility of assassination already on the evening of the arrest. Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor strongly condemned any form of extremism or threats with violence. She also called on the Croatian police to conclude the investigation of the incident as soon as possible. Pahor conferred on 14 July decorations on the police officers involved in the arrest. “Everyone - me, the government, and the Slovenian citizens are proud of what you have done. You have additionally strengthened the trust in your work,” Pahor said at the ceremony.

Photo: BOBO

Police arrested on 10 July a man suspected of plotting to assassinate Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor. According to acting Police, the man’s intention was to activate bombs in front of important state institutions in Ljubljana when key political figures would be passing by. The police stopped the man at the Dobova border crossing based on the information from the Schengen Information System that he was forbidden from entering the Schengen zone. While the police was searching him, the 59-year-old produced a hand grenade and removed the safety pin, threatening that he would throw the grenade on the floor. “A police officer prevented him from activating the bomb.

PM Borut Pahor decorates the policemen who intervened at Dobova.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality... again:

Nobody messes with Katarina

Ups!

Former Prime Minister Janez Janša was questioned by the police under the suspicition of disclosing classified information by quoting the head of the coalition Liberal Democrats (LDS) and Interior Minister Katarina Kresal regarding ways to solve the border dispute with Croatia. Kresal’s statements were made in August 2007 closed meeting of heads of parliamentary parties concerning Croatia and should thus remain confidential. Janša commented that it “is sad that the Slovenian police deals with an absurd case because of the pressure from the president of a parliamentary party, who is also the interior minister”, and that he was undergoing a show trial rather than legal proceedings. “This is why I don’t have an attorney with me today, because an attorney cannot help me in a political trial.” Spokesman of the Ljubljana Police Administration Vinko Stojnšek rejected Jansa’s claims. According to him, the police suspect a criminal act has been carried out and are obliged to act in accordance with the criminal procedure act. Kresal reiterated that she did not tell the police to start the investigation. “I am not instructing the police on how it should conduct its operational work. It is obvious that we are all equal before the law and it is about time that mister Janša accepts this.”

While Interior minister can’t forgive his political opponent disclosing her statements in a closed session, a strange thing happened on the same day when Janez Janša was heared. Parts of a cabinet session held on 2 July, which is usually closed to the public, could be heard on the government website due to a blunder. The mistake has given an unusual insight into the workings of the cabinet and the media a lot to write about. Most of the media outlets picked up on an heated exchange between Public Administration Minister Irma Pavlinic Krebs, Justice Minister Aleš Zalar and Interior Minister Katarina Kresal on job cuts in the public administration. The exchange prompted PM Borut Pahor to intervene and call for reflection on the measure. MP Miro Petek of the opposition Democrats (SDS) said a day after that by releasing parts of the session to the public, the government had violated the institute of top secrecy, which is a criminal offence. He pointed out that he expected the same action as in the case of SDS head Janez Janša. The police had started investigating the broadcast to see whether a criminal act was committed.

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UNDER THE PRESS Corruption

Nobody bribes Mr J!

Information society

Wired Slovenia Household Internet access, annual count Q1 by connection type. Total households in Slovenia according to 2002 census: 684.847 Total 341491 connections 250000

382233

401777 xDSL

200000 150000 dial-up (narrowband)

cable modem

100000

Source: Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia.

The Slovenian prosecutors had filed a request for a formal investigation against Finnish journalist Magnus Berglund on slander charges related to a report alleging that Slovenia’s former prime minister received bribes in a defence deal with Finnish Patria. The procedures against Berglund, a reporter at Finnish public broadcaster YLE, were initiated by former Prime Minister Janez Janša, who filed a criminal complaint against the reporter in October 2008 for injurious claims. The coalition party Zares stated that Janša should have filed a civil suit instead, as the case did not meet criteria for such a high-level investigation, suggesting that Berglund’s accusations were aimed at Janša as an individual rather than prime minister, and as such did not qualify for an investigation by state prosecutors.

optical fiber access

50000

other broadband

0 2007

2008

2009

Demographics

Taxation

Baby boom

The luxury of being childless

Photo: BOBO

Slovenia has seen a record number of births in its history in 2008. For the first time since 1991, when the country gained independence, the number of newborns topped 21,000. Nearly 21,820 babies were born, which is 10% up year-on-year. 11,126 of the newborns were boys and 10,691 were girls. The number of births is on the increase since 2003, when the country saw the record law of births. The estimated fertility rate for 2008 stands at 1.53 children - the highest in the last 20 years. Compared to the past decades, women in Slovenia decide to have fewer children and at a later age. In 2008, average age of the mother stood at 30. Mothers of firstborns were on average 28.4 years old. Both figures have hit a record-high since World War II. Only 21.9% of mothers who gave birth to their firstborns were under 25, while the number of those who gave birth to their first baby after the age of 35 topped 7%. Nearly half of the children born in 2008 were firstborns, over 36% were the second child and some 10% were the third child.

Finance Minister France Krizanic is faced criticism about his comments that the government is considering taxing childless people more. The proposal, mentioned by the minister in comments made ahead of a meeting of EU finance ministers, has been criticised by the unions, human rights institutions and even a fellow member of the cabinet. Some couples are unable to have children for biological reasons, while others decide not to have them for various other reasons, the union said. Prime Minister Borut Pahor also commented on Krizanic’s statement, saying that ministers were in charge of drawing up proposals, but were also “responsible for their statements”. Krizanic then downplayed his comments today, saying that the measure would be based on extending tax breaks for people with children rather than imposing a new tax on childless people. The same issue had caused controversy already in 2005, when a Slovenian entrepreneur who was advising the then centre-right government on economic matters mentioned the possibility of a similar tax, suggesting that couples who do not have children should pay a special luxury tax for doing a disservice to Slovenian demographics.

We still haven’t gotten a satisfying answer to a question about the other companies in which Gregor Golobič holds shares and whose funds end up in tax oases. We also didn’t get an explanation regarding whether it is acceptable for a minister who is paid from public funds, i.e. our taxes, to have companies, mailboxes abroad and pay taxes there. Simultaneously, the same Gregor Golobič advocates raising taxes because of the lack of government revenue. Isn’t that perverse? SDS MP Jože Tanko on his party’s website.

The initiators of this attempt of a political character assassination are led by fear, revenge and bad consciences: fear of revelation what they were doing while in power; revenge because the establishment of the party Zares contributed to the failure of previous government. The reasons for revenge are measured in millions of euros and that’s where their passion is coming from. Gregor Golobič at a press conference on the three reasons why the opposition initiated a commission inquiry of the deals by his partially owned company Ultra.

Pahor doesn’t act the way he should: as a father. He behaves passively, which is not convincing to Slovene people. It is a strategic problem of the Slovene left wing, which has not had a father figure since Drnovšek and Kučan. Anthropologist Vesna V. Godina in a Mladina interview, explaining why the current prime minister doesn’t respond to the psychological profile of the nation.

Those of us with family names ending with -ić can only blame ourselves for the new Slovenian keyboard permitting us to spell our name only using the Alt Gr key, and thus making us third-class computer citizens. We also have no right to be comforted that we are equal to our third-class (computer) president Danilo Türk. The looser letters ć and đ have flopped down to the third league, to give up their first league spots to characters € and @. The championship was totally regular: the letters ć and đ were simply not in use enough and thus didn’t rank highly enough. The difference in the goals they scored was catastrophic. Already, several rounds before the end of championship they lagged behind the twenty eighth spot, held by letters h and f. Writer Goran Vojnović in his Dnevnik column comments on the replacement of Yugoslav standard keyboard with a new uniquely Slovenian one.

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR

POLITICS

Homophobic Slovenia

Waiting for the sun

By Marko Vuković

This year’s summer has not been kind

to Slovenes. Quite a few of those who decided to spend their vacations in neighbouring Croatia reported that the feelings between the two nations have cooled considerably since the Slovenian government started blocking Zagreb’s negotiations over the EU membership. Those who stayed home had to contend with weather becoming more like April than to what were supposed to be the hottest summer months. A steady flow of negative news about the economy has certainly not lifted the spirits. The recession will be deeper than any of us dared to imagine back in 2008 when the international financial systems started collapsing. We thought ourselves safely ensconced in this beautiful corner of Europe, forgetting that in the global economy the collapse of the real estate market on the other side of the Atlantic can have serious repercussions even for sectors such as Slovenia’s car industry, the economy’s most important exporter. And the troubles will not go away any time soon, even if one can still afford to pitch a tent somewhere on the Adriatic cost. The autumn will be colder still. The bad news does not stop here, of course. In eyes of those who put their hopes in the fact that Slovenia is a democratic, tolerant country, this image has been shattered. On a warm summer evening, as the Slovene nation was celebrating its independence day, a group of masked individuals beat up a gay activist smoking his cigarette in front of a bar where gay and lesbian literature was being debated. This was obviously a hate crime. The attackers were shouting homophobic inanities and wielding torches in the best tradition of the Ku Klux Klan. That neither the president Danilo Türk nor the Prime Minister Borut Pahor found time to condemn the attack speaks for itself; they left it to Ljubljana mayor Zoran Janković and the interior minister Katarina Kresal to stand up for gay rights and support the gay pride parade that took place in Ljubljana just a few days after the attack. It seems that the top brass has other priorities to attend to. This sounds uncannily familiar; Roman Catholic fundamentalists and their allies in the opposition parties argue that legislative proposals putting same-sex marriages on an equal footing with heterosexual ones only diverts attention and energy from devising measures to fight the recession. Making fundamental human rights and basic rules of civil society negotiable and subject to political expediency is a definitive sign of bad taste – and there is a lot of that in Slovene politics. Take the unresolved sea border issue with Croatia. This newspaper warned a couple of months ago that Pahor was playing with fire when he chose to block Croatia’s way to the EU. By posing as a staunch defender of the national interest and employing harsh tactics against the Croats, he lent credibility to those nationalists that have always been hell-bent of denying Croatia the advantages of EU membership. Although the danger that a referendum on Croatia’s entry into the EU would be organised here has declined markedly in recent months, that does not mean that passions on both sides of the border have cooled. Josip Zagajski, a psychologically troubled Croatian war veteran wanted to assassinate Mr Pahor with hand grenades last month but was stopped at the border, is a case in point. Still, you might find this analysis a tad too pessimistic. Perhaps you have luckily avoided high explosives, kept your job and are now sipping your drinks by the sea, watching the sunset. Beware, however: you may still catch swine flu. And so it goes.

A cruel awakening A journalist and gay activist became the victim of a brutal attack. A group of masked individuals assaulted him on a gay and lesbian literature night. About a week after the attack, the police arrested three suspects. By Barbara Štor

t was was the evening of 25th June, the day when Slovenia celebrated its 18 years of independence. In honour of the traditional Gay Pride Parade week and the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Slovene homosexual association Legebitra, a gay-and-lesbian literature night was organised in a Ljubljana café, called Open. Suddenly a calm evening turned into a devastating assault. At about 9 pm, a group of eight masked assailants, dressed in black stormed the place. They were armed with sticks, shouting anti-gay slogans and they apparently wanted to burn the café by throwing a torch into the room. When the assault began, journalist and gay activist Mitja Blažič was just at the entrance of the café and he blocked the attackers. He was beaten and repeatedly kicked in the head. Since the attackers were trying to start a fire, the president of the Association for the Integration of Homosexuality also suffered some mild burns.

An Act of Cowards The assault on the gay rights activist was widely condemned from the government, political parties and human rights bodies. Interior Minister Katarina Kresal, for example, called it a “cowardly act” and an “attack on the law-governed state and human dignity.” “These are people like everyone else, and I wish that human rights would be secured for them as they are for everyone else. I have already proposed to my colleagues in the coalition parties to reflect on whether the drawing up of the family legislation is not a chance to also put their rights on par with everyone else’s,” the Interior Minister added. Minister Kresal also attended the 9th Slovene Gay Parade, which took place two days after the assault. Side by side with around 500 people, she marched against

the violence and discrimination against gays and lesbians. The parade was also escorted by a strong police force, in order to prevent any additional attacks. Approximately a week after the attack, the police announced that they had arrested three suspects in the attack, allegedly sympathizers of groups encouraging intolerance. Two suspects in their early twenties from Ljubljana are in detention, while an 18-yearold suspect from Škofja Loka is in house arrest. If found guilty, they could face up to three years imprisonment.

Intolerant Public Although not much is heard about them – as the victims are usually too afraid to publicise being attacked – violent hate crimes over gays, lesbians, bisexuals and the transgendered have been on the rise in recent years, leading us to assume that the Slovene public is still relatively homophobic. For example, when the drag queen trio Sestre (The Sisters) won the Slovenian contest for the Eurovision Song Contest 2002, an outburst of intolerance in public and media followed. Besides verbal attacks, the number of physical assaults is also increasing. Several assaults occurred after the official part of last year’s Gay Parade. Two gays were also attacked after 2006 Gay Parade, while a few years ago a group of young armed men attacked some gays and lesbians, who had organised an event to encourage tolerance. Perhaps the most bizarre such incident dates back to the nineties when an actor, who merely played a gay character a popular sitcom, suffered a similar attack.

Dull Ceremony Approximately three years ago, Slovenia passed a law, legalizing same-sex marriages. The first two

POLITICS the act, against which Mitja Blažič and Viki Kern had filed a constitutional review in November 2006, is unconstitutional in its provisions related to inheritance.

Photo: BOBO

Equalizing the Rights?

men who married in a civil ceremony were Mitja Blažič and Viki Kern, but they described the ritual as humiliating and awful. According to the law, no friends or relatives are allowed to attend the ceremony, which can be held only in a state office. Although Slovenia’s gay and lesbian organizations welcomed the

move, they at the same time criticized the law as insufficient and discriminatory, compared with heterosexual marriages. The law covers only property relations, the right/obligation to support a socially weaker partner and inheritance rights to a degree. Meanwhile it does not grant any rights in the area of social security (social and

health insurance, pension rights) and it does not confer the status of a next-of-kin to the partners. However, Slovene gays and lesbians were recently given a reason to celebrate: The Constitutional Court declared that the Same Sex Unions Act is discriminatory. At the beginning of July, this institution unanimously decided that

Now it seems that Slovenia might legalize gay marriage with all the privileges of heterosexual marriage and, in certain cases, the adoption of children by homosexual couples. According to Interior Minister Katarina Kresal, the government had agreed that it had to grant same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples enjoy, or as near as possible. In contrast, the non-parliamentary party New Slovenia (NSi) expressed strong objections to the government’s plans. According to NSi, the changes would interfere with the rights of third persons, i.e. the children. And if amended legislation would threaten the respect of children’s rights, the NSi announced that it would start collecting signatures for a referendum.

Gay activist

Growing intolerance in the wake of hard times In view of recent outrageous attacks on the gay bar Café Open, Mitja Blažič rethinks the supposed tolerance and openness of Slovenia towards the same-sex oriented community. by Tanja Goršič

itja Blažič, a radio journalist and an activist in the gay community, was the unfortunate victim of an unprecedented assault, which happened on the day Slovenia was celebrating the 18th anniversary of its independence, the so-called coming-of-age of our country. This offers an appropriate cue to raise the question of our society’s general maturity. Seven men in masks, dressed in black, armed with flaming torches appeared at Café Open, with the clear intention of throwing the torches into the bar, where a literature evening, a post-gay parade celebration, was in progress. Since Mitja, who was smoking outside, was blocking the entrance into the bar, they had to deal with him first. A fight started, and he defended himself as best as he could. “We have this survival instinct,” he says, “and I guess this is what

confused them, so that in the end they managed to throw only one torch in the bar.” At that time, there were 30 people in the bar. “I have no idea what would have happened if it was not for this coincidence,” says Blažič. “The attack was extremely violent; I have never experienced anything like that in my life.” The event is even more disturbing because its organized nature points to the fact that it was not an act of youthful mischievousness or intimidation but a radical organized action.

A Slow Increase in Intolerance “In the last five years, we’ve been noticing an increase in organized attacks on same-sex oriented persons. Usually the attacks are concentrated in the period after the Gay Parade [but they also occur] during the year, in areas

Mitja Blažič and his partner Viki Kern in 2006 as the first formally registered homosexual couple.

where same-sex oriented people gather and socialize, such as in K4 and at Metelkova. Groups of young people come there with an intention to be aggressive. This is the disturbing part.”

It is difficult to explain this trend, because it is a very complex question, but Blažič is convinced that this radicalization can also be attributed to the global financial crisis. “History teaches us that in August 2009

POLITICS

Human Rights

Raising awareness Amnesty International activists Metka Naglič and Blaž Kavčič on the achievements in the field of human rights, the situation in the region and the reasons for it.

m ne st y I nt e r n at ional Slovenia is focused mostly on the issues of the so-called erased and the access of Roma children to education; both these areas can be viewed as issues of discrimination. However, this does not imply there are no other human rights concerns: there is hate speech, related mostly to the erased, Roma or gays, violence against women, cases of alleged police violence, restrictive asylum procedures and violations of migrant workers’ rights. On the positive side, we should mention that after several years of our campaigning, the authorities at the end of 2008 finally decided to limit the free sale of electric stun-guns and stopped their introduction in the police force. Furthermore, after 17 years, the first effective steps were undertaken regarding the issue of the erased. And finally, in the 200809 school year, Roma teaching assistants were introduced in schools with Roma pupils; that is a very valuable first step in the process of aiding Roma pupils in education. Considering previous decades of segregation and discriminatory practices, the process is slowly going in the right direction. It is difficult to evaluate how human rights in Slovenia range on the global scale. On the one hand, there are violations where authorities could and should have done more to effectively address them. On the other hand, in addressing some issues in the world, Slovenia is forward looking and leads the way with like minded countries – as it was the case with the establishment of International Criminal Court, actions against death penalty and for children’s rights. Considering the wider region, in some countries of ex-Yugoslavia, there are still issues of impunity, - reflected in the slow progress in prosecution of war crimes. Discrimination of Roma

The Slovenia Times

is also reported all over the region -mostly in connection to equal access to education. There are problems in Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia Czech Republic, Slovakia and Italy The reasons for this situation are difficult to tell without the risk of generalizing. For example, when talking of Roma education, there’s often a vicious cycle where many Roma parents are illiterate, vastly unemployed and live on the margins of the society in inappropriate living conditions. These are factors that need to be taken into account by the state when seeking solutions for better inclusion of Roma pupils in education in order for them to really work. Thinking that “tomorrow is a new day” is wrong: we’re talking of long-term processes and changes come slowly. In our view, awareness-raising and human rights education is very important in order to increase better understanding among people. Amnesty Slovenia carries out more than 100 workshops in primary and secondary schools annually and in this way reaches out to around 2,000 pupils yearly. Slovenes are human rights aware to a certain extent and we hope that this is also partly thanks to our efforts. However, there are elements which also contribute to negative attitudes. We can’t point out anyone in particular, but we are aware that there are many hostile posts on the internet. Sometimes, unfortunately some politicians also use hate speech, which is especially wrong considering their public exposure. The lack of top politicians’ condemnation of hate speech and discriminatory practices is also problematic. In the recent case of an attack on Mitja Blažič, it was really welcome that the Minister of Interior and the President of the Parliament were quick to condemn the attack.

times of crisis people start looking for someone to blame and usually the culprits are found among the minorities,” he asserts, adding, “In recent years we have witnessed a general unscrupulous tolerance of aggression, from leading politicians. If the political top tolerates violence, this obviously stimulates certain people to do the same,” he is convinced. The situation is not so bleak. If we take a broader look at the position of homosexuals in Slovene society, we discover that the general climate has certainly warmed in terms of acceptance of homosexuality, since the decriminalization that occurred towards the end of the 1970s. However as the world is going through a critical time, it reflects on every one of us.

Who is Afraid of the Gays? Even though the beginnings of organized gay activism in Slovenia go back to 1984, many people today are still uneducated about it. Even though it is impossible to come up with a stereotypical figure, the most common characteristic of all homophobes is ignorance. “They do not know what homosexuality is; they are not familiar with the lifestyles of gays and lesbians and form the opinions on homosexuality based on stereotypes and prejudice, which have absolutely nothing to do with reality. This, I think is the fundamental characteristic of people like Ljudmila Novak (of the con-

Traditionalist

The debate is unbalanced Politician Aleš Primc, in discussions regarding samesex relationships and always firmly on the side of monogamous, heterosexual, traditional families, talks about the attack on Blažič, the prevalence of homosexuals in the media and the appropriate solution to the issue of same-sex relationships. By Jaka Terpinc

n 2001, Aleš Primc tabled a motion for a referendum against in vitro fertilisation in single women. While the voter turnout was very low, the majority voted against fertilisation. Now, after Dr. Ivan Svetlik, the Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs, predicted “a more contemporary concept of family,” stressing the definition of family as “a community of adults and children,” Primc claims that the coalition is trying to overrule the vote of the people and predicts another referendum, should the act be adopted. There are many who maintain that attacks on homosexuals are fuelled by politicians and other people in the public eye who denounce homosexuality as deviant, alien and unwanted. What is your opinion on this? In my opinion, tolerance of homosexuality in Slovenia is comparable to the general European level of tolerance. People accept that homosexuality exists, but they refuse to accept the unnatural demands of homosexual organisations to make same-sex relationships equal to heterosexual

marriage or to allow in vitro fertilisation and adoption in same-sex relationships. People are also opposed to the intrusive propaganda of these organisations and certain individuals who want these demands to be met. Public discussion of these issues is at an acceptable level, comparable to other European countries, but it is not balanced enough. This is due to the fact that homosexuals have an enormous influence on the media and are thus able to broadcast their views much more extensively than we are, as we try to express our disagreement with their demands, which are absolutely unacceptable. Unfortunately, it seems that even RTV Slovenia has fallen under the influence of the homosexual lobby, despite their claims that their mission is to focus on matters of nationwide significance, unlike commercial TV stations. I wonder what nationwide significance the national broadcasting organisation sees in the demands of homosexuals, that it refuses to allow us to air our arguments for several months in a row.

POLITICS servative Nsi party, and a former MEP),” says Blažič. What arises from ignorance is fear. Such people “...feel threatened by everything that does not confirm their own lifestyle, their identity.” Such fear generates aggression, either passive or active, he continues, “The young are usually more active and aggressive, whereas the older people are more passive in their expression of intolerance ... These people disapprove of violence in general, but invariably add the big ‘However’ with which they justify it. This kind of intolerance is often more aggressive and painful than the punches.” In the wake of recent attack, they witnessed numerous such responses in daily politics, on the internet forums and in people’s re-

While discussions on some Internet message boards can sometimes fall to an unacceptable level, this is true for both sides. In general, this is the problem with most Internet discussions. I do not want to make any guesses as to the reasons for the attack, since I am not familiar with either the attackers or the circumstances. Homosexuals are trying to take over not only the media and certain politicians, but many other institutions as well. Recently, I saw Roman Kuhar taking part in TV klub on POP TV, where he was introduced as a representative of the Faculty of Arts. Who gave him this mandate? Was this decision made by the bodies of the Faculty of Arts? I do not believe so, since I hope that the people in charge of the Faculty are aware that the Faculty is an open forum for knowledge, not a cheerleading stand for advertising the interests of certain individuals. As a graduate of the Faculty of Arts, I object to this abuse of the Faculty, its students and lecturers. Let me remind you how the last discussion on the de-

sponses to the news. But in general, most people were of the opinion that what happened at Café Open was nevertheless unacceptable. With the general climate of intolerance, public displays of affection between same-sex couples are virtually unseen. Blažič says he does not feel comfortable displaying affection publicly, because this invariably provokes hostile glances, hostile remarks or even worse things by passers-by. “The act of love becomes an act of activism […] and sometimes you just do not have the amount of energy [it takes] to put up with everything that might happen to you,” he confesses. Abroad, it’s a different story. In the metropolises of the developed democracies, such as San Francisco, Syd-

mands of homosexuals began a few months ago. The discussion was opened by one of the lecturers from the Faculty of Social Work at an event that was sponsored by the Faculty of Social Work. These abuses are absolutely unacceptable and I am counting on the competent authorities to prevent them in the future. What is your message to the people who organised the attack and beat up Mitja Blažič? Don’t do it again, guys. Do you think it is necessary for homosexuals to raise awareness at pride parades? While these carnivals can get pretty tasteless sometimes, I believe that people are more opposed to their unnatural and unjustified demands and the way they are trying to force us into an unacceptable re-evaluation of society. Advocates of same-sex relationships and adoptions support their viewpoint with research showing that children raised by homosexual couples are not necessarily gay themselves. They also

ney, Amsterdam, Barcelona, or Madrid, one can display affection publicly and it passes unnoticed, since you are just one of many. A consequence of the smallness of the town or the country? ”It is the smallness of the mind,” Blažič replies laconically.

Coming Out The coming out of publicly known same-sex oriented persons does not exist in Slovenia. In fear this it “...might harm their status, destroy their career, or make them the victims of discrediting, decrease their TV ratings, public personalities live their homosexuality behind four walls, which must be frustrating to anyone. I am sure that being able to live out your

point out that children growing up in these circumstances are always wanted and receive the attention that is often lacking in heterosexual, traditional relationships, a fact that is contrasted with the state of a typical Slovenian family, all too frequently burdened with violence and alcohol abuse. Which do you see as worse, the latter or a homosexual couple raising an adopted child? Science is not unanimous on the issues you mention. But what is clear and self-evident to me are the laws of nature. Only a man and a woman can have a child in a natural way and a family is the most suitable environment to raise children. Every child has the right to a father and a mother and this right must not be taken away by the government. Let me tell you what a single mother said to me eight years ago, when we were fighting to prevent the adoption of a law that would allow single women to have children. She said that she strongly supported our efforts and that, as a single mother, she realised the importance of a father in a child’s life. Of course alcohol causes a lot of grief in our families, as do drugs, gambling addiction and many other factors. But are homosexuals resistant to alcohol, drugs, gambling addiction and other forms of addiction? Was this also determined by researchers somewhere? A child has the right to a father and a mother, because children need a father and a mother to provide the best environment for their development, upbringing and entering the outside world. That is why even divorced parents are encouraged by law to take part in the upbringing, even if both do not live with the child. Following up on your claim that homosexuality is unnatural, what do you see as the reason for

identity to the fullest is something anybody, living in a free country, and paying taxes, would want. Everybody knows that certain media and political persons are gay but they do not come out, which is insincere.” There are other ways of coming out, a popular term nowadays is to do it “naturally,” which means showing up with your same-sex partner at a cultural event or in another public situation. It would do a lot of good for the gay community if people saw that there are public people who confidently live their homosexuality. More people would accept homosexuality and not regard it as something strange. At the same time, many same-sex oriented persons would find major support in it.

homosexual tendencies and how should society act against them? Society, including Slovenian society, has already made a large step towards tolerance of homosexuality, since it is tolerated and accepted as a reality of society. It is now time for homosexual organisations and certain individuals to stop their demands and the extortion that has already gone beyond all natural limits and common sense. Based on the supposition that homosexuality is not likely to disappear and will remain a social issue, how would you regulate it by law? To what extent would you allow relationships, registration, public displays of homosexuality, etc.? The field of same-sex relationships is well-regulated by the Registration of a Same-Sex Civil Partnership Act. This is also the main message of the Constitutional Court; of the 39 articles, the article on inheritance from a same-sex partner in a civil partnership was determined to be in discrepancy with the Constitution. This article will be revised in the National Assembly and then I hope these discussions can be wrapped up and the public can stop focusing on these matters, since there are many other issues that are much more important. We are in the middle of the largest economic and social crisis after World War II. As the Prime Minister promised at the beginning of his mandate and as I would expect from the government, hopefully they will turn their attention towards solving the crisis and helping those most affected by it, rather than focusing on homosexual issues, which seem to be the main topic for certain ministers. August 2009

10 POLITICS

Constitutional debate

A healthy constitution? Slovenia’s constitution is still a teenager, but some prominent voices are calling for a radical overhaul of the document. By Jaka Bartolj

Towards a Second Republic According to Janša, a clean break with the past is necessary to end a system that has allowed postcommunist tycoons to take advantage of legislative loopholes and amass great wealth through highly questionable practices. In Janša’s view, increased regulation has had some positive effects, but only structural reforms can close all of the loopholes that he argues were intentionally created during Slovenia’s transition to a free-market democracy. Janša points out that judicial backlogs are a significant problem, and have resulted in a lack of prosecutions in white-collar criminal cases. According to Janša, the public is losing faith in the legal system and the judiciary can only be effectively overhauled by changing the constitution. Janša would like to see the revised constitution address controversial historical issues, namely Slovenia’s attitude towards the communist era. Citing Ljubljana city council’s recent decision to name a street after Yugoslav-era leader Josip Broz Tito, Janša wondered how the city could name a street after a man “who is certainly responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands people” in the aftermath of World War II. In Janša’s view, the revised constitution should ban the glorification of totalitarian regimes. Other changes proposed by Janša include compulsory secondary schooling and the elimination of media monopolies. The Slovenia Times

Grabbing Attention If Janša’s decision to present these proposals as a call for a Second Republic was made at least in part to generate considerable media attention, the strategy has certainly been a success. In the days following his announcement, Slovenia’s newspapers and pundits jumped at the chance to explain what his suggestions actually mean. Mainstream media outlets were quick to note the ideological nature of the proposals. The daily Delo acknowledged that some of Janša’s ideas make sense, but that the overall plan is merely “a medley of sketchy ideas of predominately ideological nature.” The center-left Dnevnik was even more critical. According to the daily, the proposals “should be understood as an attempt by Janša to use the deepening economic crisis and subsequent distress of a growing number of Slovenians to

secure political points.” Dnevnik points out that Janša’s call for an overhaul of the constitution came just six months after the former Prime Minister argued that the country was not in a economic crisis. The daily Večer praised some of Janša’s suggestions, including the proposal to speed up the formation of new governments. However, the paper was more critical of other proposals, such as the idea to ban the glorification of totalitarian regimes. More than anything else, however, Večer criticized Janša’s general approach, warning that his rhetoric could inflame public passions and result in a political crisis. In fact, even center-right observers, while praising the content of Janša’s proposals, ended up distancing themselves from some of the rhetoric. Gregor Virant, the head of the pro-Janša group

Photo: M. Botte

he issue of a revised constitution emerged on centre stage when former Prime Minister and opposition leader Janez Janša stated that only comprehensive constitutional changes would prevent Slovenia’s social stagnation in the years ahead. Never one for understatements, Janša even called for the creation of a “Second Republic” in Slovenia.

President Danilo Türk favours constitutional changes, although their content could become a matter of a long and burning debate.

Assembly for the Republic, described the call for a Second Republic as a “marketing term.” Former Const it ut ional Court Judge Tone Jerovšek, while pointing out that some of Janša’s ideas could easily be carried out in the future, nevertheless emphasized that they do not amount to a “Second Republic” and that many of them do not even belong in the constitution.

Changes on the Way Still, Janša’s speech caught the imagination of other politicians. President Danilo Türk was quick to send out a letter proposing a cross-party discussion of the proposed constitutional changes. The president wants to start a national dialogue on the changes, which would involve political parties, civil organisations, as well as various experts. However, while President Türk stated that he would consider Janša’s ideas, his letter emphasized an earlier initiative to overhaul the constitution – that proposed by Tine Hribar, a widely respected public intellectual. Hribar presented his vision of a “21st Century Constitution” months before Janša’s speech, albeit to a far more muted public response. Hribar announced that a group of experts and intellectuals, including France Bučar, widely known as the father of Slovenia’s first constitution, will take a year or two to deliberate on a possible overhaul of the constitution. According to Hribar, the new constitution could help bridge the rift in Slovenian society caused by World War II and “consider the fundamental values of humanity to a greater extent than the existing constitution,” although most specific changes remain a mystery. With Slovenia facing an everdeepening economic crisis and increasing public dissatisfaction with the status quo, its present constitution could look very different once the country grows out of its teen years.

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12 SOCIETY Photo: BOBO

Alcohol Consumption

Slovenes: heavy drinkers The Minister for Health, Borut Miklavčič, recently announced modifications to the legislation on health care and health insurance. One of the changes would be the provision that drunk drivers should pay for any healthcare costs associated with accidents they had caused. Every third fatal traffic accident in Slovenia is alcohol-related. However, the minister has not explained how they intend to get money, especially from those with few or no assets. By Barbara Štor

little more than a year ago, Slovenia adopted amendments to the Road Safety Act that were aimed at penalising the most reckless drivers; among others changes, the amendments brought substantially higher fines and penalties to drunk drivers. For example if the breathalyser shows between 0.38 and 0.52 mg of alcohol per litre of exhaled air, the driver is fined with EUR 500 and nine demerits over the previous EUR 250 and five demerits, while professional drivers are fined even more. All these amendments were adopted for one reason only: to bring more traffic security to all.

Drunk Drivers = Self-Payers However it seems that the substantial hit in the pocket has not sobered Slovene drivers, at least not enough to stop drinking and driving. Specifically, 22,783 traffic accidents occurred last year; 214 people lost their lives and 1,068 were severely injured, while every third fatal accident was caused by a drunk driver. Although it is impossible to put a price on a human life, some researchers predict that the societal damage of a life lost in a traffic accident amounts to EUR 547,000. The Slovenia Times

Multiplied by the number of lives that were lost in traffic accidents last year, the costs total to EUR 120 M. Thus far, all the expenses for the medical treatment and rehabilitation of the injured participants in traffic accidents were covered from common health insurance. However, the Health Ministry is determined to put an end to this Therefore, they have suggested that drunk drivers who cause a traffic accident should pay for t reat ment a nd rehabilitat ion costs, which can amount to tens of thousands of euros for a severely injured person. Although the suggestion seems logical, the question of how the money will be recovered remains, especially from those with no or very little assets.

Wine Lovers Slovenia has one of the highest registered as well as unregistered consumption of alcohol per capita among the European countries. Alcohol is generally an important part of Slovene culture and is often associated with many cultural rituals and festivals. At every public festivity, at every concert, at every sports event, alcoholic drinks are sold. No wonder, as the

country has a deep-rooted tradition of wine making, beer brewing and home distilling. The most popular drink among the Slovenes has always been wine. The country is extremely proud of its wine, and vineyards cover around 25,000 hectares of Slovenia. The bulk of the vineyards are found in the west and east of the country. It could easily be said that wine is a part of Slovenia’s identity and that it symbolically unites Slovenes in their national anthem Zdravljica (A Toast), from France Prešeren: The vintage, friends, is over - And here sweet wine makes, once again Sad eyes and hearts recover - Puts fire into every vein. Drowns dull care - Everywhere - And summons hope out of despair. However, there is a survey by the Statistics Office showing that the consumption of wine in Slovenia has been falling in recent times. At the beginning of the millennium, Slovenes drank approximately 24 litres of wine annually on average; presently, the consumption has dropped to some 20 litres. Aside from wine, beer and spirits are also popular around Slovenia. “Žganje” for example is the most common type of spirit found in Slovene homes.

Alcohol Toll As already mentioned, the statistics place Slovenia at the top of the list of worldwide alcohol consumption. According to some data, every fifth man and every 25th woman in Slovenia is an alcoholic. For a country with two million people, this means approximately

170,000 alcoholics. According to the latest information available, the average Slovene over the age of 15 consumed approximately 9 litres of pure alcohol per year. On average, that means 71 litres of beer, 40 litres of wine and two litres of spirits per person. The harmful consequences of the use of alcohol affect a significant number of Slovenes and represent an important public health issue. Among EU countries, Slovenia has extremely high alcoholrelated disease rates, such as liver diseases. Every year, more than 500 people die from alcohol-related causes and among them almost 70% die prematurely. Every year, there are too many traffic accidents due to alcohol. Alcohol is a key public health and social concern across the entire European Community, not only in Slovenia. Europe has the highest proportion of drinkers in the world, and the highest levels of alcohol consumption per capita. The data show that the heaviest daily drinkers of alcohol in Europe are the Portuguese (47%), followed by Italians (26%), while the number of Slovenes stands at 9%. When drinking, Slovenes usually have a glass or two (63%), 16% have three or four glasses, 12% less than one and 6% get drunk, meaning that they consume more than four units of alcohol.

Drunken Adolescents When he first tastes this intoxicating substance, the average Slovene is 13.3 years old. Although this is not necessarily a cause for concern, a recent European survey on drug and alcohol abuse has discovered that regular alcohol consumption is increasing among Slovene adolescents. Apparently

teenagers do not know how to have fun without whiskey, beer, vodka or wine. While 93% of 15year old Slovene teenagers have already drunk alcohol at least once during their lifetime, what is more troubling is the fact that every third 15-year old student has become a regular drinker (40 times or more). Boys still drink larger quantities than girls, but the gender difference is slowly disappearing.

Fighters Against Alcoholism Although it seems that the country has been fighting against alcohol only in the recent years, this is not true. The first treatment for alcoholics in Slovenia was introduced by Fran Viljem Lipič, approximately 175 years ago. Lipič was a doctor in Ljubljana and the first “fighter against alcoholism.” He believed that alcoholism was a disease as well as a moral social problem. He understood how difficult the treatment of this disease was and that it required establishing institutions and a health care centre. However, Dr. Lipič was not in favour of a prohibition of alcoholic beverages. He only suggested that the alcohol production should be reduced by one-third in order to soften some of the harmful effects resulting from alcohol use. A more recent fighter against alcoholism in Slovenia was the controversial psychiatrist Dr. Janez Rugelj, who passed away over a year ago. He spent most of his professional career helping alcoholics bounce back from rock bottom. In 1971, he set up his own alcohol rehab centre and he successfully treated more than 500 alcoholics and other people in need.

Photo: BOBO

Diluted Measures For years Slovenia has been trying to curtail alcohol consumption among its resident with different measures, all with the goal of reducing the harm caused by alcohol abuse. These include severe penalties for drunk drivers, a minimum legal age limit of 18 years for drinking alcoholic beverages and for buying alcohol in shops, grocery stores, or gasoline stations, a prohibition of the sale of distilled spirits before 10 a.m. and a ban on advertising alcoholic beverages. However, since alcohol is so deeply rooted in the identity of this nation, the majority of the attempts to educate the public of alcohol-related harm have been generally unwelcome and most of the measures were protested at the beginning, while some are unfortunately still ignored.

One day as I was walking to school, something happened, which I didn’t remember at the time. I remember waking up in a hospital bed. I left the room and saw my parents. They stood up: I thought they had seen me and would come and hug me. But they just went out to the car. I went with them, but they did not react. When they got home, Dad put his arm around Mum and they just sat on the sofa, crying. I looked at the time. 10:15 on 10 August 2002. I told them I was going out, and left.

n a shop window I saw the TV news. There was no sound: just a picture of me. Curious, I kept walking. People ran past me as if I was invisible. I told myself, ‘they’re in a hurry, they can’t stop and talk.’ My left shoulder hurt badly and I headed for home. I saw a paper on the ground, dated 15 September 2002. This puzzled me, because I could have sworn it was 10 August. Not far from home, my parents drove past. Just as I wondered where they were going, I found myself in the car. They were wearing funeral clothes. Whose funeral was it? I would soon find out I knew the person very well. I had known her all my life. Looking into the casket, I was out of breath, dizzy. It was a girl of about 14 with long, blonde hair. But there was no doubt about it. That girl was me. But how could it be? I didn’t want to believe it, but then I started remembering. As I was walking to school, a man confronted me. He wanted my money. I told him I had none. He moaned. All of a sudden I felt excruciating pain. I had been shot in the left shoulder. Now I knew that he had killed me. I once read that nobody can see a dead person, unless the ghost bears a grudge against you, and that a ghost can never hurt any living being physically. I knew what I needed to do. I would find this

man and I would have my revenge. I knew I had to attack his mind. I would drive him insane. The thought of revenge kept me going. I searched day and night, and at long last, I found him! I saw him walking into an apartment block. There was a newspaper dated 1 July 2004 on the pavement. I had been searching for almost 2 years. I followed him up to the 15th floor. As he was taking the keys out of his pocket, he turned round suddenly. Did he expect to see someone? Perhaps, but he certainly did not expect me. He screamed. “No, it can’t be you! You’re dead!” I took one step closer, he backed one step. I told him, “You must have been expecting this. You’ll pay for what you’ve done!” Sobbing, he told me he did not fire the gun, it was a guy behind him, who then shot himself. I was stunned, didn’t know what to think or say. Before I could react, he turned and jumped out of the window. He landed on the cold concrete. THUD! and he was dead. I ran to the window. Bystanders were looking up, but I don’t think they could see me. What had I done? I had killed an innocent man. Would he become as I had become, invisible, but still on the earth? Would he go to heaven, or would he go to hell? Even now I don’t know, but I never saw him again.

Economy

FACTS AND FIGURES

source: STA, Slovenian Press Agency

The crunch continues If you are an owner of a small company that has developed a promising service or a product, but only needs one or two hundred thousand euros to put in on the market, it is very likely that the money will not be forthcoming. Banks have their own problems; the recession has already resulted in souring loans and the interbank market, although slowly thawing, is still moribund. Better luck next time. In the halcyon days of 2006 and 2007, money was easy to come by. The credit standards were relatively lax, so the demand for credit skyrocketed. Although Slovenian banks did not gather nearly enough money in deposit to finance their lending spree, this was not a problem. Foreign banks and institutional investors were always willing to lend a helping hand, organizing syndicated loans and buying the bonds of domestic financial institutions. The economy grew increasingly dependent on foreign financing.

It thus comes as somewhat of a relief to hear that Slovenia’s biggest bank, NLB, has sold its first state-guaranteed bond issue worth EUR 1.5bn, and that demand on international financial markets exceeded EUR 2bn.

It is, therefore, not surprising that when the international financial system got in real trouble at the end of 2007, this source of financing dried up. Slovenia’s banks had to fall back on deposits and curtail lending. The fall in credit growth to non-financial firms was spectacular; if it was running at 40 percent in the last quarter of 2007, it slowed down to a mere 10 percent in the first quarter of this year. Furthermore, in May the firms and households actually returned more money to the banks than they took out.

Most investors (33 %) come from Germany, followed by Austria (14 %), Benelux countries (12 percent), Italy (9 %), Great Britain (8 %), Switzerland (6 %), Iberian Peninsula countries (4 %), and Scandinavia (3 %). Around six percent of the investors are from Slovenia, while five percent went to other countries.

Source: Banka Slovenije

32 24 16 8 0 Q1 2005

Q1 2009

The management of NLB assured the public in April that NLB would not use the state loan guarantee to refinance loans used for management buyouts.

“The record value of the transaction – EUR 1.5bn – indicates the trust enjoyed both by the Slovenian state and its financial system as well NLB and its status on international capital markets,” NLB, which is majority state-owned, wrote.

Photo: BOBO

A major slowdown loans to non-financial sector, growth in %

According to NLB, the issue was sold at an annual coupon interest rate of 3.25 percent. 48 percent went to banks, 42 percent to funds, seven percent to insurance companies, two percent to pension funds and one percent to other investors.

lic broadcaster RTV Slovenija said at the time that it was worth up to EUR 2.5bn.

The yield of the issue with a three-year maturity formed at 105 base points above the mid-swap rate. The issue was underwritten by Banca IMI, Commerzbank, ING Bank, Lloyds TSB Bank and the UniCredit Group (HVB). It will be listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. The move comes after the government confirmed in March a large loan guarantee for NLB, in line with the EUR 12bn state guarantee scheme adopted in November 2008 to help alleviate the credit crunch. Although neither side would reveal the amount of the guarantee, pub-

NLB: Will the successful bond issue spur domestic lending?

Energy

Economy

Banks want Šrot out of Laško

Three issues remain open in South Stream talks

Banks owed money by the Pivovarna Laško empire have set the departure of chairman Boško Šrot as a condition for saving the financial heart of the group. Daily Dnevnik said that the banks want Šrot to go if they are to help Infond Holding, which was until recently a majority owner of Lasko and is indirectly controlled by Srot through a chain of holdings. Infond Holding could face receivership, if the banks do not reprogram loans held by the financial firm.

Only three issues remain open in a deal between Slovenia and Russia on the construction of the South Stream pipeline, the Economy Ministry said after the latest meeting between the countries’ delegations. The issues that remain to be ironed out are the seat of the joint venture, the ownership shares and the tax arrangements, the ministry said. According to the ministry, the Russian delegation, headed by the Deputy Energy Minister Anatoly Yanovski, highlighted the issue of tax arrangements for the the joint venture, which is under the jurisdiction of both countries’ finance ministries. Since the Russian delegation did not have the mandate to conclude a deal on the issue, it proposed that the matter be discussed by the countries’ prime minister, Borut Pahor and Vladimir Putin. Both sides believe that closing of all the remaining issues could take place in a matter of a few weeks.

Central banker says companies’ solvency poor

The Slovenia Times

Photo: Dreamstime

Business

A senior central banker said that solvency of Slovenian companies was very poor. “At the moment, companies, observed from the aspect of solvency, are at the lowest point - and not only in Slovenia, but globally,” Bozo Jasovic said. Jasovic, a member of Banka Slovenija’s governing board, explained that the current levels of solvency are comparable to those from the beginning of 1990s, when Slovenian companies felt the consequences of the break-up of Yugoslavia. At the end of 2008, 3.5% of companies paid their dues with more than a 90-day delay, while at the end of March the percentage stood at 4.2%, added Jasovic.

15 Economy

Pharmaceuticals

Car industry

Economy

Annual inflation down to 0.3%

Krka to pay EUR 35.5m in dividends

Govt approves subsidy for new Renault model

IMAD: Economy shrank 8.5% Y/Y in Q1

The Slovenian cabinet approved a subsidy of EUR 14.3m for the investment by Renault-owned car maker Revoz into the development of a new car. Economy Minister Matej Lahovnik said that the production of the new car in the Novo mesto plant will involve extensive high-tech processes. The new Renault model, which is being developed under the working name X33, will be a city car.

Slovenia’s GDP shrank by 6.4% in the first quarter of 2009, while the year-on-year drop was 8.5%. The main reasons for that are a decline in exports and investment, according to a report by the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (IMAD). Exports fell by 21.1% in the first quarter yearon-year, while capital formation was down 23.6%, IMAD said in the June edition of the Economic Mirror report.

5 4 3 2 0 J J A S O N D J F M A M J 2008 2009

Car industry

In Dire Straits Car electronics manufacturer Iskra Avtoelektrika will start laying off 245 of its workers in August. A 40% drop in orders forced the company to resort to layoffs despite state subsidies for a shortened working week, which finish at end of July. The Sempeter-based company already reduced the number of its employees by 300 to around 1,500 through attrition this year, while the state subsidy scheme prevents layoffs. The Prevent car seat covers manufacturer group is set to let go nearly 170 people in Slovenia in the coming weeks. 119 workers at Prevent will get pink slips in the coming days, while an additional 50 working in parent company Prevent Global are to follow in August. The Slovenj Gradec-based Prevent suffered a 46% drop in orders in the first six months of 2009; the company expects to see a 30% year-on-year decrease in orders in the second half of the year.

Highways

IMF

Slovenia ready to shell out EUR 514M for IMF Finance Minister Franc Krizanic announced on Tuesday that Slovenia would contribute between EUR 270m and EUR 514m for the planned capital increase of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Speaking to the press on the sidelines of a ministerial in Brussels, Kricanic said that “US$ 90bn is needed for the ambitious plan of a capital increase, under which the IMF would become a normal global central bank”. Photo: BOBO

Photo: Revoz

Bad news economic growth, y-o-y, in %

Short-term motorway toll stickers available as of today As of 1st of July, Slovenian motorways can also be used with weekly and monthly vignettes which are replacing the half-year stickers and complementing annual ones. The short-term stickers, introduced upon the insistence of the European Commission based on discrimination considerations, are available at 1,500 locations in Slovenia and at 580 locations in Slovenia’s neighbouring countries. The weekly stickers cost EUR 15, the monthly ones EUR 30, while annual vignettes can be purchased for EUR 95, up from EUR 55.

4 2 0 -2 -4 -6 -8 Q1 2007

Source: SURS

Q1 2009

Banks

NLB gets new supervisors Shareholders of Slovenia’s top bank, NLB, appointed a new 11member supervisory board of the bank on Tuesday. The first task for the new supervisors will be to appoint a new chairman of the board. The supervisors are Gregor Dolenc, Rasto Ovin, Marko Simoneti, Stanislava Zadravec Caprirolo, Boris Skapin, Igor Masten, Andrej Baricic and Stojan Petric representing the state and Jan Vanhevel, Riet Docx and John Hollows representing KBC.

Photo: SCT

Shareholders of the Novo mestobased drug maker Krka backed a motion to pay out EUR 35.5m in dividends, which will amount to EUR 1.05 gross per share. The group increased its sales by 2.2% in the first half of 2009 despite a drop in purchasing power on key markets and the value of some foreign currencies. From the EUR 151.4m in distributable profit, Krka will allocate over EUR 58m for provisions and transfer the same amount of money to the next year, the company said.

Power companies

Court upholds price fixing fine The Supreme Court has upheld the decision and fines handed down in October 2008 by Slovenia’s Competition Protection Office (CPO) to the five Slovenian electricity distributors for price fixing. In the biggest anti-trust decision in Slovenia’s history, the office found all five Slovenian regional distributors of having worked in concert in raising electricity prices on 1 January 2008. The CPO subsequently slapped them with hefty fines, reportedly ranging from EUR 2.6m for the biggest distributor, Elektro Ljubljana, to EUR 800,000 for the smallest one, Elektro Gorenjska. Photo: BOBO

Entering deflation territory inflation, y-o-y, in %

Source: SURS

Consumer prices in Slovenia were up 0.5% in June compared to the month before, while the annual inflation rate dropped by another 0.4 of a percentage point to 0.3%, the Statistics Office said. According to the office, the total price growth was mostly pushed up by higher prices of package holidays (by 0.4 of a percentage point), petroleum products (0.3) and alcoholic beverages (0.1). Measured with the harmonised index of consumer prices, the EU-compatible measure, the annual price growth fell to 0.2%, a new record low.

June 2009

16 ECONOMY

Mercator and Pivovarna Laško

The house of cards How do you know that a country has completed the transition from a centrally planned to market economy? When the government starts buying stakes in companies that were privatized years ago, trying to save what it can from a disastrous experiment with private management. At any other time, this would be a bad joke, but as a state-run fund prepares to take a 10 percent stake in Mercator, Slovenia’s biggest retailer, all bets seem to be off.

Photo: Mercator

By Marko Vuković

Renationalization: The state will again take a stake in Mercator

With the recession just around the corner, doubts started surfacing whether Infond Holding, with significant stakes in both Mercator and Pivovarna Laško, could squeeze enough dividends from those two companies to service its debt.

n short, what the transition means for a big firm such as Mercator is that the state cedes its control over the day-to-day management decisions to the private shareholders who appoint the supervisory and executive boards of the company. In Slovenia, the selling-off of the government’s stakes in state-owned firms has been a protracted affair, even in those sectors that cannot be plausibly declared to be in the national interest, unlike large logistics and financial systems.

Back in the days… Retailing is not a strategic sector, yet the state had kept its stake in Mercator until 2005 when the government under the Prime Minister Janez Janša decided to sell around a quarter of the company. Had the government announced a public tender for its stake, there would have been no lack of buyers, foreign and domestic. After all, in those days banks were not as stingy with money as they presently are. The government, how-

Before

At pawnborker’s Mercator ownership structure, before and after debt-to-equity conversion

After Infond Holding 25 %

ever, sold the shares to Pivovarna Laško, a drinks producer, and Istrabenz, the leading food processing company in the country, at a price that experts judged far too low compared to what could have been obtained in an open bid. The reason for this non-transparent sale was prosaic: the government wanted to secure itself friendly media coverage and selling the country’s biggest retailer to one of its biggest suppliers would go a long way towards this goal, especially since the latter

Infond Holding 11,3 %

NLB 13,4 %

Other 41,6 %

Other 41,6 % Banka Celje 5,1 %

Union Brewery 12,3 %

UniCredit Slovenija 9,5 % Rodič M&B 4,6 % Source: Finance, www.finance.si

The Slovenia Times

Laško Brewery 8,4 % UniCredit Slovenija 8%

Rodič M&B 4,6 %

ECONOMY 17

Wheeling and dealing It transpired that Boško Šrot, the head of Pivovarna Laško, had teamed up with other, allied firms to quietly build up his 49 percent stake in the retailer and avoid making a takeover offer that would have cost him a lot more. Not that money was hard to come by; NLB, the country’s biggest bank, happily provided the brewery with takeover loans, secured with Mercator’s shares. There was enough business for other banks, too; not only was Šrot engaged in taking over Mercator, through Infond Holding, a financial firm which he owns together with his wife, he was also trying to pull off a management buyout of Pivovarna Laško.

Unravelling When the loans started coming due at the beginning of last year, the banks grew increasingly edgy. The stock market was in free fall, eroding the value of their collat-

eral by more than a half. With the recession just around the corner, doubts started surfacing whether Infond Holding, with significant stakes in both Mercator and Pivovarna Laško (the centre of Šrot’s business empire), could squeeze enough dividends from those two companies to service its debt. It might happen that Šrot will blame the regulators for his demise as Slovenia’s most influential businessmen. It was the competition watchdog (UVK) that prohibited him from exercising his shares in Mercator until the concerns about vertical integration between a retailer and its supplier are cleared, robbing him of a chance to install a friendly executive board and divert the retailer’s strong cash flow to servicing debt.

Back to square one? After it became clear that Infond Holding would not be able to pay off a EUR 130m loan to its creditor, the state-owned NLB, the latter decided to follow some other banks and seize the 10 percent stake in Mercator and 23 percent stake in Pivovarna Laško and put them on sale. The state-run KAD fund has already submitted an offer to buy NLB’s state in Mercator. The trouble with Pivovarna Laško is that nobody knows how much money Infond Holding

Laško beer: Laško brewery expanded into media and retailing, neglecting the development of its drinks brands

owes to companies within the group, such as fruit drinks producer Fructal and mineral water producer Radenska, which also financed Šrot’s takeovers. The company wants the banks to agree on a common plan to sell off its assets, so that they could fetch the highest prices possible; if all goes well, firms from the Pivovarna Laško group might get some of their money back and avoid the threat of insolvency. If only Šrot had been such a fan of transparency when he was buying Mercator by stealth three years ago.

After it became clear that Infond Holding would not be able to pay off a EUR 130m loan to its creditor, the state-owned NLB, the latter decided to follow some other banks and seize the 10 percent stake in Mercator and 23 percent stake in Pivovarna Laško and put them on sale.

EUMA conference

Make it easy – with original thinking!

happened to own Delo, Slovenia’s leading daily newspaper. The affair smacked of crony capitalism and when the deal unravelled, the competition and financial services watchdogs suddenly found time to start proceedings against Pivovarna Laško for infringements of takeover and competition law.

More than 250 management assistants will meet in Ljubljana from 17th to 19th September. Around 250 members of European Management Assistants (EUMA) organisation will gather on their 35th Annual Conference, which will take place in Ljubljana from 17th to 19th September 2009. EUMA is an international quality network of management support professionals who focus on their personal development and on the future of their profession. The association was founded in 1974 and is currently represented in 26 countries as national association. Together with individual members it forms a network in 32 countries. The Annual Conference

is the biggest EUMA activity, gathering more than 250 European management assistants. Every year the Conference focuses on a specific topic. Participants are approaching to it through lectures, forum debates and workshops. This year participants will focus on original thinking. “WE are proud that the topic and the contents of the Conference are products of Slovenian knowledge. Only with original thinking we will be able to survive the crisis,” says dr. Daniela Brečko, the head of Official program of Conference and the executive director of company Planet GV, which is EUMA corporative member.

Benedetti, Chief of Protocol by Slovenian Government, businessman Aaron Marko, corporative trainer and mediator Robert Kržišnik and business communicator Brane Gruban will be in charge of workshops on protocol, original and positive selfimage as a source of high performance, personal barriers to unleashing one’s original potential and managing conflicts. “Only original thinking can save our Planet,” is the key massage of the dr. Lučka Kajfež Bogataj, leading Slovenian environmentalist and one of the Nobel prize winners, who will teach participants of how to be and live aware. On the opening day participants will be welcomed by the Mayor of Ljubljana Zoran Janković.

The aim of 35th Conference is to present the meaning of innovative approaches and creativity for further development of European economy. The par ticipant s of this years’ Conference will be debating about what the original thinking is, how can contribute to our economy and society, why we all need to be proactive in our organisations etc. Lecturers as Ksenija

Organization team is also preparing several activities and excursions around Slovenia, where the participants will have more time to spend some quality time with each other, spread their international network and get to know our country, its natural beauties and crafts.

The Slovenian EUMA delegation

Slovenian National Group of EUMA joined the organisation in 1999 when the National Chairman was Marta Pikalo, who also suggested to organize the conference in Slovenia. “The EUMA conference in Ljubljana will be unique opportunity to meet colleagues from the same profession, the same international corporation, it will be a chance to exchange experience and knowledge. We are proud to be the organizer if this event”, says Marjeta Peternel, EUMA National Chairman.

August 2009

18 ECONOMY Photo: Dreamstime

Istrabenz

Controlling the uncontrollable If compared to a sport, Istrabenz’s ordeal would be most similar to a car race – with all the creditors wanting to come out on top. Unfortunately, this business race has become hostile and desperate and, with each passing moment, a clear winner will be harder to declare. by Lucija J. Millonig

ASCAR is an American car racing sport similar to Europe’s Formula 1. Most of the racers thrive on the fastpaced sport; according to them, being able to control the uncontrollable is the name of the game. This logic can also be applied to business. As in NASCAR, the world of business thrives on competition and ultimately winning. But instead of doing 200 laps in less than two hours, in business the competition is played out behind closed doors. Middle-aged men and women, dressed in fine Italian suits, sit around mahogany conference tables while planning their next move with regards to their fiercest competitor. Although in Istrabenz’s case, the planning is revolving around the survival of the company. Survival has not been Istrabenz’s greatest strength, and the company seems to have lost all control over the situation. From management and shareholders to angry creditors, everyone has now turned against each other in hopes of getting out of this unpredictable and hazardous race as soon and as unscathed as possible. The banks especially want to see the finish line soon. Unfortunately, the quagmire is making the company vulnerable to takeover attempts for its enduring losses.

… to food processing The Slovenia Times

With some creditors wanting receivership and others opting for debt settlement, the final decision has fallen to the courts. They have decided for the latter as being the primary course of action in hopes that by 2014 all debt could be repaid. The outcome, however, will greatly depend on how the creditors cooperate.

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The plan to repay all debt accumulated by Istrabenz – currently standing at EUR 800m, from which only the Holding owes EUR 350m – faces much opposition. Filed by Istrabenz’s chairman Bogdan Topič and supervisor Zoran Boškovič, the core of the plan is that Istrabenz sells most of its assets and suspends due liabilities, paying off its debt in the next five years. Seemingly more promising than the now-failed capital injection of EUR 475m, five out of 19 banks still oppose the draft plan. Their solution is receivership – an action temporarily suspended, until the court’s debt restructuring attempt is completed. Now the forced settlement will be led by a court-appointed administrator; in this instance Boris Dolamič, director of construction company Grosuplje. All creditors (1,381 in total) have until Aug. 10 to report their claims; then a ninemember committee of financial creditors – a healthy mix of Slovenian and foreign banks – will convene. Approximately 60 percent of the creditors will have to agree on a restructuring plan. If a clear consensus is not reached, then the court will have to decide on receivership. Each step will take approximately eight to 30 days to execute. Each step is open to appeals. The final decision on restructuring is scheduled to be made by September or October, depending on whether the creditors will be able to reach a decision before then.

Istrabenz has it all: from electricity trading business …

Who’s Playing?

Stake Your Stake

In March, everyone was still playing nice. Creditors were talking, trying to find an agreement, and basically all the energy was spent on thinking of how to get then-CEO Igor Bavčar off the executive board. As of June 22, Bavčar was officially gone. With his resignation from the management board, Bavčar hoped that the creditors would have no reason not to unify behind one agreement. “All this time it was not about me, but about Istrabenz,” Bavčar said to STA. However, as it stands today, no unification has been reached. Early on, Unicredit Bank seized several investments that Istrabenz staked in return for loans. The bank thus gained eight percent ownership of retailer Mercator, plus other stakes in the energy companies Petrol and Sava. With Unicredit Bank going haywire, Nova Ljubljanska Banka seemed to be the only logical choice in trying to salvage the situation. Problems loomed on the horizon when Austrian bank Bawag and France’s SKB filed for receivership with the district court in Koper. Later, Austrian’s Volksbank and Sparkasse joined them in their decision. Ammunition for receivership has been provided by the prominent auditing firm KPMG, which announced that the creditors would not be able to get all their claims repaid through debt restructuring. However, NLB was able to round up 14 out of the 19 banks to cooperate and agree on a solution short of receivership.

With creditors already dividing areas of interest among themselves and potential buyers making their presence known, debt settlement no longer seems impossible. Any course of action in the Istrabenz case will greatly impact the organizational landscape of the conglomerate. Stocks of retailer Mercator and energy company Petrol (both have shares in the conglomerate) are planned to be sold off, with the proceeds to be dist ributed among the creditors. Food company Droga Kolinska is planned to be sold, even though the procedure has been temporarily halted by means of Istrabenz transferring ownership rights of up to six percent to creditors Factor bank and Probanka. Istrabenz’s energy division is also attracting major attention from foreign investors. Frenchowned gas company Butan Plin is interested in buying Istrabenz gas company, Plini. However, the company is 49 percent owned by t he It a l ia n gas compa ny SIAD, which has the right of first purchase. The company Instalacija (storing refined oil products) is also being looked at closely as a takeover candidate. It would fit in the portfolio of either Slovenia’s Petrol, but also in that of Austrian’s oil and gas conglomerate OMV. Under the new court-appointed debt settlement scheme, Istrabenz is expected to sell up to EUR 300m of its fixed assets in the next three years.

ECONOMY 19

Advertising: Jure Apih and Meta Dobnikar

“It is time for the moment of truth” Golden Drum is an internationally recognized festival, famed for its rich programme and numerous lectures held by eminent experts in the field of advertising and media. The festival would not be what it is without its founders and creative forces: Jure Apih and Meta Dobnikar. We talked with them about their views on advertising and the upcoming festival, which will bring many innovations. By Polona Cimerman The financial crisis has slashed companies’ advertising budgets. What is the mood in the advertising industry at the moment? Apih: Very tense and many agencies are in panic mode. The basic problem of advertising is that by definition it is always ahead of economy. There is nothing wrong with that when the economy is flourishing, but when it is not, things can be rather bad. The fact is that rationalization of costs starts in the field of advertising. When the economy loses its ambitions and restricts itself only to preserving its position and minimising loss, advertising is put aside. The whole world is facing this situation, not only Slovenia. Restrictions are radical, especially with agencies that are parts of international chains and have their headquarters in America or London. Newspapers in particular are troubled with the decline of advertising income. Is it possible that the internet will destroy newspapers? Apih: I don’t think so, although it does cause them great difficulties. Part of media adaptation to new circumstances is getting online, but the result of this is the decline in their original form. They can get the readers back or even attract new ones, yet these readers are not those who actually buy the newspaper. But globally, circulation of newspapers is on the rise, mainly because of the developing countries such as India, China or Brazil. However, in the developed world the picture is different. Is it the same with television? Dobnikar: Yes, television takes same steps and puts a substantial part of the channel and also films on the internet. This is the why, this year, Golden Drum decided to expand the category of film to mobile, interactive films. For the first time, they will be equal competitors with films made for cinemas and television.

2008

Meta Dobnikar (left) and Jure Apih, the masterminds behind the Golden Drum festival

Lately, there has been much discussion about the advertising potential of social networks such as Facebook. Are we dealing with a new paradigm of advertising? Dobnikar: Perhaps it is too soon to jump to conclusions. But at the moment that type of advertising is more impoverished than anything else. What we can see on those pages is not advertising but amateur, simplistic work. Many times there are things that have nothing in common with our profession. You can use your phone to make a film, post it on Facebook and become a star in that environment. Apih: There definitely is potential, but only time will tell in which way will it all go. There is a trend of creating certain communities that share similar views of matters, have similar interests and preferences – this makes such communities easier to manage and lead than the more dispersed ones. What are main emphases of this year’s Golden Drum? Apih: The principal theme is brainstorming. Advertising is part of the economic machinery, which has found itself at a dead end, and it is indisputable that it had a major impact on it. If we assume that

advertising acts as an accelerator of economy, the one that influences the speed of people’s decisions and takes care of the trade, the question of responsibility is an absolute must. This year we want to find the answer together. But this goes beyond mere listening to lectures; we have opened an internet community on our portal and brainstorming has already begun – Drummers are already taking action. Our wish is that all the major topics that will be discussed by our programme partners are dealt with before the official opening of the festival, and that the lectures represent some sort of grand finale of this debate. We believe that active participation is the key to finding solutions of how to overcome the crisis and that’s why we have made brainstorming the common thread of the festival. Dobnikar: Then there is the PR Premiere; we will have a competition in the field of public relations which is something new. We will have The Best Act Award where a special jury of internationally renowned companies will choose the most original and powerful idea. Many Slovenian companies are active in the former Yugosla-

via. Is it the same with advertising agencies? Apih: This is the case with those that have their networks in that area, but only rarely do the ideas come from Ljubljana. It is more about networking: Slovenia is the base; the people who carry out and develop ideas are from the local areas. There is a lot of creative energy in Croatia and Belgrade; Slovenia is no longer dominant. Where in the European context would you place Slovenian creative campaigns? Apih & Dobnikar: They take the same place as Slovenian brands. The two are connected. But it is clear that the campaigns are not as good as they were in the past. Fifteen years ago, Slovenia was on top. Now is the time of Czech, Russian, Polish and Romanian markets. The latter is especially developing extremely fast. With the exception of last year, when Poland won, Romanian agencies, which are mostly independent, have been prevailing for the past three years. This phenomenon inspired us to introduce our socalled Independence Day, which will be dedicated to independent agencies. August 2009

20 ECONOMY Photo: BOBO

Mura

Overflowing?

Mura workers, soon to be unemployed, are facing an uncertain future in an economically underdevloped region

In the rainy days of July, when the rivers were rising, it seemed as if Mother Nature was sending a message. The biggest European textile company Mura, named after one of Slovenia’s biggest rivers, is doomed. A huge flow of unemployed people from the poorest and the least developed part of the country is just a matter of time. By Luka Vodopivec

he story of the company Mura, established 84 years ago, was considered a success until the last decade. In the early nineties, when the majority of Slovenian textile companies were struggling to survive and find new markets, Mura was expanding and employing new people, making the large majority of its products for export to Western Europe. Mura’s main strategy at

the time was sewing high quality products for foreign companies and so it managed to sign contracts with leading prestigious designer labels such as Boss, Escada and Rene Lezard. Although Mura’s own brands were then synonymous with quality and good design, especially for Slovene customers, their development was neglected. This proved to be a big mistake when the com-

pany realized that it is unable to adapt to changes in the market. The well being of its numerous, well-trained employees was for

Božo Kuharič, who led Mura for more than three decades, of greater importance than the company’s development. In 2002, when

Textile abyss The story of the Mura is a culmination of the tragedy of the Slovenian textile industry, which has been struggling and permanently shrinking for the past two decades. The first big shock came when textile companies lost their Balkan markets as a result of Slovenia’s independence. Afterwards, they were having problems with internal transformations and then started losing battles against their competitors from eastern countries, especially China and Taiwan. Although the quality of the Slovenian textile products has always been an advantage, the high price of the labour force, the low added value of products and the inability to find a niche in the global market have all been setbacks for textile companies. Just to set things straight: the job of seamstress is one of the worst paid ones in Slovenia. It practically matches the minimum wage, defined by law, which is currently slightly below EUR 600. Almost 20,000 seamstresses – in comparison with 70,000 two decades ago – are still at work, but this number will be reduced even further. The Slovenia Times

Mura clothes still stand for style and quality, at least at home

ECONOMY 21 Shedding workers number of Mura employees

Source: Mura

7000

Source: Mura

Bad performance Mura’s profit/loss, in EUR ‘000 3000

6000

-3000 5000

-6000

-9000

4000

-12000 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Kuharič retired, Mura registered a record loss of EUR 12 million and was on the verge of bankruptcy. The Slovenian government interceded and provided a EUR 10 million subsidy for the transformation of the firm, with the main purpose being that Mura should focus on developing and strengthening its own brands.

Shutting its eyes In the years that followed, Mura’s operations were marked with continued operating losses and reductions of employees. Its debt just kept on rising and is currently EUR 25 million. The transformation did not prove a success. Although Mura was receiving a larger share (around 40 percent) of income from sales of its own brands, 80 percent of its production capacities were reserved for completion works for foreign companies. The company was in a limbo with no clear vision. In the past two years, four different

CEO’s tried to pull through some sort of recovery plan, but were either sacked or gave up. A large share of responsibility for the whole situation lies with the company’s owners, who were and are many and unorganised. None of them showed any interest in investing in Mura. The biggest owners: Nacionalna finančna družba-NFD (Investment fund NFD) and Slovenska odškodninska družba-SOD (Slovenian parastate fund SOD), which control 18 and 12 percent of the ownership (respectively) were neglecting their responsibilities; the global economic crisis simply accelerated the untenable situation. In July, the current company clerk Zdenko Podlesnik tried to convince SOD or Slovenian government itself to urgently provide EUR five million to keep company’s production going and thus keep its clients. The plea was declined with an explanation the funds would be a false hope and would not save the company.

Bankruptcy, compulsory settlement, foreign investors... This decision does not mean that the government gave up on Mura. The approximately 3,300 employees that are directly at stake (indirectly even many more because of smaller businesses dependent on Mura) are just too expensive. Although the government will indirectly have to pay even more in the form of financial compensation for unemployed or welfare assistance, it nevertheless recommended that Mura file for bankruptcy. Out of its ruins a much smaller and healthier company would be established. A new strategic (foreign) investor, with whom the government is allegedly negotiating, would then step in. Mura’s leadership and its employees, in contrast, strongly object to bankruptcy. They are aware that serious cuts are inevitable, but think compulsory settlement is a better option for the company and

1998

1999

2000

2001 2002 2003

its employees, because it would allow Mura to keep its foreign clients and many employees would get severance pay that would at least buy them time for retraining and finding jobs elsewhere. Even the two biggest owners, NFD and SOD, agreed with Mura’s leadership that successful programmes should be preserved together with as many employees as possible. When this issue went into print, no final decision had been taken yet. The following was however already decided: at the beginning of August, Mura’s sewing machines stop operating because of lack of funds. More than half of the em-

2004

2005

2006

2007

ployees will lose their jobs. Most of them are low-qualified women, who will have problems getting jobs elsewhere.

Social unrest? In Pomurje, the poorest Slovenian region, unemployment is expected to rise to 20 percent from the current 12 percent. This is the percentage that might start causing some social and political tensions. The workers that are going to lose their jobs have already started to protest. Their personal tragedies will bring media attention and stir public emotions, because the sense of social solidarity in Slovenia remains high.

Financial incentives through FDI Cost Sharing Grant Scheme Foreign investors can apply for financial incentives for start-up investments when they are establishing a new company, expanding an existing company, diversifying the range of products by adding new additional products or introducing significant modifications of the production process. The invitation to submit applications under the FDI Scheme is open to foreign investors, provided that foreign investors or their foreign associated undertakings have experience in engaging in the activity pursued by the prospective beneficiary. Foreign investors (foreign investors or their foreign subsidiaries/affiliates) that file the application must have proven track-record in the line of business taken up and pursued by the beneficiary/recipient. The beneficiaries (recipients of co-financing) are companies incorporated in the Republic of Slovenia with at least 10% of their equity capital being directly held by foreign investors. Foreign companies can apply with: • investment projects in manufacturing (minimum investment value 1 million EUR, creation of at least 25 new jobs), • investment projects in strategic services (minimum investment value 0.5 million EUR, creation of at least 10 new jobs), • investment projects in R&D (minimum investment value 0.5 million EUR, creation of at least 5 new jobs). Incentives can be granted for up to 30% (up to 40% for medium and up to 50% for small companies) of the eligible costs of the investment projects. Last tender opening will be on 4th September 2009.

More about the programme on: www.InvestSlovenia.org or contact fdi@japti.si

August 2009

3000

22 ECONOMY cargo in the country, to add value by, for example, offering logistics services in intermodal centres. This would have a positive impact on the economy as a whole.

Patrick Vlačič: Minister of Transport

Photo: BOBO

Don’t you think that Slovenia’s transport policy has been overly focused on the highways, neglecting the railways? We are aware that the railways have not received the attention they deserved. In order to route the cargo from highways to railways and at the same time attract people to start using railway services, the railways have to be brought up to a certain standard. A number of important infrastructure projects are planned. The works on the second rail track between Koper and Divača are due to start in autumn next year, the electrification of the rail link between Pragersko and Hodoš will be completed in 2010. Ljubljana’s airport will also get a rail link with the capital; a second rail track is planned between Šentilj and Maribor. Aerodrom Ljubljana, the operator of Ljubljana’s airport, wants to set up an intermodal logistics centre at the airport. How can the government support these efforts? We have already completed the necessary procedures that will allow us to offer the airport operator additional space for the building of warehouses and a logistics centre. The tenders for the master plan have been completed; for the airport part of the project, the contractors have already been chosen. The Ministry of Transport also has plans for the Maribor airport; we are looking for an investor that would be interested in building a cargo centre there.

Adding value A few months ago, Slovenia drew the ire of the European Commission by introduced highway vignettes that were, in the view of Brussels, discriminatory toward foreign drivers. For Patrick Vlačič, Slovenia’s Minister of Transport, the resolution of this conflict was a baptism of fire in his new job. The future, however, holds many more challenges; how the country will approach them may determine the fate of its logistics sector. By Marko Vuković The Slovenian highway programme has succeeded in integrating Slovenia into European transport flows. But can the country’s highway operator, DARS, continue to service the debt incurred in the process of building the highways? We have adopted quite a few measures to stablize the finances of the highway programme. With the introduction of short-term vignettes, we have fulfilled the conditions of the European Commission for accessing European cohesion funds. We had to set the price of the short-term, one-week vignette at a level that is proportionate to the price of the yearly vignette, so we will lose some revenue there despite the rise in the price of the yearly vignette. However, by raising tolls for trucks, we neutralized about 40 percent of the expected loss of revenue stemming from the introduction of weekly vignettes. Before long, we will also present our plan to introduce free flow tolling, the only fair tolling system following the user-pay principle.

transport corridors, the 5th and the 10th. We should not be satisfied with being only a transit country, however, given that transit has negative externalities. The main goal should be to keep the

Some experts warn that presently Slovenia is primarily a transit country. Transit, however, is an activity with low added value but with many costly externalities, such as its negative impact on the environment. Do you agree? Slovenia lies on the crossroads of two important pan-European

Hodoš

Grad

Šentilj

Moravske Toplice Dobrovnik/ Dobronak

Gornja Radgona Radlje ob Dravi

MURSKA SOBOTA

Radenci

Beltinci Lendava/ Lendva

Dravograd

Mežica Kranjska Gora Mojstrana

Hrušica

Brezje

Tržič

Kamniška Bistrica

Bovec Naklo Bohinjska Bistrica

Železniki

Ljubno ob Savinji

Vodice

Mengeš

TRBOVLJE Zagorje ob Savi

LJUBLJANA

Šentjur

Borovnica

Rogatec

Podsreda

Stična

Krško Brežice

Trebnje Šmarješke Toplice

Žužemberk

NOVO MESTO

Šentjernej

Čatež

Otočec

Dolenjske Toplice

Ribnica

Pivka

Škocjan

Metlika

Kočevje Ilirska Bistrica

Planned logistics hub

Črnomelj Osilnica

Izola/Isola

Rogaška Slatina

Podčetrtek

Laško

Radeče

Ivančna Gorica

Cerknica

Postojna

Koper

Poljčane

Brestanica

Grosuplje

Štanjel

Piran/Pirano Portorož/Portorose

Središče ob Dravi

CELJE

Hrastnik

Vipava

Lipica

Ormož

Rimske Toplice

Litija

Vrhnika Logatec

Divača

Dornava

Sevnica

NOVA GORICA

Sežana

PTUJ

Ljutomer

Pragersko

Slovenske Konjice

Idrija

Ajdovščina

Lenart v Slov. goricah

Slovenska Bistrica

Dobrna

Polzela Žalec

DOMŽALE Žiri

VELENJE

Mozirje

Kamnik

ŠKOFJA LOKA

Deskle

Zreče

Jože Pučnik Airport

KRANJ

Tolmin

Cerkno

Šoštanj

Preddvor Brdo

Mislinja

Topolšica

Logarska Dolina

Bled

Kobarid

Slovenj Gradec

Črna na Koroškem

JESENICE

Maribor Lovrenc na Pohorju Edvard Rusjan Airport

Ravne na Koroškem

Kostel Hrastovlje Vinica

Railway project

ECONOMY 23

7th ELC conference

Investing in the future It’s a shame in a way that great events, such as the “Leading in Crisis: Challenges and Opportunities for Europe” conference, organized by IEDC-Bled School of Management, goes by relatively unnoticed by the general public, although the topic concerns us all. The conference gathered 75 representatives from business world, governments, non-governmental and educational organizations, media, and experts on the leadership issues from 18 countries. They discussed political, economic and cultural responses to the crisis and formulated recommendations for recovery and beyond. By Simon Demšar

ome presenters could be credited for also their entertaining value while others openly admitted that this aspect would be missing and would concentrate plainly on the topic. But all of them were highly informative, even eye-opening, at least for a layman.

European decline? Prof. Jea n-Pier re Leh ma n n, professor at IMD Lausanne and founding director of Evian Group, stressed that Europe has lost its leading position and is no longer the centre of the universe; moreover, it is in decline in geographical, economic as well as demographic sense. In his opinion, it should become more externally open and internally unified. Žiga Turk, Secretary General of the Reflection Group on the Future of

EU, was convinced that the crisis has begun as an institutional crisis, continued as climate, financial and economic crisis, with the possibility of a spillover to a political crisis. Europe should be more concerned about the key issues, such as demographic trends, the rising importance of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries, abundance in terms of information, infrastructure and money and climate change, Prof. Vladimir Gligorov from the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies said that Europe has not reached a consensus on some key questions, while it is also rather unsuccessful at managing some types of diversity. He sees mid-term economic stagnation and declining share of public expenditure as two major risk factors. Prof. Aleš Debeljak, Direc-

Erhard Busek (middle), a politician and the Balkans expert, talked about the challenges facing the region

Ex-minister for development Žiga Turk attended the conference

tor of Centre for Cultural and Religious Studies, stressed that the European civilization should be seen as a pool of ideas and technologies that we can share with the rest of the world. He set out Japan as an example of cross-fertilization of the modern Western cultural tradition and local traditional culture.

Crisis as an opportunity According to the participants, the European leaders see the crisis more as a threat than as an opportunity, while Central and Eastern European business leaders are more optimistic and see more opportunities. At the same time, they devote more attention to strategic issues, not mainly to operational ones, as it is the case with their peers from the rest of Europe. In the frame of a panel on financial challenges, Milan M. Cvikl, Secretary General of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, stressed that some basic values have been lost in the world and that we need to take steps to rebuild trust in financial institutions, while Marko Voljč, CEO of K&H Bank, Hungary, looked at the time after crisis, and foresaw a considerably lower growth rate, liquidity and much stronger risk awareness.

Way out The final part of the conference was devoted to formulating recommendations for recovery from the crisis and beyond. Dr. Erhard Busek, President of the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe, Austria, stressed that Europe should define some general rules in terms of business environment and competition and have a stronger focus on education and R&D. On a national level, all European countries are important, however, we should define also responsibilities on the European level. Dr. Riccardo Illy, President of Illy Group, Italy, sees diversity of languages, cultures and religions as the major European advantage and a large potential for an increased level of creativity. The participants of the conference agreed that we live in a totally new environment, marked by new players and new technologies. We need to remain optimistic and at the same time realistic, in order to avoid wishful thinking; we need to rebuild trust and follow the rules of ethics. The time of crisis is the time to invest in the future, and we need to be alert not to invest in yesterday’s concepts, knowledge, technologies. The West is currently in decline; however, it still has a tremendous impact on the global future. August 2009

24 ECOLOGY

Interview: Franc Beravs

If you want to tidy up your act … … then the Slovenian Environmental Public Fund or Eco Fund as it is popularly known is the right place to start. In a time when banks are reluctant to extend credit because of the recession, the Eco Fund can finance the greening of business processes and the reduction of households’ environmental impact on very attractive terms. We talked to Franc Beravs, the CEO of the fund.

Photo: B. Dobrin

By Marko Vuković

If you want to install a photovoltaic power plant on your roof for the cleanest way to produce electricity, as a regular citizen you can get a loan of up to 40,000 EUR from the Fund.

Between 2004 and 2008, the Fund granted loans to regular citizens in the total amount of 1.2 million EUR for the purchase of 70 hybrid vehicles. The Slovenia Times

What is the main purpose of the Eco Fund and what are its resources? The main goal of the Eco Fund is to stimulate investments in the field of environmental protection. Since the production and use of

energy are the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions, stimulation of investments in efficient uses of energy and renewable energy sources is the main priority of the Fund. In the fifteen years since it was established, the Eco

Fund has stimulated environmentally friendly investments, primarily by providing low-interest loans and, since 2008, non-refundable financial incentives. The annual volume of resources that Eco Fund holds for low-interest loans for environmentally friendly investments is between 25 and 30 million EUR, depending on the amount of repayments of past loans and received loans from international financial institutions. At the end of 2008, the Eco Fund held 90 million EUR of dedicated assets or capital; the total sum of assets was increased to 150 million EUR by taking loans from international financial institutions. In addition to low-interest loans, the Eco Fund also works on behalf of the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning by granting non-refundable financial incentives for the use of renewable energy sources and for the increase of energy efficiency in buildings. In the 2009 national budget of Slovenia, a total of 4 million EUR was allocated for these purposes. The popularity of renewable energy sources is on the increase.

Who can benefit from the Eco Fund? The programme for low-interest loans to legal persons and private entrepreneurs provides loans for purposes related to protecting the environment. Our low-interest loans can cover from 50% to 90% of the recognised costs of the investment. The highest individual loan is limited to 2 million EUR and the lowest, to 50,000 EUR. The programme for low-interest loans to regular citizens covers 100% of the recognised costs of investments in heating systems powered by renewable energy sources, insulation of existing housing, installation of external building equipment to lower heat loss, construction of new lowenergy or passive houses, installation of devices for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources and replacement of roof covering that contains asbestos. We also provide loans for the purchase of electric or hybrid cars and motorbikes, devices for saving drinking water, urban waste water treatment

plants and water supply for households that do not have access to public water supply networks. The highest loan for each of the abovementioned measures is 20,000 EUR. In case several measures are implemented simultaneously, for construction of low-energy or passive houses and the installation of devices for the production of electricity from renewable sources, the highest available loan is 40,000 EUR. The longest period for repayment is 10 years. Loans are granted with a fixed annual nominal interest rate that is substantially lower than the average interest rates of commercial consumer loans. All Eco Fund loans are granted based on public calls. The application forms and contract documents can be ordered by phone at +386 (0)1 241 48 20 or by e-mail at ekosklad@ekosklad.si. All public calls, contract documents and application forms are also available on the Eco Fund website: www.ekosklad.si.

Ecology 25

Experts believe the fastest way to reducing emissions is to increase energy efficiency. What can the Fund do to help in this field? Measures for the efficient use of energy (EUE) lower the use of energy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in Slovenia, 85% of it depends on fossil fuels, significantly contributing to greenhouse gas

emissions. The Eco Fund recognises the importance of financing EUE measures; legal persons can receive low-interest loans covering up to 90% of the recognised costs. For other environmental protection measures, these shares are much lower and cover up to 50% of the recognised costs. Regular citizens mainly apply for low-interest loans for measures that reduce the use of energy; in these cases, our loans cover 100% of the recognised costs. The share of the previously mentioned total amount of loans between 2004 and 2008 for EUE measures is 55.5 million EUR or 39% of all loans granted by the Fund. The share of loans granted to regular citizens between 2004 and 2008 for EUE measures is as high as 50% of the total amount of 53 million EUR. Hybrid and electric cars will soon be a regular sight on our roads. Can the Fund help with the acquisition of these environmentally-friendly vehicles? One of the EUE measures for which the Fund has been providing loans in recent years is the use of hybrid or electric vehicles. The number of hybrid cars in particular is increasing in Slovenia. The Fund provides low-interest loans for the purchase of these vehicles in order to help consumers realise that transport is one of the fields where the use of energy should be reduced. Unfortunately, the use of fuels is still increasing and continues to cause greenhouse gas emissions. Between 2004 and 2008, the Fund granted loans to regular citizens in the total amount of 1.2 million EUR for the purchase of 70 hybrid vehicles. A practical question: letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s say Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m renovating my house and I want to install solar panels on my roof and improve the insulation of the walls. Can I apply for a loan from the Fund? Yes, absolutely. The Eco Fund can provide you with low-interest loans, as well as non-refund-

Photo: Dreamstime

Which of these sources receive the most money from the Fund? The Eco Fund provides low-interest loans based on public calls where the purposes and conditions of the loans are set. For the last five years, the main purpose of loans for both legal persons and regular citizens has been to reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses by investing in renewable energy sources (RES) and in efficient uses of energy (EUE). Legal persons and private entrepreneurs can acquire low-interest loans for the use of RES, namely for the installation or reconstruction of systems and devices for space heating and for the preparation of sanitary hot water that use either biomass, solar or geothermal energy as their primary source of energy. The Fund also finances the installation or reconstruction of objects and devices for the production of electricity from RES. Regular citizens can acquire lowinterest loans for the installation of solar power systems or systems powered by geothermal energy or with the heat of groundwater or surface water. The Fund also provides financial solutions for the installation of devices or construction of objects for the production of electricity from solar, water or wind energy with the rated output of up to 50 kW. Between 2004 and 2008, regular citizens, legal persons and private entrepreneurs received over 5900 loans in the total amount of almost 142 million EUR from the Fund. This sum includes 21.3 million EUR of loans for RES to companies and 10.8 million EUR of loans to regular citizens, i.e. 32.1 million EUR or 22.6% of the total amount.

Wind has not been exactly the most popular renewable energy source in Slovenia

able financial incentives. If you plan to install better insulation and solar panels, you can choose between a low-interest loan and a non-refundable financial incentive. If you choose the non-refundable financial incentive, we can cover up to 20% of the recognised costs of the insulation, but no more than 10 EUR per one m2 and for no more than 200 m2 of walls. When it comes to solar panels, the financial incentive can be as high as 25% of the recognised costs, but no more than 150 EUR per one m2 for systems with flatplate collectors and no more than 200 EUR per one m2 for systems with vacuum collectors. The other option is to apply for a

Green funds share of funds extended to businesses and private individuals, by purpose, 2004-2008 Business

Wood-fired generators 23 %

Private individuals

low-interest loan for both investments. The Eco Fund has a fixed annual nominal interest rate that is lower than the equivalent commercial interest rates. If you compare our effective interest rate and the average effective interest rate of commercial banks, recently published by the Bank of Slovenia, you will see that a 20,000 EUR loan from the Fund with a 10-year repayment period includes an indirect subsidy that amounts to over 13% of the principal value. If you want to install a photovoltaic power plant on your roof for the cleanest way to produce electricity, as a regular citizen you can get a loan of up to 40,000 EUR from the Fund.

Other 9 %

Heat pumps 44 % Solar collectors 20 %

Biogas powerplants 46 %

Photovoltaic plants 13 %

Small hydro powerplants 9% Source: Eco Fund

Other 9 %

Biomass boilers 27 %

August 2009

26 ECOLOGY

The green miles A new awareness about the importance of limiting pollution is spreading. Just a few years ago, the number of people willing to admit that their mode of transportation was significantly changing the global climate, and to act on it, was marginal. Now this is beginning to change, thanks in no small part to the price of fuel. By Roman Oberč

iquefied pet roleum gas (LPG) or autogas is one of the more popular alternatives to conventional automobile fuels. It is estimated that more than thirteen million cars in the world use LPG. Some countries have been using it as an alternative since 1940. Its advantage is that it is non-toxic, non-corrosive and free of tetra-ethyl lead or any additives, and has a high octane rating. It burns more cleanly than petrol or diesel. However, cars using LPG have somewhat higher fuel consumption than either petrol or diesel.

Every car can be converted Conversion from a petrol- or diesel-powered car to one that

uses autogas is usually simple. It requires the installation of a reservoir (usually in the boot), fuel filler, converter (changes the fuel from a pressurised liquid to a vapour), mixer (mixes the fuel with the air flowing into the engine), phase injectors and electrical and electronic controls. Such a conversion does not stress the engine; on the contrary, due to a cleaner burn cycle, the wearing of mechanical parts of the engine is reduced, resulting in lower frequency of oil changes and increased lifetime of the exhaust system.

A conservative public However, despite these advantages, autogas is used marginally in Slovenia as most drivers do not see it as a viable alternative. Main-

ly, this is due to the price of autogas (up to about a year ago, autogas was not substantially cheaper than petrol) and availability (there are a total of thirty-seven gas stations offering autogas), rather than Slovenes being indifferent to the environment. In comparison, neighbouring Croatia has over a thousand of filling stations. In all likelihood, the spiralling price of petrol will force consumers to migrate to alternative fuels in ever greater numbers, and the powerful gas company managers will be forced to listen if they are to keep the public interested in fossil fuels.

The numbers add up Meanwhile, companies specializing in converting your car to

take autogas as fuel are multiplying. Avtoplin Zavoli, Plinex, and G-1 are just a few of them. They all offer a reasonably priced conversion, costing between EUR 800 and 1,500 for a middle range car. This investment pays off in less than a year for those who drive at least 25,000 kilometres per year. The beauty of conversion is that there is a choice between two fuels as the choice of fuels is maintained. If you choose to use autogas, a few

Cleaning up Until recently, many businesses have viewed sustainability as a public relations issue that adds little bottom-line value. Not anymore. Increasing regulation, investor activism and changing consumer behavior have increased the importance of “going green.” Meanwhile, advances in technology are making enterprise sustainability much more feasible. If you don’t get in front of these trends, your competition surely will.

ounting the cost of becoming environmentally friendly is no longer optional. Smart companies are analysing the issues and seeking balanced solutions … regulatory requirements; social expectations; technology and innovation in efficiency and green solutions; cost of compliance, research and development of alternative methods and products; and sources of funding or assistance for “going green”. The change in appreciation of ecology is not only a social trend but also a huge business opportunity for the environmental services sector. The environmental sector in Slovenia has three fundamental development areas with common driving forces. These areas are (1) residential environmental infrastructure development (primarily waste and water management), (2) actions against climate change (development of renewables), as The Slovenia Times

well as (3) the mitigation of impacts of polluting industrial sectors (e.g. emission trading). These areas are clearly specified by EU policies. While compliance with the EU policies is costly and cumbersome (the cost to comply with EU environmental policies is estimated to be as much as 110 billion Euros for the CEE region, including 2.3 billion Euros for Slovenia alone), significant EU financial assistance is available. Environmental investments aiming primarily to improve communal environmental infrastructure (1) are co-funded from EU Cohesion funds. The priority is to narrow the gap between living conditions of residents of Western, and Eastern European member states. From 2007-2013 some 383 million Euros are allocated in Slovenia for water management (sewage treatment, drinking water supply, flood pro-

tection) and a further 242 million Euros for waste management. Renewable energy developments (2) are similarly planned and financed. Between 2007-2013 160 million Euros directly and more than 500 million Euros indirectly are assigned to boost renewable energy generation. Policies for mitigation of adverse environmental impacts of industrial sectors (3) often represent a heavy financial or administrative burden for companies concerned. However, with the help of professional partners the administrative burden can be avoided and the necessary environmental investments can be implemented at tolerable costs. All these environmental investments constitute a step towards Slovenia reaching EU-level living, environmental, and business operating conditions. Besides the financial aspects, investments ensure a strong market, devel-

opment opportunities, as well as challenges for the environmental industry sector, which is expected to gain an ever bigger share in the Slovenian economy. Fundamental questions still remain, and for many organizations tackling the challenges and issues continue to far outweigh solutions. However, incentives and penalties in this bio-carrot and sustainably harvested stick regime seem unlikely to change direction, loosen or lose momentum. One way or another, the future of ‘dirty’ industries looks a lot cleaner than ever before. Patrick Gill Director ( Business Advisor y Services) Deloitte Slovenia

ECOLOGY 27 highly combustible has been dealt with effectively with the gas reservoir being heavily reinforced to easily withstand collisions. There is also a safety valve that shuts off the gas in case of an accident.

Photo: Dreamstime

EU boost

Petroleum gas: Cheap, clean and simple to use

drops of petrol are needed to start the engine; after that, the engine shifts to gas automatically. When the engine is turned off, the safe-

ty valve automatically closes the gas supply so the car is ready to start using petrol. Even the safety issue of gas being dangerous and

A further incentive to consider an LPG car is the EU policy to reduce pollution in all sectors of the economy. Though currently there is no tax targeting CO2 emissions that applies to all passenger cars, there are strong indications that this might change in the future, especially because the transport sector has shown a substantial increase in CO2 emissions since 1990. The EU will have to use stricter measures than just voluntary agreements between car companies and the European Commission to limit CO2 emissions. What might come out of this is as yet uncertain. What is certain is that petrol and diesel are going

to find it increasingly difficult to maintain the dominant position, not only in the long run but also in the near term. All these facts will make the LPG car increasingly important. Nobody knows this better than car companies as they seem to universally accept this technology as a short-term solution to meeting the needs of the eco-conscious costumer who also finds today’s fuel prices to be unacceptable. Some have gained experience with this technology in the past, like Toyota with an LPG only car in the seventies, but most of them have recently started to produce factory converted cars and as OEM (original equipment manufacturer) selling them to the retailers who then sell them under their own brand name. In any case, LPG cars might be with us for a long while, at least until truly green cars start becoming practical and affordable.

Going electric! Going-Electric, the European Association for Battery Electric Vehicles, gathers together all interested stakeholders – organisations and individuals – that are proactive in the electric vehicle field. According to Going-Electric’s development manager, François Vidal-Castel, the 12-month-old association aims at obtaining a distinct and heard voice of all stakeholders in the European capital Brussels where their headquarters are located. By Alenka Žumbar, Energetika.NET

urrently, fewer than 5000 battery electric vehicles are present on European roads, but several European governments have announced to raise the share of electricity-driven transportation to somewhere between 15 and 20 per cent. “However, these are only promises so far, what we need is signed commitments,” François Vidal-Castel emphasizes. Going-Electric promoted the use of battery electric vehicles at the Green Week 2009 Conference in Brussels. At the same time, they were there to remind the public of the importance of reaching a climate agreement in Copenhagen this December that would guarantee a friendlier outlook for the environment. How come more battery electric vehicles are not yet present, and what seems to be the key problem? According to Vidal-Castel, mass production of these vehicles has not started yet, which renders the technology involved much more expensive. People are in

favour of clean technologies, but are not yet ready to pay the price, especially during the economic crisis. In order to expand this sector commercially, first of all, political support is crucial, and then the industry has to make an effort to create an offer that would be interesting, maybe even fun, for the end-user. “Consumers, deciding on such a vehicle, should also be offered other advantages alongside, such as free-of-charge parking spaces and accessible charging poles,” he says. Vidal-Castel is pleased to see that so many European officials are prepared to listen to competent experts’ arguments and then take measures in line with their recommendations. “However, their open-mindedness regarding environmental solutions in the field of transportation will be verified only when, for example, charging poles will be available for battery electric vehicles in front of the European Commission headquarters.“

Francois Vidal-Castel sees electric vehicles on the rise

How distant is Europe from having more battery electric vehicles on the roads? “Presently, it appears that battery electric vehicles will become the norm around the year 2030, that is, within a period of 20 years or so,” he says. “The fact is that 80 per cent of all global traffic run under 50 kilometres a day, which are perfect conditions for pure-electric vehicles.” “Besides,” Vidal-Castel adds, “for the 20 remaining per cent, plug-in

hybrids are an excellent solution.” The possibility of using cars as energy-storing units is being considered as well; such implies that, when not driven, the cars would be left plugged-in in garage units to renew their energy store, which would then be used up as and when required. However, this point is quite distant yet, as such progress requires great technological developments combined with comprehensive infrastructure adaptations.

28 Economy

Business meets architecture

Crashing in Metelkova When it comes to steel construction and its use in buildings, roofs and facades, Trimo can provide its customers with state-of-the-art solutions. The firm’s partnership with Corus, Europe’s second biggest steelmaker, proves this. Trimo, however, has recently ventured from spheres of big business into an environment that at the first sight embodies the contemporary anti-corporate spirit: Ljubljana’s alternative cultural centre Metelkova. By Marko Vuković

ull of graffiti, either slightly obscene or with a crystal clear idea of what needs to be changed in order to make the world a better place, Metelkova, a former Yugoslav army barracks, can strike a casual visitor as an unruly and a bit decrepit. This could not be farther from the truth, however. The place boasts quite a few clubs, offering visitors a large choice of music, from Balkan ethno escapades to the latest in electronica, not to mention a library, a number of galleries and the world’s best hostel according to Lonely Planet, the travel guide publisher.

Blending in What Metelkova had lacked was an open-air stage, at least until young architects taking part in Trimo’s Urban Crash architectural competition came along. In 2007, the architects were invited to consider how to make Ljubljana’s Tivoli Park and Ljubljanica river bank livelier, last year’s competition focused on solutions for urban meeting places, an alternative cultural stage and a tourist information spot. Luckily for Metelkova, the winning project, put forward by Jan Ledwon and Alicja Chola from Poland, has been designed to remedy that. And because Trimo endeavours to realize the winning project in its entirety, transplanting it from the drawing board to its intended surroundings, Metelkova

Open-air stage at Metelkova livens up one of Ljubljana’s most original cultural venues

now boasts a brand new stage, dubbed “the White Dancer” because of its dynamic shape. With the first concert on it, the stage was symbolically put into permanent use during Trimo Architectural Days, taking place between 4th and 6th June.

Different guises The installation of the stage in the middle of Metelkova represents a welcome departure from architectural trends in the city

JYSK distribution centre’s main hall is 460 metres long The Slovenia Times

which to critics smack too much of pop-architecture, banal solutions for office towers and shopping malls that one can see replicated in all the major cities of the Western Balkans. However, thinking of architecture as a purely market activity that only responds to the needs of the market misses the point, explained architect Petra Čeferin in a lecture delivered to fellow architects at the Trimo architectural awards ceremony.

Taking Ms Čeferin’s terminology as a starting point, one could argue that the new Metelkova stage is an exercise in the architecture of resistance, addressing political and social issues. Given the precarious status of Metelkova as an autonomous cultural zone constantly threatened by development plans devised by investors and the municipality, giving the place its voice through an open-air stage comes close to an emancipatory act.

Building spaceships The distribution centre of JYSK, a Danish bed linen company, in contrast, looks more like a spaceship that just landed in the flatlands near the village of Uldum. The building is the largest and the most modern automatic storage space in the country; its facade is covered with Trimo’s panel plates. The jury decided to award the architects, Kaj Bogh Jensen and Morten Degner Dahl, because they successfully reduced the visual impact of the building by using plates of different colours and successfully integrated the centre with the surrounding countryside.

Investment

Conference

2009 20-21 October 2009 Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia

Going Intermodal: Slovenia as a Gateway to the European Markets Conference Programme Venue: Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia (state protocol congress centre) Day 1 (Tuesday, 20 October 2009) • In hard times, it is vital to play a proactive role and to promote a healthy developed business environment; What can Slovenia additionally offer to potential investors? Mr Igor Plestenjak, Acting Director, JAPTI • Presentation of the national development strategy of the transportation system in the Republic of Slovenia Mr Igor Jakomin, PhD, State Secretary, Ministry of Transport

Day 2 (Wednesday, 21 October 2009) • Active breakfast: Panel discussion with key regional logistics players On the lookout for strategic partners: Can Slovenia’s logistics sector thrive without them? How important a role does Slovenia play with it’s prime geo-strategic position for the development of logistics platforms? • The official meeting of the transport ministers of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Slovenia ** to be confirmed • Logistics investment projects can be more attractive when subsidised – attracting the EU funds, Deloitte CEE

• Slovenia as a country can be treated as one logistics centre - what is the strategy of spatial planning for intermodal centres Mr Marko Pavliha, Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, General Director of Directorate for Spacial Planning;

• Organized one-to-one meetings (scheduled beforehand or on site) ** one-to-one meetings will be organized also during conference sessions on Day 1 - on request

• “Slovenia as a distribution country” - can it implement this vision successfully as the Netherlands did? **speaker to be confirmed

IC Logistics 2009 is organized by

• The truth is that we are a small country - how important is to be fast when it comes to building the intermodal centres? Ms Elen Twrdy, PhD, Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transport of University of Ljubljana, Dean • Master plan presentation of the main Slovenian international airport National intermodal logistics centre and Airport City • The expansion plans and the vision of the Port of Koper, gateway at the top of the Adriatic Sea • Slovenian Railways - transforming into a modern full-service logistics company (open to strategic partnerships) • What can the synergies of cooperation be between the Northern Adriatic Ports (Trieste - Koper - Rijeka) Can they stand together to defy the North? (Panel Discussion) • Special evening event: FDI of the Year in Slovenia 2009 Award Ceremony IC Conference Office, c/o The Slovenia Times T: +386 59 045 005, +386 1 520 50 85 E: info@investment-conference.si E: marko.stijepic@sloveniatimes.com

In co-operation with Ministry of Transport

Ministry of the Economy

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning

of the Republic of Slovenia

Why attend • The newly developed strategies of transport and spatial planning for Slovenia will be presented integrally for the first time • Get to know the market and get to know the key players on the market in person • Learn about all the upcoming important logistics projects • Be there when it happens - the foundations of the new logistics story • Take advantage of the opportunities Slovenia has to offer as a distribution country • Slovenia must find international strategic partners and investors to realize country’s full logistics potential

www.investment-conference.si

30 ECONOMY

Dveri-Pax wines

The secret lies deep beneath the ground Danilo Flakus, the head of Dveri-Pax, a wine producer from the Štajersko region, is a man who knows his wine. An experienced wine grower, Mr Flakus likes to dwell on qualities of different wines in Dveri-Pax’s cellar; given the fact that they have won numerous awards at home and abroad, this should not come as a surprise. By Marko Vuković They say that wine reflects the soil it grows on. What makes Dveri-Pax wines stand out, and does the Štajerska soil really make them different? There are a number of factors influencing the taste of wine and soil is definitely among the most important. Vines can grow on various types of soil with highly varied compositions and different geological origins. Its deep and robust root systems make it highly adaptable to various types of soil, which eventually influence the organoleptic and chemical properties of wine. The distinctive feature of our wine cellar is that our vineyards are spread over three regions, each with a different type of soil. In Maribor, where we have about 18 hectares of vineyards, the soil is composed mainly of limestone and marl, making our wines from that region aromatic and refreshingly acidic. In Radgona, where we have 25 hectares of vineyards, the loamy soil gives wine a rich taste. We grow mainly Blue Frankinja and Zweigelt grapes here, both of which produce excellent wines. In Jeruzalem (between Ormož and Ljutomer), where we also have 25 hectares of vineyards, the soil is quite sandy and the wine we produce there has a delicate and slightly acidic taste. Thanks to these varied soil compositions, we are able to produce a wide range of quality wines that impress even the most seasoned wine connoisseurs.

The Slovenia Times

Danilo Flakus in Dveri-Pax’s cellar

Our wines are characterised by harmonic freshness, delicate fruity flavour and, above all, the supreme quality of every variety we produce. The most important property of our wines is their drinkability; as you know, this is not only due to the quality and composition of the soil, but is also the result of a number of factors in the right combination. Does Dveri-Pax have a long tradition of producing wine? Benedictine monks started producing wine in the cellars of the Jareninski dvor castle as early as 1139. It is important to stress that today’s Dveri-Pax wine cellar and wines are the result of a

successful combination of respect for nature and tradition and the latest wine-making trends and technologies. It pays to be cautious when it comes to new trends and modern technologies, as it is often true that the “latest” discoveries have actually been tried and tested by our ancestors centuries ago. Which awards have your wines received recently? We are proud to have repeated last year’s success and again won nine awards at the Decanter World Wine international competition in London. In terms of the number of countries and wines taking part, this is the largest wine competition in the world: as many as 10,285 wine samples were submitted this year. We took part in two other international competitions before Decanter; namely, the AWC in Vienna, where we were awarded one gold and four silver medals, and the Wine for Asia competition, where we won a bronze award. I see these awards as proof that Slovenia produces excellent wines that can easily compete with the best wine growers worldwide. I would also like to stress that while international recognition is very important to us, we are still

most excited about the awards we win in Slovenia. We won the Vicious Cat Wine Champion award at last year’s Grossman Festival, three gold and three silver medals at the 46th International Agricultural and Food Fair in Gornja Radgona and two gold medals at the Vino Fest 2008 competition. We see these awards as recognition of all the work and knowledge we invest in our wine production throughout the year and it undoubtedly deserves a toast! How would you describe the wine culture in Slovenia? I see Slovenia as a country with a long wine tradition and I believe most people have a reasonably respectful attitude towards wine. Interest in wine has been on the increase recently, which also influences the culture of drinking wine. Buyers are becoming increasingly demanding and frequently choose top quality wines. For us, this is an advantage as well as a challenge to stay on top and maintain the level of quality of our wines. Wine is no longer just something to drink when we are thirsty – it has become an indispensable companion for those special moments when we enjoy a good meal in pleasant company.

Ljubljana The Slovenia Times centrefold pocket map and guide to the town centre’s favorite picks for eating, drinking, partying and shopping.

Excursion maps

Atlases Photo: Jakse, Jesic

Specialized shop with cartographic materials Trg francoske revolucije 7 SI - 1000 Ljubljana T. +386 1 200 27 32, F. +386 1 200 27 33 kodkam@gzs-dd.si, www.gzs-dd.si/kod&kam

Tourist guides Sailing maps GPS equipment

Road maps

Topografic maps

Thematic maps

Wall maps

Mountain maps Town maps Pocket Guides

Brodišče 30, SI - 1236 Trzin T. +386 1 600 28 00, F. +386 1 600 28 91 info@gzs-dd.si, www.gzs-dd.si

Fresco Restaurant SELF SERVICE FOOD AND A’LA CARTE MENU Slovenska cesta 47, 1000 Ljubljana Open: Monday – Friday 9:00 am to 17:00 pm

Slovenska cesta 51

Tel: +386 (1) 438 24 20 e-mail: caffe.europa@siol.net

Pasta, pizza, meat on the gril,fish Open every day from 10 am -11 pm

Cvrtnica Gosposvetska 7 Ljubljana cvrtnica@gmail.com open: 10 am - 8 pm

“The best seefood € can buy in only 5 minutes!”

Tradition, Good Beer and Pizzas

Opening hours Mon - Sat: 9 am - 1 am

Sundays and public holidays: 1 pm - 1 am

VESELI MERJASEC restaurant Pepe d.o.o. Rimska cesta 21 1000 Ljubljana T: +386 1 425 20 29

Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 11 am - 11 pm

Vinoteka

Wine Bar

Mestni trg 2, Ljubljana

Movia Wine Bar invites you to try the best Slovene and foreign wines. Open every day from 8 am to 1 am Tel. : +386 1 252 72 07

You are welcome Mondays to Saturdays, from 12 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Benedict, d.o.o., Mestni trg 11, 1000 Ljubljana www.cukrcek.si, info@benedict.si

open 24 hours

Burek Olimpija The best burek in town Slovenska cesta 58, 1000 Ljubljana Traditional slovenian cuisine

AZIJAN MARKET D.O.O.

RESTAURANT & BAR

KOLODVORSKA 20, 1000 LJUBLJANA TEL: +386 1 231 21 68

RESTAURANT & BAR RESTAURANT & BAR

OPENING HOURS: MON-FRI: 11.00-23.00 SAT-SUN: 12.00-23.00

N A R AV N O, Z O K U S O M KALC EK d.o.o. [martinska 152 SI-1000 Ljubljana Slovenija Dr. MIRKO MU[I^ predsednik Upravnega odbora

tel.: 01 5233 582 041 397 301 faks: 01 5110 621 mirko.music@kalcek.si www.kalcek.si

Eco store Kalček Trubarjeva 28, 1000 Ljubljana T: +386 1 4330-118 info@kalcek.si www.kalcek.si Opening hours Mon - Fri: 9 am – 5 pm (break 2 pm - 2.30 pm) Sat: 9 am - 1 pm

P O H S X SE

Trubarjeva ulica 43

www.venera−shop.si

PIZZERIJA KAVALINO Trubarjeva 52 Ljubljana e-mail: kavalino@bid.si

GRAJSKA KAVARNA, LJUBLJANSKI GRAD Na Grajski planoti 1, Ljubljana e-mail: grajska-kavarna@bid.si

Traditional Sarajevo Grill cuisine

GORNJI TRG 28, LJUBLJANA TEL +386 [0]1 425-30-94 e: info@spajza-lj.si

Selection of top quality wines Open every day from 7 AM to 12 PM Le Coq Blanc, Gornji trg 4, 1000 Ljubljana Tel: +386 (0)30 353 848, LeCoqBlanc@gmail.com The best coffee Illy

LIFE STYLE

Up, up and away Slovenia boasts over 7,000 kilometres of maintained and marked mountain paths as well as many well-supplied of mountain huts. Still wonder why you are being welcomed to a country of trekkers and mountaineers? Along with the global trend of active vacations, where trekking is the most obvious choice, this small country has much to offer. To give you an impression, we picked our top five destinations, suitable for family daytrips. Yet these are only five out of hundreds possibilities within the extensive network of paths. by Marjan Ĺ˝iberna, Jaka Terpinc, MSc Dragica Sternad

36 Life style

Get moving!

Nanos

A bald head

An extensive selection of trails for trekkers and explorers in Slovenia has a unified system of information and ratings.

ctive vacations instead of lazing beside the seashore. The idea seem to be becoming more and more favoured by those who might want to use their free time to compensate for sedentary office work. Slovenia has plenty to offer: The dynamic landscape is ideal for trekking and mountain paths; environmentally unspoilt nature inspires and rejuvenates, mountain huts can offer hearty food and turn into very sociable places, too. Marko Lenarčič, the head of the trekking and bicycling section of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce explains that Slovenia’s unique advantage is in its variety of options within a small area. You can easily stroll along natural and cultural monuments, or travel high into the mountains. You can also choose between a variety of vistas: from treks among the vineyard hills, the forests of Pohorje or ever-interesting Notranjska region. The wave of commercialization we have been encountering for the past two decades also contributed to changes in the services and venues offered. Being a mountain guide has again become a respect-

ed profession, presently encountering increasing demand. Lenarčič says that the primary duty of Slovene guides, educated by the Slovenian Mountaineers Association remains free-of-charge guidance in the mountains; however, with the increasing number of agencyorganised treks, they can obtain a commercial licence. To encourage domestic and foreign trekkers to spend more time in Slovenia, the Slovenian Tourist Board decided to rank the lodging facilities for their trekkerfriendliness. Today 53 hotels and huts comply with the demanding criteria of “specialized for trekking.” The ongoing activities in organizing Slovenian trekking offer will soon result in a well organised-network of lodges and paths, presented in brochures and a website. Moreover, in order to make trekking in Slovenia a unified product, two events are being introduced: Slovenian Trekking Days and a Trekking League of eight events, featuring elements of basic orientation. Worth mentioning is also a guide to 23 tourist trails to inspire trips to the lesser-known parts of Slovenia.

Respect nature

Photo: STO archives

Triglav National Park (www.tnp.si), the first and the only Slovenian national natural park was established back in 1924. This unique environment entrances visitor so that it is not difficult to respect the rules like not leaving any litter behind, not parking cars outside the official parking spaces, not disturbing wild animals, not leaving marked hiking and biking trails, not camping outside the camps, not lighting a campfire. To enjoy this beauty fully, one must also take a responsible part in preserving the natural environment.

Additional info Web pages: Various information about Slovenian mountains: www.hribi.net Slovenia Mountain Guide Association: www.zgvs.si Triglav National Park: www.tnp.si Recommended guide-book: Mountaineering in Slovenia (Tine Mihelič, Sidarta, 2003) The Slovenia Times

Nanos is a natural barrier between the continental and the littoral part of Slovenia, Primorska, situated approximately halfway between Ljubljana and Trieste. The highest point, named Suhi vrh, reaches an altitude of 1,313 metres, but most people visit the Vojkova koča hut, which was built in the vicinity of Pleša (1,262 m), one of the Nanos’ peaks. Pleša, “a bald patch” in Slovene, refers to the barren area, enchanting visitors with a sea of grass, beaten down by the wind.

he wind called burja is typical for this mostly grassy karst plateau. This plateau is the reason the Vipavska dolina valley, which stretches alongside its southern foothills, has several days of strong chilly wind every year. The cold eastern air collides at the top of the Nanos plateau with warmer air masses. The cold air, which is relatively heavier than the warm air, crosses the ridge, spills over the slopes, dries up and whirls about. This is how we get the gusty wind of varying power and directions: the burja. One must take into account that burja is often very strong at the top of Nanos, so do not forget to take light wind jacket during the summer. There are various paths leading to the peak of Nanos. The peak is even accessible by car, if you don’t mind the holes in the rough, unpaved road. For hikers, one of the most beautiful paths starts not far from the village of Razdrto, just beside the Ljubljana-Koper motorway. You must leave the motorway at the Razdrto exit. Fifteen minutes after the start, you have to decide which

path you’ll choose – the steep one or the longer, gently rising path. The steep one will take you about one hour and 30 minutes of moderate walking, the longer one about one hour more. The Vojkova koča hut at the top of Nanos is open every day except Mondays. It offers food and drinks typical for mountain huts, and also accommodation. It is named after the local partisan hero Janko Premrl Vojko, who died on the February 22nd 1943, at the age of 23, a few days after he was wounded in a battle against the Italian Fascists. In my opinion, the best way to experience Nanos is the following combination: ascending the steeper one, experiencing the strain it takes making you feel completely entitled to some mountain stew and even some dessert when you reach the top, and descending the longer path, enjoying the picturesque slopes of dry grass and the sight of the old stone-built church of St. Hieronymous on a full stomach. The views on a clear day are magnificent – everything from the sea to the mountains.

Life style 37

Clothing and footwear

Šmarna gora

The guardian of Ljubljana

Šmarna gora is situated on the outskirts of the capital Ljubljana, about ten kilometres from the city centre. It is easily accessible by car, city bus or bike. More people visit it than any other hill or mountain in Slovenia; it’s estimated that about 250,000 visitors climb it every year. You can meet hikers on its slopes before sunrise or at midnight during every season of the year. Everyone can find something for him or herself here – hikers, recreational runners, mountain cyclists, naturalists, or new lovers.

uring the wintertime, the Ljubljana Basin below is often a sea of fog, while the top is bathed in sunlight. On a clear day, it offers an excellent panoramic view: on the north side one can see high Alps, the Gorjanci Ridge in the southeast and Mt. Snežnik in the south. Šmarna gora has two hump-like summits, whose tops are some 370 m above the broad plains of the Ljubljana Basin. Looking from the distance, they resemble a two-humped camel. The western peak (676 m), known as Grmada, is slightly higher than the eastern Gora (669 m). The name Grmada (‘pyre’ in Slovene) reveals that during the era of Turkish raids, bonfires were lit on it to warn people bellow. During the 15th century, the church, bell tower and other buildings on Gora were fortified and enclosed within the confines of a protective wall to provide shelter to people fearing Turkish attacks. Šmarna gora is a pretty daring name for a hill with the altitude less than 700 metres (Slovene ‘gora’ means ‘mountain’). The

locals argue that their hill has the rocky slopes on its southwest side, therefore it deserves the name ‘gora’ – mountain. It has to be said that those rocks played an important role in the history of Slovenian mountaineering. In the past, when there were fewer cars, these rocks enabled young climbers from Ljubljana to practice. Šmarna gora was ‘a gym’ where they prepared themselves even for the highest Himalayan Mountains and for the most demanding walls. Many famous Slovene alpinists began their climbing career in those rocks. They haven’t lost their value yet –you can still find experienced climbers practising there and a lot of courses are organised there for the young climbers. There are lots of paths leading to the summits. The majority of hikers visit the eastern peak Gora, where the pub is situated. The top of Gora is also accessible by mountain bike from the north via the saddle between Gora and Grmada. One of the paths, leading to Grmada peak from the western side, is more demanding and also equipped with cables.

blackened toenails. It’s best to try on hiking shoes at the end of the day, after you have already been walking around for a while. Your choice of clothing should depend on the weather and duration of the hike. It pays to take precautions and bring an extra layer of clothes in case the weather changes. You should always have at least a sweater or a fleece jacket and a waterproof windcheater with you. The clothes should feel light while still providing enough warmth. It’s best to bring a backpack so you can keep your hands free.

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ince hiking trails are usually blazed away from roads and on uneven terrain, you’ll need hiking shoes or hiking boots that provide maximum safety and support (particularly for your ankles and the soles of your feet) on rough terrain. When choosing hiking footwear, comfort is the most important factor. It’s not a good idea to wear trainers or running shoes on long walks. Stiff leather hiking shoes provide the most stability, although their soles are not particularly flexible. Make sure your shoes are not too heavy - while covering 1km of flat terrain, your legs will have to lift and lower your shoes as many as 1600 times. If you’re planning a short day hike on flat terrain, light hiking shoes are the best choice of footwear. Be careful to choose the right size – hiking shoes should be larger than shoes for everyday wear, since your feet will swell and expand after walking for an hour or more. If your shoes are too small, you will get blisters and

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38 Life style

Tolminka River Gorge

Food and drink

hether you’re only walking a short distance or hiking for a longer period, you will need food to provide energy to your muscles. If you’re not planning to hike for more than 2 or 3 hours, you don’t need to eat much before you set off. Pay attention to your choice of food and make sure you have a healthy, balanced diet. A carbohydrate based diet will give you enough energy for most of your hike. If you feel your energy level dropping during the hike, the reason might be in the food you eat. It is also very important that you get enough to drink. If your body doesn’t get enough liquids, you will become dehydrated. The symptoms of dehydration are fatigue, dizziness, headache and a general feeling of ill health. Before starting your hike, plan what, when and how much to drink. If you’re only going on a 10-20 minute walk, drink a glass or two of water, juice or a sports drink before you go. If you’re planning a longer walk, drink two or three glasses two hours before you leave, one or two just before you leave and, if you feel the need, another glass every 15 to 20 minutes during the hike. It’s also a

Photo: Dreamstime

Mystic and refreshing

good idea to consider the amount of sugar and salt in your drink. If your hike is longer than an hour, you will benefit from isotonic drinks – they will help to replenish your “fuel” and provide some extra energy. Sports drinks are available in pharmacies and shops selling sports food. You can also prepare your own isotonic drink. Just mix 1l of pure fruit juice with 1l of water and add ½ a teaspoon of salt. If you’re planning a day hike, alter your menu accordingly. Start with a breakfast with plenty of carbohydrates two hours before you leave. During the hike, you will probably need to restore your energy every 2 or 3 hours. Healthy sandwiches are a good choice, but you can also fill your backpack with sweet and savoury pastries, fresh and dried fruit, cereal bars or raw vegetables to snack on. Drink plenty of water, fruit or vegetable juice or other soft drinks with no added sugar. If you eat frequently and in small portions, you will provide your body with a constant source of energy, which is ideal if you’re not planning a lunch break; but always make sure you eat a proper meal two hours after your hike.

Tolmin is a small, pleasant town in the west of Slovenia, about 100 kilometres from Ljubljana. The Soča River, well known for its emerald waters, flows by Tolmin. The town lies just 200 meters above sea level and can serve as a starting point for hiking to some high mountains (over 2,000 meters), but there are some shorter walks available in its surroundings.

he Tolminka River Gorge (Tolminska korita in Slovene) is one of them, undoubtedly worth a visit. The gorge is about 200 meters long and five to ten meters wide. The gorges of the Tolminka and Zadlaščica rivers create the only meeting of gorges in Slovenia. The Devil’s Bridge (Hudičev most in Slovene), over which the Tolmin-Čadrg road passes, arches sixty meters above the Tolminka River, and above it there is an entrance to the Zadlaška or Dante Cave. It is said that at the beginning of the 14th century, the patriarch Pagano della Torre hosted the poet Dante Alighieri in Tolmin. At that time, he is said to have visited the cave, which inspired him while creating the Hell of the Divine Comedy. The cave was later named after the poet. The cave complex is more than one kilometre long,

40 meters deep and boasts three halls. It is only possible to visit it in the company of a professional guide and with appropriate equipment. The distance from Tolmin to the parking area of the Tolminka River Gorge is two kilometres. You can purchase tickets (EUR 3.00 for adults, EUR 1.50 for those below 14 years, free for children younger than seven) at the entry point and get information about the walk. The tracks in the area of the Tolmin gorges are not long, but they are steep, and in some places exposed and demanding. They are not appropriate for small children and those visitors who should avoid strenuous physical activities. Proper trekking footwear is obligatory. There are also several themed pathways around the town of Tolmin.

Before you set off, plan your route carefully and consider every mishap possible. In most cases, hikes are routed along blazed trails, but if you want to plan your own route, you will need a topographic map or a good map from the local tourist office or library. If you’re new to hiking but walk regularly, you can expect to cover between 12 and 20 km a day or less on difficult terrain or in bad weather. When walking uphill, add 30 minutes for every 300m of altitude difference. Don’t forget to add the time you need to arrive at the beginning of the trail and for rest stops along the way. Plan to reach your destination at least one hour before sunset – that way, you have some spare time to make up for any mistakes in your estimation. Bear in mind that there may not be mobile coverage in remote places. The Slovenia Times

Photo: STO archives

Safe Hiking

Life style 39

Kranjska Gora

Alpine Divine Everyone knows Kranjska Gora, an idyllic alpine village at the north-west end of the country. Its unique position is a perfect starting point for a number of trips, too many to be listed in this short text and, since we are keeping a family theme, we shall focus on a few.

Important details Sports sunglasses should protect your eyes in all weather conditions such as bright sunlight, light reflection and low temperatures. For mountain climbing, vented sunglasses are particularly suitable, since the venting system will prevent the lenses from steaming up. You can wear your sunglasses with regular frames or attach them with an elastic band instead. Hiking boots should be good quality and waterproof, but airy and comfortable. Vibram soles are particularly suitable for walking on any surface and are equipped with attachments for automatic crampons. A telescopic pole will enhance your hiking ability and provide greater safety during difficult ascents and dangerous descents. It’s a good idea to clean the inside of your poles after each use and remove any dirt or dust. If the poles are wet, take them apart and leave them to dry. A headlight – choose one with a wide beam that reaches up to 10m, the option to modulate the intensity of the light, red light or flashing mode for better visibility in traffic, and silver reflective tape on the headband for better passive visibility. Merino wool underwear is the most suitable, since you need high quality clothing, natural materials and an ergonomic cut to protect your body from sweat, moisture, etc.

Photo: STO archives

Hiking trousers should be made of waterproof but light material, preferably with zippers to convert them into shorts. Although black is popular, try to avoid it – it absorbs a lot of light and heat, which will cause you to dehydrate sooner.

irst, there is Krnica, a valley passing the foothills a mighty Špik mountain. Starting from Kranjska Gora, you should follow the road towards Vršič, passing the wonderful Jasna Lakes. Not much further from Jasna, near a bridge, you abandon the paved road and use the path, which will lead you all the way to a mountain hut: your destination for this trip. Two hours, no great effort and you are done. If you prefer a similarly flat or gently climbing option, head towards Tamar. The way can be shortened by driving to Planica and parking at the bottom of the ski jumping hill, where many world records have been made. On the way, by car or a foot, you can stop and see the Zelenci swamp where the Sava River starts its 990 kilometre flow towards the Danube. Once beneath the ski jump hills, you can climb the ski jump slope to get some impression of how steep and high the facility is – quite a bit different than on TV. Anyway, from the ski jumping arena, a narrowing valley leads you towards the Tamar hut. The destination is a lovely meadow with a nearby waterfall. An hour’s walk should be more than enough to get there. It is indeed

a nice place to rest, relax and admire a perfect alpine natural environment. Somewhere in between the two valleys mentioned previously, there is abundance of options for those who are ready for an uphill trek. Our choice would be Vršič, the highest mountain pass in the country, accessible by car, foot or sweating on a bicycle. On the way, you can stop at one of the huts, visit the legendary Russian Chapel or capture the image of the mythical Ajdovska deklica, whose face is revealed hidden in a rock formation. The Vršič pass is a lively place, where many passengers stop to enjoy the magnificent alpine scenery. If you are up to a challenge and if the magic limit of 2,000 metres matters to you, Mala Mojstrovka is only an hour and a half away by its southern slope. Despite Mojstrovka being not difficult to climb, you are already entering the world of high mountains; consider every precaution regarding your equipment and physical readiness. Kranjska Gora, surrounded by mountains, is so much more than what’s written here; so don’t hesitate to get more directions from the local tourist guides and advisors.

T-shirts should be made of a mix of materials that is light and airy but resistant to cuts and tears. They can have special fabric sewn in the front and back to discharge sweat, provide SPF 25 protection for UV rays and prolong the time you can wear the t-shirt before it starts to smell. The windcheater should allow your body to breathe, discharge moisture and regulate the body climate. Anatomic cuts are the most suitable, preferably with an adjustable hood, vents in the collar, elastic inserts, zippers for ventilation and a removable fleece inside layer. GPS navigators, electronic navigation devices based on GPS technology, are becoming increasingly popular. Combining high technology and simplicity of use, they help us find the right way and return back to the starting point. Hiking backpacks – there are a number of different versions, but the best backpacks should have all the indispensable attachments (water bag, rain poncho, wheels to transport it, etc.) and a good polypropylene and T6 aluminium removable back support. The optimal weight still remains to be determined. A sleeping bag for hiking and trekking trips can be light and synthetic, sometimes with an anatomically shaped hood with a thermal liner and an inside pocket. An inflatable camping mattress will guarantee you a peaceful and comfortable night’s sleep regardless of the terrain. It’s quick and easy to inflate and the surface is treated with non-irritating material. When deflated, it’s about the size of a 2dl glass and fits easily into any backpack, hip pack or jacket pocket. The tent should be well ventilated, with two entrances, an inside net and lots of inside pockets for extra comfort on your hiking holiday. A set of eating utensils is indispensable for every hiker and can also be used to store food. A good set should contain two plates, a 300ml mug, a strainer that doubles as a cutting board, a spork (a combination of a spoon and a fork) and a knife, all in a small watertight box to keep it dry. The box should float and be microwave safe. A thermos flask will keep your tea or coffee hot. It should be made of thick plastic and be easy to take apart and clean. Information – always carry a guidebook and pocket map of the area. For protection, carry an insect repellent and sun cream with at least SPF 15 and always wear a hat to protect you from the sun and wind. August 2009

40 Life style

Triglav

A trophy Photo: STO archives

Apart from other destinations listed here, which are easy, family trips for nearly everyone, here’s a notable exception, if you are get tempted to climbing the highest of them all. However, all precautions regarding highmountain trekking need to be taken seriously.

he name Triglav (2,864 m) is generally interpreted as “mountain with three heads.” It would be difficult to find another nation that honoured its highest mountain with such zeal. To conquer Triglav is a “duty” of every Slovene. There are also several visitors from abroad who also would like to climb this majestic and beautiful mountain. There are several routes (with plenty of variations) leading to Triglav. One of the longest and the most beautiful ones goes via the picturesque Valley of the Triglav Lakes (Dolina Triglavskih jezer). The starting point is Savica (653 m), the parking area in front of restaurant not far from the west end of Bohinjsko jezero Lake (in the summer, there is regular bus service). At the beginning, it is worth making a five-minute detour to see the Savica waterfalls, whose waters fill the lake. One must take into account the demanding steepness of the Komarča cliff at the beginning. It takes about three hours of moderate climbing to reach the large mountain hut Koča pri Triglavskih jezerih at the altitude of 1,683 m. From that point, there are two variations to ascend to the Dolič saddle with the Tržaška koča hut (2,151 m); the shorter one takes about three hours and a half. After that, there are another two hours and half to the top of Triglav. The final stage begins with a comfortable walk following the mulatiera, a former ItalThe Slovenia Times

ian military transport route. You can spot the remains of the large buildings here; former Italian army barracks, known as Morbegno, reminding us that between the two World Wars this territory was under the rule of Italians. The top of Triglav offers an excellent view in clear weather; you can see a great deal of Slovenia and also some snow-covered three-thousand metre peaks in the Austrian Alps. Although this ascend route is most picturesque, it’s worth taking another route when descending and see some more natural beauty. Ascending Triglav is not an easy walk in any case. The above-described route takes 15 to 18 hours of walking or at least two days. Although the mountain huts, where you can spend the night, are quite well supplied, don’t forget to take some food and especially drink with you. For an experienced mountaineer Triglav is a completely safe mountain, but one must approach the ascent deliberately and with all respect. Less experienced or inexperienced people, who still want to climb it, should think about a mountain guide.

High above, everything tastes great Hearty stews keep hunger at bay and give you a good impression of Slovenian cuisine, even when you are wandering around in the mountains. By Tanja Goršič

ome mountain huts are, in fact, small gastronomic stations where typical Slovene broths reign. The hut keepers are usually kind, motherly or fatherly figures, who want to feed you until your stomach is about to burst, with hearty, home-made cooking. Keep your fingers crossed; they also sometimes make their own apple strudel. And definitely, after a long and arduous ascent, the food always tastes so much better. Let us now take a look at what is cooking high up in the steep mountains. Jota is a traditional stew from the Karst and Friulian area, found all over the coast and elsewhere. The basics include beans, chunks of potatoes, sour cabbage or turnip and smoked pork, seasoned with herbs, garlic and pepper. Of course, the ingredients vary from one cook to another, but the stew is always tasty, nourishing and refreshing, t radit ionally s e r ve d h o t i n wi nter and cold in summer. A basic broth, ričet, i s a muc h loved classic of Slovenian cuisine. Made of barley and soup vegetables with the possible addition of smoked pork, the thick stew varies according to what is at hand. Apart from the obligatory barley, it usually includes potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, parsley beans, kohlrabi, and herbs, making for a rich and layered palatal experience.

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A mixed hot pot must also be mentioned here. One might suspect that these particular concoctions are in fact just leftovers swimming in hot water – things that the cook finds in the far recesses of the fridge after the week is over. In fact, they are much more than that. The ingredients can range from all conceivable soup vegetables, to which either macaroni or dumplings made of dough or egg are added. The list is infinite and the ingredients largely depend on the imagination of the cook and the stock at hand. The local goulash, another frequent item on the menu, is not for the faint-hearted. This rich broth is all about meat. Usually made with lots of roast onion (the amount of onion equals the amount of meat), large chunks of beef, but other kinds of meat are also used. This hearty broth will definitely replenish all the energy used up on the steep routes. Also popular is a thick Serbian b e a n s o up, called pasulj. Made of a lot of onion and bea n s wit h some herbs and pepper for spice, it does keep hunger at bay, but also has a side-effect, which won’t be much appreciated later by people around you. The huts serve many delicious broths and stews, but don’t be surprised if the same dish doesn’t taste as good at home. The secret ingredient is the fresh mountain air and the physical activity that add that extra zing.

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Solèavsko – European Destination of Excellence 2009 Uniting the preservation of nature with the life of the local population and the curiosity of visitors from the world over in an unprecedented manner. Text by: Marko Slapnik The micro-region of Solčavsko and its tourism product ‘Solčavsko – the Harmony of Three Valleys’ is this year’s winner of the EDEN Contest, part of a European Commission project and organised in Slovenia by the Slovenian Tourist Board (STB). The Slovenian winner received its title of European Destination of Excellence from the STB in June in Solčavsko, but the European Commission will, for its part, hold a second ceremony in October, during the 8th European Tourism Forum in Brussels.

few houses. Solčavsko encompasses three parallel Alpine valleys transformed by glaciers: Logarska dolina, Robanov kot and Matkov kot. At high altitudes, underneath Mount Olševa, which harbours the famous Potočka zijalka, where the remains of a habitat of Ice Age hunters were discovered, lies the hamlet of Podolševa. The farmsteads between Matkov kot and Podolševa are connected by the Solčava panoramic route, which offers beautiful views of the valleys and the wreath of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps.

The main theme of the 2009 European Destination of Excellence Contest was ‘Tourism and Protected Areas’. According to the expert jury, the concept of tourism development in Solčavsko is harmonious with the concept of sustainable tourism and eco-tourism. The guideline of the area’s tourism development is ‘to develop tourism that is friendly to nature and the visitors and beneficial to the local population’.

The award-wining product ‘Solčavsko – the Harmony of Three Valleys’ is a three-day package uniting a series of activities and experiences with the observation of nature, the admiration of natural treasures and the discovery of the local cultural heritage.

A guided hike along the Natural and Ethnographic Trail of the Logarska Valley reveals the origin and the transformation of Alpine valleys; it enSolčavsko – Nestled compasses natural monuments (the source of the Črna, the Rinka waterin the Alps Solčavsko, an area found along the fall, etc.) and ethnological particulariSlovene-Austrian border, is geographi- ties (the charcoal burner’s or the lumcally delineated by the sources of the berjack’s cottage, etc.), and leads past river Savinja in the Upper Savinjska homesteads and tourist infrastructure valley, nestled in the Alps of Kamnik- buildings. The novel approach to guiding, which stimulates the capacity to Savinja and the Karavanke chain. experience, opens up one sense after Solčava is a small village that lends another. The cultural heritage comes its name to the area. Overlooking the alive thanks to various ethnological village is a slender Gothic church of activities, animation or multi-media Saint Mary of the Snows. On a hill, a presentations in Solčavsko. A stroll mere half-hour hike from the village through Robanov kot reveals fraggrows the famous Solčava yew, silent- ments of man’s connection with nature, ly gazing down for nearly a millennium. which spans centuries. Supported by Most of the inhabitants of Solčava live verses, the locals’ wise thoughts and at high mountain farmsteads, for the the sounds of the zither, tradition acnarrow valley, surrounded by tower- quires a deeper sense. Tourist farms ing mountains, can only welcome a invite guests to rest and enjoy local culinary delicacies, such as At Solčavsko, cured meats (želodec), homemade During my hikes, I DISCOVER, cheese (sir) and pasta (štruklji, On the trails I ENJOY, žlinkrofi) from the Upper Savinja When my feet pause, I ADMIRE, Valley. The curiosities along the And at any given moment I RESPECT Solčava Panoramic Route attest The wondrous mountainous landscape, to a varied geological structure The diversity of life in nature, and biotic diversity. The sights of And the kind and laborious people. the interesting world of Solčavsko advertisement

and the mountain chain of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps are wonderful. And how pleasant are the feelings evoked during a calm conversation with the locals revealing bits of their lives of today and of yesteryear, their stories prompted by objects or buildings. Felt, wood or stone items made by skilled craftsmen can be a prized gift or a precious souvenir. At felting workshops, visitors may also learn about the characteristics and particularities of the Jezersko-Sočava sheep breed. The traces of Ice Age hunters found at Potočka zijalka will make our spirits restless, but we shall find peace once more at Solčava’s Saint Mary of the Snows church; or in the deep silence of the woods. The stroll through the days past and present are completed by the vision of the development of Solčavsko. The restrictions applying to motor traffic in both landscape parks will be followed by redesigns of the village of Solčava and the introduction of environmentally friendly transport options. In the space of three days, visitors can feel the atmosphere of tradition and the developing vibe of Solčavsko through a series of experiences and activities in a natural setting and in contact with the locals. The two-day programme unveils many interesting and unique aspects of life in harmony with nature. During the one-day hike, the landscape images and sights of this hidden mountainous garden enchant visitors.

The Trail through the Logarska Valley and up to Mount Planjava, 2394m The natural and ethnographic trail through the Logarska Valley runs along the valley bottom, yet after seven kilometres, it leads us to altitudes 300m above the starting point. The Rinka Waterfall is a true reward for all who persist the entire length of the trail, yet even shorter sections reveal many interesting sights. Climbing up by the Rinka waterfall, we reach the source of the Savinja River

and here we are at Okrešelj, a wonderful glacial cirque. After a pause in the Frischauf Chalet at Okrešelj, we can hike over the Savnjsko sedlo Pass to reach the chalet at Ledine above Jezersko and see the Alps of KamnikSavinja from the other side, yet this time around, we bear left and walk across the scree and a demanding, yet well secured section towards the Kamniško sedlo Pass. From there, we can observe the Rinka Waterfall below us, the Logarska Valley, the Valley of Kamniška bistrica and the Ljubljana Basin. A demanding trail equipped with pitons and steel cables leads us to Mount Planjava. The highest peak of Štajerska (Styria) offers fine views on all sides, and we continue along the ridge towards Ojstrica. At Škarje, we can descend towards the Korošica Chalet and the torn-up Dleskovšek Plateau; we can climb Mount Ojstrica or move downwards towards the Klemenča jama Chalet and then on to the Logarska Valley. Duration of the walk: The natural and ethnographic trail is 2 hours, with the climb to Mount Planjava some 10 to 11 hours; a two-day trip. Length: 19 km Difficulty: The natural and ethnographic trail is easy; the climb to Mount Planjava demanding at places. Total altitude difference: 1600 m Starting points: Logarska dolina, Črne source Maps: Kamniško - Savinjske Alpe (1:50,000), Grintovci (1:25,000)

INFO: Solčavsko – harmonija treh dolin TIC Logarska dolina Tel.: + 386 (0)3 838 90 04 E-mail: info@logarska.si TIC Solčava Tel.: + 386 (0)3 839 07 10 E-mail: info@td-solcava.si

www.logarska-dolina.si

42 Life style

Active vacations: Dejan Romih

Mountains, lakes and riversides are in Dejan Romih, an innovative entrepreneur in the field of tourism marketing sheds light on the trends in independent travel and establishes the profile of the Slovenian people and of Slovenia in terms of tourism. By Irena Kržan Hiking has seen a tremendous rise in popularity among Slovenians, it is a firm favourite of both the young population and older generations, who wish to preserve their good health and keep in shape. When and why did this trend rise to such prominence? I dare say that we Slovenians have been in love with the mountains since times immemorial. Luckily, we were given a small portion of the Alps, which help us understand the importance of mountains for our good health and wellbeing. It is difficult to provide a straight answer as to when this happened; the reason for an ever-increasing popularity of hiking is most probably also the climate. Spending one’s summer holiday on the seaside is becoming a very demanding undertaking, as summer temperatures can bring what we refer to, quite rightly so, as dog days. Therefore, increasing numbers of people opt to spend their summer vacation in the mountains, by lakes and on riversides. The climate is fresher and more pleasant, and many people find the nature more diverse… The magical shades of green and blue charm everyone. Besides the natural environment, the excellence of holidaymaking is helped by the infrastructure, for it is being developed much more steadily and quickly in the Alpine areas than at seaside resorts. Furthermore, there are plenty more extra activities available, which are also considerably better value for money than at the coast. This is why those who prefer active holidays head to the mountains. In relation to other Alpine nations, how would you rate the Slovenians as hikers and how great is in actual fact the demand for mountain holidays (both home and abroad)? What strikes me as interesting is that it is not only the Alpine nations who choose such holidays. Many of our guests come from the The Slovenia Times

Netherlands, Belgium, northern Germany and Hungary – from flat and low-lying countries. The reason is once more the climate – it is simply too hot at the coast. Generally speaking, most Slovenians still opt for prolonged weekends in the mountains and we hardly ever travel abroad (in the summertime). During the winter, however, the situation is reversed. A great majority of us go skiing abroad (to Italy, Austria or France). And what about foreigners; to what extent does Slovenia present an interesting destination for skiers and hikers from abroad? Do you feel that enough has been done to promote Slovenian mountainside tourism? It is a plain fact that Slovenia cannot compete with the ski resorts of Austria, Italy, Switzerland or France. Our slopes are lower lying and above all smaller and therefore of less interest to skiers from Western Europe. Also in terms of value for money, Slovenian resorts leave a lot to be desired. But the fact remains that many Slovenians still want to stay home. The summer months paint an entirely different picture. Many tourists still tend to regard Slovenia, a new member of the European Union, as somewhere new, unspoilt and almost exotic. This is the key to our attractiveness to Western European markets. That said, we still have a long way to go in both areas. I see potential mainly in the prolongation of seasons. Also, we could do much more to improve the identity and image of Slovenia and for the possibilities it offers. The Internet is an excellent communications tool with media and sites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Tripadvisor, Google Maps, Google Earth, Panoramio, etc. I think it is crucial to attract several low-cost airlines and set up a network of shuttle services to (at least) Slovenia’s most attractive sights and destinations.

Which nation has shown the greatest interest for summer and ski packages in Slovenia? It depends on the season. In the winter, the most prominent increase in visitor numbers occurs during the winter term holidays in Croatia, when virtually all of our ski resorts are fully booked. Our market is also interesting for guests from Serbia, as Slovenia is relatively close (compared to other skiing destinations); this is also probably assisted by the fact that virtually all tourism workers in Slovenia speak Serbian and Croation. There are also many Hungarian holidaymakers. As for the Czechs, after the demise of the communist regime, they seem to have grown fond of Italian ski slopes and they rent accommodation in the cheaper resorts.There is also great potential in golf courses, which are being created at an increasing rate in the vicinity of mountainside resorts. They attract ever-growing numbers tourists from Western Europe.

MountVacation The MountVacation.com web portal offers mountain lovers a quick and easy way to book their destination and accommodation of choice. It is one of Europe’s largest agents of mountain holidays with a catalogue of over 400 destinations in 10 countries. The portal is a ‘tool’ that connects, free of charge, the lovers of mountains with the providers of accommodation and all other related services. The prices using the portal are equal or inferior to those that would be obtained if individual clients were to book the selected accommodation themselves. The MountVacation.com portal was favourably welcomed among Slovenians, and it collects an increasing number of hits every month. In spite of that, according to Romih, it will take time for Slovenians to fully accept and trust the portal, as online credit card payments are still widely regarded as ‘risky’, even though paying for a restaurant meal by card is, in principle, equally or even more risky than online shopping. The MountVacation.com is a niche-oriented company. Its users are an active population that uses the web on a daily basis and wishes to possess more information than what is usually made available by other travel agents. They no longer need to run from one brickand-mortar agency to another as now they can obtain, from a single website, an offer that can stand against the offers of 30 different traditional agencies!

Dr Zoran Trajanovski We are indeed a skiing nation. In addition to the weeklong skiing holiday, most of us will hit the slopes for at least several other days or weekends. But I’ve noticed that we don’t wish or even dare to discover new destinations. We usually try a new skiing holiday destination only if it was recommended by friends or acquaintances. I would like MountVacation.com to will play the role of a friend and allow Slovenians skiers to discover new high-quality destinations. How does one make a winter destination become popular; is it the pricing component that counts the most in the eyes of the customers when choosing their skiing holiday? Prices are very important by all means, as skiing holidays are not cheap. But of equal, if not greater importance is the product. Apart from good infrastructure and a wide selection of pistes, extra activities, restaurants, a vibrant nightlife, après ski, etc. are what really counts. The destinations reputed for offering good products can charge up to four times more than their competition and yet remain fully booked. Which mountain destination is your agency’s number one hit of the summer season? Austria’s Zell am See.

air transfer options, mainly chose France and Andorra. Do you expect that the current market conditions might change, to a certain extent, the behaviour of customers in the way they plan their holidays or whether they opt for last minute offers, etc.? Customers will start selecting their holiday options in a more rational manner. They will seek out all-inclusive offers and more detailed information on the holiday destination itself. The socalled social communities will play a key role in the future. The winning formula will definitely be to find the right combination of information provided by local partners offering services and to openly share the reviews, photos and videos by past customers. Everyone seems to think that we Slovenes are a skiing nation, but is that true?

Which other action-packed trips and travels do you offer throughout the year? Mountain destinations really do offer interesting programmes for the summer season, much more so than seaside resorts. There are countless mountain bike rides, climbing excursions, kayak and canoe trips, not to mention canyoning descents, adrenaline park action, etc. As a curiosity, may I say that during the summer months, the French Les 2 Alpes resort offers over 80 organised sporting activities, while some resorts even organise ‘bikini-clad’ ski races. What is your personal favourite destination and what could you recommend to our readers? My advice to the readers would be to change destinations, to explore the magnificent mountain world, enjoy the pristine nature and skiing delights. Use the Internet to your advantage and set off to a new destination without care. I would suggest visiting the Serre Chevalier resort in France. While its network of pistes is extensive enough to meet the needs of the most discerning of skiers, the weekly pass allows access to six further resorts.

Bile Acid Fillings

It might seem improbable, but it is actually a new addition to this world of constant novelties and new trends. Since it is summer, the time to relax and enjoy your vacation, I chose a lighter topic for this column. Bile acid fillings are the result of scientific research and are not yet being used in dentistry.

Filling or Inlay? There are two predominating methods of filling cavities in modern dentistry. The first method entails direct application of filling material, resulting in a filling. The second method is less direct and entails the making of an inlay. Before I go into further detail on inlays, here are a few facts about fillings.

Details about Both Options If you and your dentist decide on a filling, you should be aware that there are two types of fillings: amalgam or dark fillings and composite or white fillings. Reading up on the history of amalgam fillings, it is clear that neither their composition nor the way they are used in treatment has changed much with time. The history of composite fillings is more varied and connected to technological developments in stomatology since the 1960s, when composite fillings were first introduced. There have been many changes since then, not only in the composition of nanoparticles in the materials, but also in the physical characteristics of the materials. The biggest drawback of composite materials was their tendency to shrink, so the majority of improvements and innovations happened in this area. The second option for tooth restoration is an inlay. This is known as an indirect procedure and is implemented in two phases. In phase one, the tooth is prepared for the entire process of treatment. This entails the removal of old fillings, caries, etc. and the making of a mould. Based on the mould, a plaster model for the inlay is created. If the dentist is using the latest CAD-CAM technology, the plaster model can be scanned and computer technology can be used for precision cutting of the inlay. In modern dentistry, inlays are made of porcelain, composite or gold. My experience in the field of porcelain inlays shows that this is a very aesthetically pleasing and highly functional method of tooth restoration.

Innovations in Stomatology As I mentioned before, the latest research in this field of dentistry shows a promising innovation for potential future use. Scientists at the University of Montreal in Canada created a new plastic material: a mixture of bile acids and chemical fillers that takes the form of a hydrogel and hardens when exposed to blue light. The hydrogel was initially intended for use in biomedicine, but it was found to be too rigid, so stomatology was suggested as an alternative possibility for application. The advantage of this new material is its biocompatibility. Amalgam fillings contain mercury and composite fillings contain bisphenol A; both substances are hard enough to stabilise the tooth and sustain the force of chewing, but they are also toxic to humans and the environment.

The Best Option at Present Currently, the best option for tooth restoration is a porcelain inlay, since it is the most biocompatible of the materials available. In future, we might also be able to use the new type of fillings described in this column. However, first we must wait for the results of practical testing to see if this material is truly as promising as it seems or just another step towards discovering something even better.

August 2009

Which destinations have proven to be the most popular in the past winter season? Each travel agency has its own ‘flagship product’. For MountVacation, the past season’s top destination was Puy Saint Vincent, France. This applies to the Slovenian market. Namely, this destination caters to families and skilled skiers alike. Crucial to its success were also the prices, as our package combining a weekly pass and four-star accommodation retailed for a little over 100 Euros per person. The prevalent clientele from foreign markets were British, who, thanks to the availability of good

44 PEOPLE

Pavle Kozjek, a climber

Reaching for the sky Pavle Kozjek, one of the most prominent Slovene alpinists, was highly respected in the international climbing community. His outstanding career lasted a full three decades. Kozjek, who was versatile climber, died on 25th August 2008 while climbing the highly demanding wall of the 7,273 m Muztagh Tower in Pakistan at the age of 49. By Marjan Žiberna, photos: personal archive of Pavle Kozjek

avle Kozjek was born in 1959 in Setnica, a small village in the Mačkov graben valley near Ljubljana. “To me, my valley was the most beautiful place in the world,” recalled Kozjek in one of his numerous articles, published in various newspapers and magazines in Slovenia and abroad. “I tried to get to know it fully, even going so far as to explore the places others could not or did not dare go to. On the brittle rock above my parents’ house, I soon realized that one can fall when climbing. I did not think much about it at the time, however; I had enough to worry about with the usual problems of youth, and many years passed before rocks again captured my attention.”

started when he began his mathematics studies at the University of Ljubljana, when he was 19. He started attending a climbing class, mostly out of curiosity and a wish for livelier company. “I found that rocks attracted me with an unstoppable power, that I loved feeling them beneath my fingers,” he wrote in one of his articles. “Anyway, there was no turning back …” In the late 1970s and early ‘80s, Kozjek often got up at four in the morning, took three or four buses to reach his destination, walked for another hour or two to the base, ascended and descended

the mountain, and eventually took the same route back. Slovene mountains are not very high, but their rock walls can be up to 1,000 meters high; a prominent Spanish climbing magazine once called them ‘the school of geniuses.” Kozjek was undoubtedly one of those geniuses. With Zvone Drobnič, his colleague from the climbing class, they soon became a very promising and daring roped party. While still beginners, they climbed some highly demanding routes on Slovene and Croatian walls. In the Julian Alps, they started with the Čopov steber (Čop’s Pil-

Early years In the autumn, Kozjek’s eagerly anticipated book, which will include a selection of his articles, columns and photos, will be published, at first only in the Slovene language. The Slovenia Times

At the beginning of his high school years, he was invited by a friend to climb the north face of Triglav (2,864 m), the highest Slovene mountain. He found out that climbing seemed quite easy and pleasant to him; probably as a result of his natural gift and work on the family farm. But rocks and walls did not enchant him immediately. His life as a climber

Pavle Kozjek (left) and Peter Podgornik celebrating Christmas in the snow hole under the Cerro Torre in the Patagonian mountains, December 1985.

lar), a legendary route on the north face of Triglav, which is a lifetime ambition for many climbers. People in the climbing club were not too pleased with their accomplishment, because they broke a rule saying that climbing beginners should not attempt such demanding routes; they had to promise that they would never do anything of the sort again. They did keep that promise, but only for about some weeks before continuing with a series of climbs on the most demanding Slovene walls. They continued with the Italian Dolomites, the Austrian and French Alps. Sadly, Zvone’s climbing career ended in a bad fall in the French mountains in the winter of 1984 from which he has never fully recovered.

At the beginning of the 1980s, alpinism was very popular in Slovenia. In 1979, members of a large expedition climbed a new route on the west ridge of Everest and came home as heroes. Expeditions were organised by the Slovene Mountaineering Union, which, via sponsors and state support, usually took care of financing a team that was selected according to special criteria. The most important criterion was, of course, high quality ascents. Young climbers first had to prove that they were really good, and ready to climb in the toughest conditions. One of the keys to entering the Himalayas in a Slovene expedition was through demanding, even dangerous winter ascents in Slovene mountains.

So Zvone Drobnič, Zoran Radetič and Pavle Kozjek decided to climb the notorious 700-metre Čihula route, one of the most severe and challenging routes in the Julian Alps. It had never been climbed in winter, and was thus the perfect prize for ambitious young climbers. However, the conditions, which were excellent at first, suddenly changed – half a meter of new snow turned climbing into a three-day battle for survival. They managed it and proved that they were worthy of taking part in the next Himalayan expedition. “Having climbed the overhangs, we could no longer descend the mountain,” Kozjek recalled many years later. “The only way was up. I remember it as if it were yesterday: frozen ropes, boots and gloves, climbing the difficult pitches with almost no protection, and the feeling of relief and exaltation when, after three days in deep snow, we returned safely.”

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The Himalayan era

continued on page 46

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Above: Pavle Kozjek, self-portrayed at the top of Mt. Everest (8,848 m) on May 23th of 1997. Below: The top of the highest peak in the world is marked with various flags.

After this experience, his ambitions soared. He met a climbing legend Stane Belak-Šrauf, one of the members of the 1979 Everest expedition, who died under an avalanche in 1995. The experienced Šrauf was the leader of Kozjek’s first Himalayan expedition, to the 7,455 metre Gangapurna in Nepal, which was successfully held in 1983. For the next two years, Kozjek travelled to Yosemite in California, where he climbed some demanding rock walls. At the end of 1985, he left for Patagonia to climb Cerro Torre (3,128 m) with some other excellent Slovene climbers. Franček Knez, Janez Jeglič, Silvo Karo, Slavc Svetičič, Peter Podgornik and Pavle Kozjek joined forces to reach a higher goal, the “problem of the third millennium,” as it was known at that time In the typically bad Patagonian weather, with frequent snowstorms, they detached themselves from the rest of the world for two months. The climbing was hard and dangerous, especially the lower part of the face, which was exposed to falling rock and ice, but they made it by the new route, named the Devil’s Direttissima. “The rest period after the expedition was short, however,” Kozjek later wrote. “It was as if I wanted to do everything at once: the Alps, the Dolomites, the Patagonia, the Himalayas. In every mountain range, in every discipline, I found something for myself. Beauty and wildness were at the top of my priorities as I searched for undisturbed, natural climbs.”

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46 PEOPLE The next year, in 1989, he chose another demanding goal: to set a new route to Shisha Pangma (8,013 m), the lowest of the eight-thousanders and the only one located entirely within China. With Andrej Štremfelj, another excellent Slovene climber, they succeeded. They climbed the central pillar of the south face of the mountain. But as a result of frostbite, he lost one of his big toes. “But I did not think much of it,” he recalled. “My great wish, a big Himalayan route in alpine style, had come true.”

Discovery of South America

Cho Oyu (8201 m) in Tibet. For the new route, climbed in a solo single push, Kozjek was awarded with prestigious Piolet D’or – public prize.

“From the top of the world, I admired the lonely panorama of the surrounding landscape. This was one of the most powerful impressions of my life as a climber. Perhaps it was the thin air, but I felt that from Everest one can see that the Earth really is round.”

The Slovenia Times

continued from page 45

In summer of 1986, he joined the expedition to two 8,000-meter mountains in Pakistan: Broad Peak and Gasherbrum II. He climbed them both in five days. On the following expeditions, not everything went according to plans. In 1987, at the first Slovene winter expedition to the Himalayas, with the goal of the peak of Dhaulagiri (8,167 m) by a new route in the fast alpine style, he missed the goal. The wind, the incredible cold and insufficient acclimation slowed him down. He spent a night just below the top in a crevasse without a tent, a cooker, drink, or a sleeping bag. His survival in such conditions was a kind of miracle, but two days later he made another attempt. This time he was stopped by hurricane-force winds and a pulmonary oedema.

After returning from the expedition, Kozjek got a job at the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, and, as he wrote later, he exchanged some of his freedom for social security “While the job confined me somewhat, it gave me security and ample time to think about unclimbed routes, unexplored ranges, my unexercised skills … I continued to examine maps and, before long, had set my sights again on the Himalayas.” The route named Magic Line on K2 (8,611 m), the second highest peak of the world, was the next challenge. Only a Polish team had climbed it before. After a month and a half of bad weather, Kozjek and his colleagues had to give up. Kozjek wrote: “Only a miracle saved us from an avalanche in our final attempt …”

Before the frostbite had healed completely, he headed off on another expedition, this time to the Peruvian Andes. It was his first encounter with these mountains, and he immediately fell in love. In 1991 he climbed his first new route in the north face of Huascaran Sur. His experience with down climbing, gained while solo climbing in Slovene mountains, came in handy; down climbing is often the safest and most reliable way to descend, especially for solo climbers. He found out that the great Andean walls were created for rapid solo climbs. In the next decade and a half, he visited them almost every year, climbing several new routes. He also visited Andes in 1993, after marrying Nada Rotovnik, a doctor and a triathlon athlete, and currently one the leading Slovene doctors in the field of sport medicine and nutrition; it was their honeymoon. The next year there were no expeditions for Pavle Kozjek – they had a baby girl, Pavle started part-time university studies and, for the first time in many years, alpinism was slightly sidelined. continued on page 48

Otočec Golf course opens the new season with 18 greens Otočec is better known for its pearl of the Middle Ages castle architecture, the Otočec Castle. Lately, it has become famous for its offer of unforgettable experiences for sports, nature, recreation and golf fans. The golf course, which was proclaimed last October the best golf course in Slovenia for the second year in a row, can now boast with nine new greens. It is now spread out on more than 75 hectares. First nine greens, made in 2005 and 2006, were located at the Krka River – in the immediate vicinity of the famous Otočec Castle and Struga Castle. People say it is one of the most beautiful golf courses in Slovenia and Europe, located on an attractive and slightly hilly terrain surrounded by Dolenjska woods. The course was designed by a British - Slovene pair of architects, Howard Swan and Peter Škofic according to the latest standards of golf course building. It shows their great sense for the golf game as well as for the natural environment. One of the longest Slovene golf courses is interesting for professional as well as recreational golfers with all levels of knowledge. Each green has 5 sets of tees. Fairways are in harmony with the surroundings, with lot of mounds and basins from where a golf ball is to be played towards big but rather undemanding greens. Howard Swan assures us that the Otočec Golf course will offer one of the most exciting sports experiences in Slovenia and Central Europe.

The best golf 2007 and 2008

Technical details of the course: Number of holes: 18 Area: 75 ha Par: 72 Total length (back/white/pro): 6.189 m The longest hole: 568 m The shortest hole: 138 m Bunkers: 49 Water hazards: 3

ices was rewarded with the prestigious title in 2007 and 2008. The Commercial Association of Golf courses Slovenia proclaimed the Otočec Golf course as The best golf course. The acknowledgement and confidence compels the eleven employees of Terme Krka’s subsidiary company Otočec Castle Golf to high-quality work in the future as well.

Additional offer The Otočec golf course also offers a driving range for pitching and putting, a driving range for long strokes and short strokes, a putting green and a chipping green. For beginners and for those who want to

improve their game they offer programmes led by professional trainers PGA. They offer equipment rental and organize various tournaments with entertainment for guests, too. A novelty in this year’s season is free golf for children up to the age of 12 accompanied by an adult and Ladies day on Tuesdays (ladies have a 50% discount when purchasing a green fee).

Relaxation Besides golf, golfers can also enjoy the delicious Castle cuisine, boating, tennis, archery, panoramic flights with a plane or a balloon and other activities at Otočec. Their well-being

and relaxation is taken care of at the nearby Vitarium Spa&Clinique Centre at Terme Šmarješke Toplice Spa or at Balnea Wellness Centre at Terme Dolenjske Toplice Spa.

EU funds Terme Krka acquired a quarter of the funds needed for the building of additional nine holes for the course with more than 50 hectares of net playing area from the European regional development fund. We intend to upgrade the Otočec Castle Golf course during the following years and thus attract even more golfers from Slovenia and abroad to Otočec and Dolenjska region.

Taking care of the quality of the playing areas and accompanying serv-

48 PEOPLE

The Andean mountains, where Pavle climbed more than dozen times.

Pavle Kozjek

“In every mountain range, in every discipline, I found something for myself. Beauty and wildness were at the top of my priorities as I searched for undisturbed, natural climbs.”

continued from page 46

This was only a break before new goals could be set. In the meantime, he tried his skills in front of film cameras as a stunt double for the leading actor in a Slovene film entitled Steber (Pillar), which depicts the first ascent of Triglav’s Čop Pillar in the 1940s. But in 1997 he was back; he couldn’t refuse the invitation to join an international Everest expedition. When they set up tents on the Tibetan side of Everest in the spring of 1997, he was in a great shape. When, on the North Ridge, his partner turned back to base camp, he continued to the top. Another great wish came true: to climb Everest without oxygen tanks, which most climbers use.

“From the top of the world, I admired the lonely panorama of the surrounding landscape,” he wrote. “This remains one of the most powerful impressions of my life as a climber. Perhaps it was the thin air, but I felt that from Everest one can see that the Earth really is round.” That same year, he finished his master’s degree and got a promotion. Then he continued his climbing in the mountains of Peruvian Andes; he studied their walls in great detail. Usually, he wouldn’t even take a backpack on his climbs; a bottle of drink and some energy bars were enough for the ascent and descent. His climbing was extremely fast and he added some demanding new routes, some of them still unrepeated. One of the routes he climbed in the wild and remote Peruvian Cordillera Huayhuash is named Los Rapidos, The Fast Ones.

A great success and tragedy After the beginning of a new millennium, he continued his

Before Pavle and his colleagues had climbed a new route on Cerro Torre (3,128 m) in Patagonia in 1986, it was known as a “problem of the third millennium.” The Slovenia Times

climbing in South America, in the Slovene, Italian and French Alps; he also visited New Zealand and Oman. But in 2006 he was back in the Himalayas. On October 2nd, he climbed a new route in the sout h-west face of Cho Oy u (8,201 m) in the Tibetan Himalayas. He climbed the route in a solo single push from the camp at the altitude of 6,200 meters directly to the summit in 14.5 hours. It was a ‘lightweight’ style of climbing; his equipment was extremely light: three thermo bottles of drink, six power gels, spare gloves, a bivouac sac and a camera. This was the first single push ascent of a new route in the Himalayan over 8,000 m peaks. For this achievement, which was the peak of his extremely successful climbing career, Kozjek was awarded with prestigious climber’s award: the Poilet D’or 2007 – public prize. It’s also worth mentioning that Kozjek was first to release photos of the murder on the Nangpa La pass near the Cho Oyu base camp. It was a murder of unarmed Tibetan refugees, attempting to leave Tibet, by the Ch i nese Border Securit y Police on September 30, 2006. The Chinese government initially denied the charges but a Romanian photog rapher and Pavle Kozjek filmed the shootings. They informed the world about the violence, although they knew that they would be unwanted in the country in the future. All the others climbers who witnessed the crime were subdued by this threat. Sadly, Pavle Kozjek’s next big goal – to set a new route to the top of seldom-climbed Mustagh Tower in Pakistan via unclimbed the 2,200-meter north face in alpine style – ended tragically. He approached the cornice and fell down the face. A rescue attempt was unsuccessful.

Interview: Maja Križmančič, Director of Hotel Operations LifeClass Hotels & Spa, Portorož

We guarantee an outstanding business event

When did you decide to work in the hotel industry, how long have you been with the LifeClass Hotels & Spa Company and what career moves did you take to become the Director of Hotel Operations LifeClass Hotels & Spa, Portorož? It was my parents who sparked my enthusiasm for a career in the catering and hotel industry. They were convinced that this line of work would provide me with plenty of challenges and various activities to satisfy my lively spirit. I first started gathering experience when I was fifteen years old, when, in addition to compulsory practical schoolwork, working for the HIT Company, I also dedicated my spare time to the very same catering activities. During that time, the team of managers and employees at the Perla Hotel of Nova Gorica provided me with brilliant mentorship; also, these were indeed the golden days of Slovenian casino tourism. After finishing my secondary education and pursuing my studies in tourism, my career ambitions led me to the Slovenian Coast to work for the company known then as Hoteli Morje d.d. During my thirteen years with the company, I perfected my knowledge in virtually all fields of the hotel business. As for the company, it has since entirely changed its business structure and approach and is now well known under the reputed LifeClass Hotels & Spa brand. Where do you find inspiration for your work? I spent a number of years working most of the time and during that time, I obtained most of my knowledge from the Internet, books and magazines. My tireless thirst for knowledge encompassed the fields of architecture, interior design, fashion, music, fine arts and, above all, gastronomy. I would dedicate countless hours to research and find creative approaches to coin one new idea after another. Due to a general lack of spare time for other hobbies, these

mental feats were my best entertainment and greatest passion. Today, I travel a lot, albeit only an hour’s drive away to eat at a good restaurant or inspect a new hotel. Attending professional fairs and meeting my kind of aficionados always provides me with positive excitement, but my holiday travels are also associated in some way with discovering the hotel and tourist services and facilities at my chosen destination. How does a young manager like you manage such a vast number of people? The entire staff of hotel operations at LifeClass Hotels & Spa numbers over 300 employees… My advantage is my varied experience, which I gathered, despite my young age, over the years at the very same company I still work for. I have collaborated with many of my colleagues for a number of years and gradually, based on positive reactions and the trust we have built for each other, we have established efficient business relationships. I find it harder to work with people who do not understand the basics of the hotel industry, but I am truly impressed with those individuals who almost gracefully master the challenges of this demanding profession. If you are able to enjoy your job in spite of unpredictable work schedules and working relationships, you are rewarded with a vast range of opportunities for professional and personal growth.

the rule that all of our clients’ wishes must be met with an affirmative answer, and we do all we can to find the solutions to cater to those desires. Our clients’ remarks present us with the opportunity to learn a lot, and we establish close relationships with our guests, who then remain loyal to us for a number of years. Our wide selection of wellness services aims to conjure up moments of general well-being for our clients, inspiring them with optimism and joy. Our specialties are sweets and deserts made of nothing but natural ingredients, and you can treat your palate to these delights at the renowned Café Central at the Grand Hotel Portorož. We are equally proud of the dishes from our hotel kitchens, which complement our wellness offer. This year, our menus have been enriched with weight loss and ayurvedic dietary programmes. Our A’la carte restaurant Mediteran prides itself with its proper herbal garden and creative Mediterranean cuisine prepared by our young chefs inspired by a special passion for their work. This summer, the guests of our fine Meduza Exclusive5* beach are yet again pampered by light snacks, well-composed salads, exquisite sandwiches and wok dishes. This season’s summer cocktails are truly original, and provide great refreshment after a massage from one of our skilled masseurs, which you can enjoy in a bungalow in the shade of the green pines.

LifeClass Hotels & Spa, Portorož are reputed for their well-designed and integral offer of all hotel services. Can everyone find either something standard or exclusive to suit their taste? Indeed they can, for at LifeClass Hotels & Spa, Portorož, in spite of the vast total number of rooms (800) at our hotels, we endeavour to make our guests feel our hospitality, attentiveness and joy for what we do. All of our employees strictly abide by

In addition to a regular annual programming schedule, do you offer alternatives aimed at special interest groups? For instance, congress tourism, business events, weddings, parties, etc.? What culinary adventures can you offer to these clients? In the field of “extraordinary business” or “protocol” events, we have created a firm reputation in the market and earned the trust of our many returning customers

from the business world. Our key advantage for event organisers is the flexibility and experienced professionalism of our staff, who have, on many an occasion, solved the predicaments of companies wishing to impress their guests. We are convinced that when it comes to organising business events, we guarantee success; in addition to our skilled staff, we can offer prime venues and locations, and we dare say that we fully understand the essence of enjoying business. In this part of Slovenia, we are also number one when it comes to organising weddings and receptions; we approach these tasks with a special attitude, bearing in mind that this is a unique occasion in the most emotional period of the lives of the people who put all their trust in us to organise their precious moments. In the process of organising and implementing the reception, a certain amount of intrusion into the intimacy of the couple and the families is inevitable; therefore, we do our best to be particularly tactful and responsive. Our discretion and flawless professionalism have been many times rewarded with tears of happiness from young couples and others from the wedding parties at the events we organise; inspired by happy and unforgettable memories, many come back to visit us each year.

50 DINE with style

Café & Restaurant Evropa

Chic bites in an elegant old world café

Prime location and a large selection of high-end cuisine make Luka Gourmet Café & Restaurant Evropa a modern lunch haven.

Prime Location Located on a busy intersection and in close proximity to numerous office buildings and ministries, the restaurant naturally attracts businessmen, lawyers, judges, bankers and other busy city people who can appreciate excellent food, as well as students who drop in for a deluxe coupon lunch. Evropa is also available for private parties, either a section or the entire premises. In addition, any special wishes in wine or food can be catered for closed groups Being a modern establishment, Evropa is active throughout the day. Around noon, the busy businessmen stop for a quick lunch or coffee, students drop in for lunch, urban people sit back and unwind, and business is made over quick lunches. But the restaurant’s does not stop at the end of lunch hour. The à la carte section keeps on working until 11.00 pm, catering to slower-paced business dinners until 5.00 pm and offering à la carte until closing time.

Café & Restaurant Evropa Slovenska cesta 47, Ljubljana centre Tel.: (reservations) +386 1 438 24 20, +386 40 846 681 info@kavarnaeuropa.si Open: Pasta Nona and Lesar à la carte: daily: 11 am-11 pm, Saturdays: 5–11 pm, Sunday closed Café: daily: 8 am onwards, Saturday, Sunday, holiday: closed

Food type: Pasta Nona: Mediterranean Bistro Evropa: modern Ambience: chic, old school and modern, spacious Price range: Four-course menu: A’la carte: EUR 30; Pasta Nona: EUR 9 Reservation: recommended for lunch and dinner Obligatory for private groups (part of or the entire premises can be reserved for a group)

uka Gourmet Café & Restaurant Evropa feels right at home in the chic old building from the Habsburg era. The elegant interior bears witness to past times when it was a Viennese coffeehouse with a sweet shop and restaurant. The locale had seen many adaptations, the most recent one by Luka Gourmet.

Top specialties Club sandwich and other snacks ***** Roastbeef with eisberg salad and caesar dressing ***** King prowns in a spicy aglio olio sauce ***** Lamb with thyme,rosemary and cuscus The Slovenia Times

The Grand Hall – A la Carte The present restaurant retained part of the previous majestic interior. The grand hall, Lesar, is adorned with huge chandeliers that give the place a distinguished air, suitable for meals or major business dinners. It offers a la carte dishes of all conceivable specialties. A four-course meal ranges around EUR 30.

Top choice

DIne with style 51

Restavracija Calypso & Hotel

Kidričeva 7, Nova Gorica Tel : + 386 5 336 31 35 e-mail: restavracije.perla@hit.si Sun – Thu: from noon – 3pm, 7pm -midnight Fri – Sat (also on Italian holidays): from 7pm-1am

In Issue 116

Restavracija Smrekarjev Hram Nazorjeva 2, 1000 Ljubljana Tel: + 386 1 308 19 07 E-mail: smrekarjev.hram@gh-union.si Every day from noon to 11 pm A la carte restaurant in the city centre of Ljubljana

Pri Vitezu

Grandma’s Kitchen – Pasta Nona This wood-bedecked section, called Pasta Nona, is devoted to quicker and less demanding lunching and also caters to students. It is decorated in the trademark Luka Lesar style, which brought the rustic Italian tavern into the heart of the modern city. Here visitors can browse the buffet and chose between one of the two soups of the day and 10 different main dishes every day. A lunch special costs around EUR 9.

The Café The café is open weekdays from 8:00 am and offers homemade cakes, fresh croissants, coffee and freshly-squeezed juices to start off a day or simply unwind, any time the office pressure gets too high. The establishment also boasts a cool terrace, tucked under pleasant shady trees, which shield you from the hot summer sun.

Here you can lounge away as the world is rushing by. This metropolitan terrace is a perfect place for people watching while you sip your coffee or eat lunch.

Palatal Impressions Luka Gourmet, where salads, entrées and main dishes take on the appearance of sculpture, will satisfy your stomach and your eyes. The à la carte section offers modern bistro food whereas Pasta Nona draws inspiration from Mediterranean cuisine. You will have to wash down your delicious food with something appropriate. For that, you can choose from their substantial list of imported and domestic wines from best vineyards. With Cafe Evropa, a true European metropolitan restaurant moved right into the heart of Ljubljana. Its modern fresh cuisine brings great food, every day of the week. Being busy no longer means eating bad food.

Featured wine

Miro Vino Jeruzalem Fuga Mundi

This sweet predicate wine is a blend of Šipon, Laški Rizling, Renski Rizling, White Pinot and Muscat Otonel. Fuga Mundi has matured in oak barrels for 14 months what contributes to its unique taste, where you can sense wood, honey, wax... It is sweet (85g/l sugar), full and soft, and has a distinctive golden colour with amber hue.

Miro Vino Jastrebci 36, SLO - 2276 Kog Tel./Fax.: +386 (0)2 719 76 30 Mobile: +386 (0)41 474 935 E-mail: miro.munda@email.si

Breg 20, Ljubljana Tel : +386 1 426-60-58 E-mail : privitezu@siol.net Mon-Sat noon-11pm (closed on holidays)

Grad Otočec Restaurant Grajska cesta 2, Otočec Tel.: + 386 7 38 48 900 E-mail : booking.grad-otocec@terme-krka.si www.terme-krka.si Every day until 11pm

Bled Castle Restaurant Special experiences for special occasions. Cesta svobode 11, Bled, Tel : +386 4 579 44 24 Every day from 8am - 8 pm (November-April till 6pm) E-mail: blejski.grad@zkbled.si, events@vgs-bled.si www.hotelastoria-bled.com, www.zavod-za-kulturo-bled.si

Restavracija Vila Bled Delights of the French, Mediterranean and Slovenian cuisines. Cesta svobode 26, Bled Tel: +386 4 575 37 10 E-mail: info@vila-bled.si, www.vila-bled.si Every day: 12pm-10pm

In Issue 117

Dvorec Zemono Tradition with innovation and creativity. Gostilna pri Lojzetu Dvorec Zemono, 5271 Vipava Tel : +386 5 368 70 07 E-mail : zemono@zemono.si

Top Eat & Party Ljubljana centre, Tomšičeva 2 Pantone Process Black cmyk 0/0/0/100 Tel (reservations): +386 40 177 775 rgb 0/0/0 info@klubtop.si; www.klubtop.si In Issue 118 Wed-Sat: 8:30 am - 5 am Delights of the French, Mediterranean and Slovenian cuisines.

Pantone 186 C cmyk 15/100/100/10 rgb 191/31/36

Atrium Restaurant Pot za brdom 55, Hotel MONS (main entrance), zahodna obvoznica, izvoz Brdo. Tel : +386 1 470 27 00 E-mail: info@hotel.mons.si Every day: 12 am – 10 pm

Cafe & Restaurant Evropa Slovenska cesta 47, Ljubljana centre Tel : +386 1 438 24 20, +386 40 846 681 In Issue 119 E-mail: info@kavarnaeuropa.si Pasta Nona and Lesar a la carte: daily: 11 am-11 pm, Saturdays: 5–11 pm, Sunday closed; Café: daily: 8 am onwards, Saturday, Sunday, holiday: closed

August 2009

52 CULTURE

Perpetuum Jazzile

A headliner in the world of music If you haven’t heard of Perpetuum Jazzile, then you are obviously not one of their 3,000,000 enthusiastic followers on YouTube. The story of this Slovene jazz choir is nothing short of remarkable. by Tanja Goršič

The Repertoire In the choice of their music, the choir covers a large range, drawing their inspiration from Brazilian bossa nova, swing, funky, jazz and pop to offer as diverse a repertoire as possible. Most of their material is performed a cappella, with the occasional accompaniment of a jazz trio. They also have their own vocal percussionist, a human beat-box, the talented Sašo Vrbič who can interpret a fantastic array of drums and electronic beats. He is an indispensable musician, as most of their material has a strong stress on rhythm. The choir is famous for their often unique and inventive interpretations. The process from choosing a song, to arranging, and then performing is a long and arduous one. The choir committee decides on the songs to be added to the repertoire, and the artistic

The Slovenia Times

Photo: Mediaspeed

lovenia’s only jazz choir has a long history. It was officially founded in 1983, meaning they have over a quarter of a century of continuous creative work. The crew is revitalised yearly via auditions, if the need occurs in one of the eight positions, Boštjan Usenik, the choir manager explained. The prospective singers must, of course, meet certain criteria. In general the choir is a more or less a fixed group, although “...some people have been singing here for as long as 15 years,” says Usenik. director, Tomaž Kozlevčar, makes the song arrangements to suit the vocal ensemble. On average, they perform seven to eight new songs per season. What strikes listeners first is the contagious enthusiasm with which the choir’s performs their catchy arrangements. They add a fresh twist to many well-known songs and also take what we expect of a jazz choir to a new level. To illustrate: in a performance of a Brazilian song Mas Que Nada, the entire choir pulls out whistles and goes into a Brazilian whistling frenzy before plunging into lively singing. An even more stunning arrangement is the choir’s latest huge success, “Africa,” where the song starts off really quietly, with the choir gently rubbing their fingers together, then starting to flick

them gently, escalating into clapping on their thighs, and then into ‘playing’ a fully fledged storm with carefully orchestrated jumps at appropriate moments, representing thunder.

The African Adventure “Africa” originally performed by the band Toto is the choir’s greatest success to date. The number of views of this performance on YouTube kept rising and soon reached one million views. Seven weeks after it was put online, it amassed a remarkable three million clicks. Usenik explains that the song was chosen by the choir committee and the vocal arrangement was done by the choir’s splendid artistic director, Tomaž Kozlevčar. “He managed to re-create the atmosphere of the song using only our voices,” says Usenik. The splendid arrangement coupled with their enthusiasm and positive energy, leaves no question why this song became such a huge hit. Perpetuum Jazzile’s homepage reveals another interesting thing. Their online guestbook is filled with responses from people from all over the world, expressing their admiration, praise, and requests to visit and perform in their countries. Among their passionate fans are people from the USA, Canada, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentine, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, Japan, Italy, England and Montenegro. It is somewhat surprising to see the

scale of international response the song has triggered, but with the internet, the world is really becoming a small place. This enormous enthusiasm also reached the original composer of the song, David Paich, who contacted them via email, saying that he has never heard such an innovative rendition of the song and is hoping to meet with them and possibly cooperate in future. “This was a huge privilege,” says Usenik, still overwhelmed by it all.

Plans for Future The choir will not rest on their laurels; now is the time to move forward. In October, they will release their new album. Their new material will be presented at the traditional grand concert Vokalxtravaganzza in Cankarjev dom on three consecutive nights, 1st to 3rd November, which will also feature a guest appearance of their inspirations and one of the world’s best a cappella choirs, The Real Group from Sweden. The “Africa” success sparked off an avalanche of fan mail; Usenik says there are numerous ongoing talks concerning possible tours dates and invitations to festivals abroad, but it is still too soon to talk about specifics; however, he is confident next year they are embarking on a longer tour abroad. So, no sitting back and relaxing for this hard-working choir! They are aiming at new challenges and successes.

CULTURE 53

Open air concerts

In front of 120,000 clapping hands Throughout the 1980s, rock concerts were massive and important events in Slovenia, but there was no progress made in the 1990s. Although the beginning of the century was marked by a large number of cancelled concerts of pop celebrities, a new era seem to have begun this summer. By Kaja Cencelj

Hippodrome to solve location problems Of course, this can’t compare with the 63,000 tickets sold for the U2 concert in Zagreb this August.

The Killers gig tested the Stožice hypodrome as a mega concert venue.

Concert organizers and promoters say it is because Slovenia doesn’t have a proper venue to host such a big event. But would a bigger stadium really solve the issues, if the sponsors are generally not interested in funding? The last big music event in Slovenia, the Itak Džafest music spectacle sponsored by Mobitel and with one of the most popular rock bands in the world, The Killers, might have proved differently. The American alternative band from Las Vegas performed in front of 30,000 people at the Stožice Hippodrome in Ljubljana, a horse race

stadium, built in 1957. The Hippodrome has also been a host to a variety of events. In 1996, Pope John Paul II had Mass in front of 150,000 people, which is the biggest crowd ever gathered in Slovenia. It is also known as the place where Michael Jackson was scheduled and cancelled. However, June’s show with The Killers broke the spell of the Hippodrome and, on the 20th of August, the biggest ever concert in Slovenia is expected, when pop queen Madonna will make her stop in Ljubljana as a part of her Sticky & Sweet Tour.

Photo: Mediaspeed

he late Michael Jackson had a concert scheduled for Ljubljana in the nineties and while some other venues of that same tour sold out instantly, here only 3,000 people showed up in the pre-sale. Nobody was quite able to explain why; such lack of interest is not so common with Slovene audiences. The most frequent excuse for the infamous cancellations of many music events is to health problems or technical conditions. Many organizers also blame the media for poor promotion and the lack of sponsorship or cooperation with a brand or firm, even if advertising alongside the big stars. Still, some concerts are now selling like hot cakes. One phenomenon is the Mexican pop group RBD; tickets for their first concert in Ljubljana were sold out in only 36 hours and that was three months prior the actual event. But the best attended concert in Slovenia was in 2003, when Slovene rock group Siddharta played at the Central Stadium Bežigrad in Ljubljana. Together with the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, they put on an impressive show for 30,000 people.

For such gigs, the venue should be picture perfect and ready to meet all requirements from celebrities, which may also include a helicopter landing, a specially designed stage and backstage. With the Itak Džafest, Stožice Hippodrome proved to be a superb event location that can meet all needs. Some deficiencies will still have to be eliminated, the security plan will be consolidated and there will be more entrances and exits as they are expecting an unforgettable night, with an estimated of 62,000 concert goers.

Siam Thai Thai Massage Salon Open every day from 10:00 to 22:00

Traditional Thai Massage Reflexology Aromatherapy Warm Herbal Anti-cellulite Massage

Siam Thai Dunajska cesta 190, 1000 Ljubljana T: +386 (0)59 075 100 GSM: +386 (0)41 319 888 www.tajskemasaze.si August 2009 info@tajskemasaze.si

54 CULTURE

Music

Vlado in the USA Writer Noah Charney Joins His Friend, Vlado Kreslin, During the Slovene Rock Legend’s First US Tour. By Noah Charney, photographs by Urška Charney

fedora hat: the hag iographic icon of Vlado Kreslin, the most popular and renowned musician in Slovenia, and likely the most respected and beloved Slovene celebrity. A fedora alone on a stage would indicate to any Slovene that Kreslin is near. He holds a place of reverence, admiration, and stardom that is unparalleled within Slovenia. But how does one describe him to a foreigner? What analogies may be drawn, in an attempt to explain who Kreslin is, and what he represents to his countrymen?

weeks. The soulful ballads and joyful sounds are mingled with a quiet sadness, scraped out of a hard life of labor; and all woven through with gypsy strains, just as Springsteen pays homage to the American folk roots of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. Perhaps these analogies ring true for the music itself, but what of the performer? Dylan and Springsteen are major stars among a pantheon of American rock musicians. The United States is too large a country to have only one icon. But for most Slovenes, and for foreigners with an intimate knowledge of Slovenia, Vlado Kreslin is as much the icon of Slovene music as a fedora is the icon of Vlado Kreslin. My Slovene wife and I have been friends with the Kreslins for several years now. We had the pleasure of seeing Vlado speak and perform at Yale, at the end of his US tour, while I was teaching there this past spring. I was interested to see how he would be received by the American crowds, particularly at Yale, where some knew Kreslin by his reputation, but most would never have had the opportunity to hear his music. While he needs no introduction in Slovenia, or for that matter in the neighboring countries in which he regularly performs, how would Kreslin be received during his first US tour? The impetus for the tour was an invitation from Yale University. Kreslin would be presented with an honorary fellowship. Coupled with invitations to perform at the Slovene Embassy in Washington, D.C. and for the large Slovenian ex-patriate community in Chicago and Cleveland, Kreslin organized a tour. As we sat down to dinner before his concert at Yale, he and his wife Eva told me about the first part of their trip, through Cleveland, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.

Kreslin’s musical pedigree flows out of the The Balkan Bruce stork-nested gostilnas Springsteen of Prekmurje, played by In the past he has been called hard-working folks during a Slovene Bob Dylan. Perhaps a twi-lit hours at the end Balkan Bruce Springsteen is a bet- From the House of Blues of long work weeks. The ter analogy, for both Kreslin and to the White House Boss perform traditional folk soulful ballads and joyful The Kreslin’s concert in Cleveland, songs and lace their original musounds are mingled with sic with echoes of local regional organized by the Štajerski-Preka quiet sadness, scraped hymns. Kreslin’s musical pedi- murski Klub of America. The out of a hard life of labor; gree flows out of the stork-nested polka capital of the United States gostilnas of Prekmurje, played by (and the only place in the United and all woven through hard-working folks during twi- States where the accordion is a with gypsy strains. lit hours at the end of long work welcome instrument), Cleveland The Slovenia Times

has the second-largest population of Slovenes in the world, and there are neighborhoods filled with Slovene restaurants, where Slovene is spoken more than English. The venue, an old church filled up with over two-hundred people, all of whom knew and loved Kreslin’s music, and sang along. The flow of the concert was interrupted briefly, however, when a young woman waddled up to the stage and asked Kreslin if he would finish up soon, because she wanted to hear the polka band that was coming on after him. There was a collective groan from every other member of the audience, which did not share the lady’s sentiments. They cheered Kreslin on for several encores, before the polka band took the stage. Two gigs had been organized for Vlado by the Slovene Embassy: at a legendary café and hangout for musicians and artists, called Busboys & Poets, and at the Tulane University Alumni Club, where Kreslin generously performed a benefit concert to raise money for New Orleans hurricane victims.

The Master’s Tea Kreslin’s first event in New Haven was a Master’s Tea at Pierson College, one of the twelve residential colleges that comprise Yale University. The Master’s Tea is an unusual Yale tradition, a particular honor for those invited to speak and a treat for the few who are invited to listen. Master’s Teas are informal gatherings in the home of a college master: the professor in charge of the social and residential life of the university students who reside in the college. A maximum of around forty are permitted to attend, providing students a chance to have contact with renowned guests in an intimate, informal setting in which they can ask questions one-onone with major world figures.The Master of Pierson College, Professor Harvey Goldblatt, is well acquainted with Slovenia. He is, in fact, one of only a handful of professors in the world who studies Glagolitic (glagolica), the script invented in the 9th century by Saints Cyril and Methodius, that is the predecessor to Cyrillic. Professor Goldblatt was thrilled, as he in-

CULTURE 55 troduced Kreslin to an audience of students and faculty members. It was his special request that Kreslin might not only speak, but perform a few songs, as well. Vlado and I decided that I would interview him as part of his Master’s Tea talk and performance. The audience was familiar with Kreslin’s reputation, but did not know his music. They were particularly interested in the role of politics and music in the Balkans. Most young Americans are aware of the Balkans only with relation to former Yugoslavia and the Balkan War. Theirs is a politicized view, so they were intrigued to learn Kreslin’s thoughts on political expression through music, and to hear details of his renowned 1997 performance in the still-smoking Sarajevo, one of the first concerts after the fighting had ceased. At this concert, Kreslin played sevdalinka, Bosnian urban love songs, singing with a group of teenage refugees. It was incredibly moving for the Bosnians to have this visiting northerner sing the songs closest to their hearts, and with a young refugees, as well. Kreslin also spoke of his early career and the role of rock and punk music as a means of political expression, his early childhood memories, lying in bed above his father’s Prekmurje gostilna, listening to the thump-thump-thump of the live music played downstairs, and the imagery evoked by his songs and poems, of the River Mura, girls in white, warm palms, and gypsy guitars. The questions led Kreslin to discuss some of his songs, and here the audience was given a real treat. Kreslin read some of his songs in Slovene and English, and then performed them, accompanied by his acoustic guitar, black of course. He held the audience rapt with the dramatic whisper of his readings and, for the many students who had heard of but never heard his music, to see him perform live in such a cozy setting, in the couch-filled living room of the college Master’s house, was a rare experience. After the tea, a select few lucky students were invited to dine with the Master and the Kreslins. One of the students turned out to be an aspiring jazz pianist from Cleve-

land. Kreslin, who has the wonderful ability to instantly befriend anyone he meets, promptly invited the awestruck student to come to his concert the following night, and to play a few songs with him. The following day Vlado made a pilgrimage that he had been planning since the trip began—to Delmonico’s Hat Shop, a famous New Haven institution. In a matter of minutes, Kreslin had four brandnew hats to take home as souvenirs, which would accompany the Yale merchandise that he was given in thanks for his visit by the grateful Master.

The Classroom Concert The evening’s concert venue was not the sort that Kreslin was used to. The dazzled piano student from last night’s dinner arrived with his keyboard and set it up behind Kreslin. I could see the student’s eyes widen as Kreslin took him aside before the show, asked him what songs he knew from the popular repertoire, and wrote out some chord progressions to his own songs, so the student could play along. A large group showed up for the concert, nearly filling the auditorium. Some guests drove up from New York City, while others had learned of the concert through the Slovene Embassy. Three Slovenes were in attendance, which it turned out comprised the entire Slovene population of the state of Connecticut. We didn’t realize this until Kreslin began to perform, and a surprising number of audience members sang along. Besides my wife and I (and my mother, also a Yale professor, who is probably Kreslin’s biggest American fan), we didn’t know that there would be anyone in the audience who knew Kreslin’s music well enough to sing along. As at the Master’s Tea, Kreslin read the lyrics to some of his songs in English translation, before performing them with characteristic charisma and dynamism. He has the remarkable talent of showmanship that cannot be taught and cannot be emulated. One must be born a true rock star. Without feeling the need to strike poses, as so many wannabe musicians do, Kreslin simply is, performing with a magnetism that draws

every eye and ear in the room to him, whether he whispers with his honey-coated gravel voice, or sings out in a soul-bending wail. He also has the grace and humility to encourage the audience to sing, to interrupt his own songs to teach his audience the chorus, and to recede into the background long enough for a shy, mesmerized piano student to play a solo to Kreslin’s cover of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” After packing up, in true Balkan fashion, the Kreslins headed out with friends for a few drinks and a night on the town.

Conga-Dancing in Harlem In New York on Palm Sunday, before returning to Slovenia, the Kreslins headed up to Harlem and attended a gospel church service. It is wonderful to imagine Vlado and his wife Eva Kreslin, the only two white faces in a sea of AfricanAmericans, singing and swaying and dancing to the brassy gospel prayers. A dapper old gent in a bow tie took Vlado by the hand and led him around the church, at the head of a huge conga-line that danced and sang gospel songs at the top of their lungs. From playing to a packed church in Cleveland, to a party thrown by the Slovene Embassy, to an honorary award at Yale University, to dancing up a storm at a Harlem gospel service on Palm Sunday, Kreslin’s US tour was one to remember. But for the Americans who were introduced to Kreslin’s music, the pleasure was all theirs.

Available now in Slovene and English

Most young Americans are aware of the Balkans only with relation to former Yugoslavia and the Balkan War. Theirs is a politicized view, so they were intrigued to learn Kreslin’s thoughts on political ex-pression through music, and to hear details of his renowned 1997 performance in the stillsmoking Sarajevo, one of the first concerts after the fighting had ceased.

56 EVENTS

The Slovenia Times Recommends

Trnfest: hot in the city

August is when most people dash for the coast or other holiday destinations. Those left behind, however, won’t be bored sitting at home! by Tanja Goršič

Exhibition

Salvador Dali 10th July-15th Nov, Deva Puri, Bled An exhibition of prints by Salvador Dali (1904-1989) will be the first display of over 200 lithographs from two of Dali’s most comprehensive opuses, Biblia Sacra and Divine Comedy, in Slovenia. Divine Comedy originates in plans by the Italian government to honour the 700th birthday of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. The series consists of 100 prints – one print for each canto plus one cover print. The prints were produced as wood engravings in the years 1959 to 1963 in Paris. Biblia Sacra is an illustrated book of the Vulgate Bible. There are 105 lithographs from original gouaches. The Biblia Sacra was published in 1969 by Rizzoli of Rome. The lithographs are on handmade paper, signed in the block, and have Dali’s signature in watermark

Pop

Neisha & Symphony Orchestra 25th July at 8pm, Tito Square, Koper, EUR 15 In the hot and lazy month of August, when all other cultural establishments close their doors and hang their “Gone Fishing” signs, KUD France Prešern is working at full steam. Their trademark festival, Trnfest, has become a fixture on Ljubljana’s summer cultural agenda. It was first organized 18 years ago, and has grown to become an extremely popular end-of-summer happening in the capital –actually the only one. In the beginning, it was a small festival with events on weekends spread throughout the entire summer. Today, the month-long extravaganza offers concerts, theatrical and dance performances, and workshops – something for all generations and tastes. Everything is free of charge. Such things have, in these times, become all but extinct, which makes the whole endeavour all the more admirable. Last year they introduced Trnfest support badges for the first time, which could be bought for the humble price of EUR 2. Sadly, the response was less than zealous. Hopefully this year people will respond with more sym-

pathy, as the financial crisis has struck yet another blow on KUD’s already shaky money situation. The badge costs less than a beer in most pubs, so why not give your liver a break and support independent culture? Today, Trnfest is chiefly a social – and then a cultural event, visited by 50,000 people every year. The numbers would undoubtedly rise even more, but the limited space of KUD’s backyard just does not allow it. This says so much about the lively atmosphere of Trnfest. This year’s programme is sure to entertain with its solid selection of performances and concerts in the evenings and children activities in the afternoons. Additionally, there are other workshops, exhibitions and competitions. The evening shows will be beginning at 8 or 9 pm and ending at 10 pm to respect the sleeping needs of the neighbours. After 10 pm (and in case of rain), everything will be moving to the inside hall. According to the organisers, the programme was carefully selected so that it appeals to all generations and tastes, but nevertheless, here is a not-to-be-missed list: the Agrolites, Botanica, The Stroj, La Scana del domingo, Cana flamenco, and the opening event on Prešern Square with an African drum group. Also, do not forget about the improvisational theatre performances, which always prove to be hilarious. Additional events will include a Skate Contest and Photo challenge, so lookup the Trnfest webpage for more information and day-by day listings. So, swing by Trnovo on a summer evening and mix with the crowd, enjoy a great event for absolutely nothing – or your generous contribution, feast your eyes on the shows, performances and exhibitions. And, of course, run into everybody who’s in town at the time.

The Slovenia Times

Neisha (real name Neža Buh) is a pianist with classical background, a pop singer and has collaborated with many commercial pop and rock artists as an arranger, backup vocalist or keyboard player. Her solo career started in 2005 and her debut album became the best selling Slovenian album of 2005, even though it was released in autumn. In Koper, she will open festival Festiko accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra.

Classical

The Prague Chamber Orchestra 28th July at 8pm, Slovenian Philharmonic Hall, Ljubljana, EUR 12-19 Although the Prague Chamber Orchestra is a smaller symphonic force, its specialty lies in the fact that it performs without a conduc-

EVENTS 57 Movie

Happy-Go-Lucky 4th Aug at 9.30 pm, Ljubljana Castle (open-air), EUR 3.80

tor. The musicians are led by the concertmaster, Antonin Hradil, who faces the challenge, in addition to performing his own part, of taking responsibility for the rhythmic and interpretive cohesion of the entire ensemble. In the present performance of Shostakovich’s concertante work for pianist, trumpet virtuoso and strings, the orchestra will perform with the Italian pianist Corrado Greco and trumpeter Vicente Campos. The programme also includes works by the most celebrated Czech composers, Leoš Janaček, Antonin Dvořak and Bohuslav Martinů.

Classical

The European String Orchestra 30th July at 8pm, Slovenian Philharmonic Hall, Ljubljana, EUR 19-29 The European String Orchestra is made up of outstanding musicians from various European orchestras. This time, it will perform under the baton of conductor Riste Savić, who dedicated himself to a career in conducting as a former pianist and an extraordinarily talented violinist. The programme includes music by two composers celebrating jubilees this year: the symphony La Passione by Joseph Haydn and the Violin Concerto in D minor by Felix Mendelssohn. We will hear Milenković’s interpretation of what is probably Mendelssohn’s most weighty concerto, a work he spent some six years composing. The concert will conclude with the serene Fifth Symphony of Franz Schubert.

Movie

Slumdog Millionaire 31st July at 9.30 pm, Ljubljana Castle (open-air), EUR 3.80 A penniless, eighteen year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai is one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? But when the show breaks for the night, suddenly he is arrested on suspicion of cheating. The film from the British director Danny Boyle won eight Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture of the Year.

A quirky comedy from Mike Leigh about Poppy, a consistently cheerful primary school teacher, who doesn’t let anyone or anything get her down. A free spirit, she is open and generous – as funny and anarchic as she is focused and responsible. Actress Sally Hawkins has received a Silver Bear in Berlin for Best Actress.

has worked on every U2 tour since 1982, is again a designer for this tour and Mark Fisher serves as the architect.

Exhibition

Music World in the 60’s Caught in the Lens 14th Aug-14th Sept, Gallery S, Ljubljana Castle

Dance

Asimetrias – Andrés Marín’s Flamenco Ballet

Classical

The Concerto de’ Cavalieri Orchestra

18th Aug at 8.30pm, Križanke, Ljubljana, EUR 19-29

5th Aug at 8pm, The Atrium of the Ursuline Monastery, Ljubljana, EUR 15 Concerto de’ Cavalieri brings together musicians interested in baroque and early classical repertoire on period instruments. The spectrum of activities of Concerto de’ Cavalieri ranges from the late 17th Century Italian and European repertoire to music of the early Romantic period. Since 2005, Concerto de’ Cavalieri has been a guest ensemble at the Centro Studi e Ricerche sulla musica delle eta Barocca e Classica in Rome, where it is involved in a project to rediscover the Roman musical heritage of the 17th and 18th centuries. In case of rain, the concert will take place at 8.15pm in the Knight’s Hall in Križanke.

festivals of Slovenian popular songs which started in Bled in 1960 and 1962, respectively, and later moved to Ljubljana. In addition, some photographs from other first Yugoslav music festivals of popular songs will be presented, in particular from Opatija and Zagreb, together with some other photographs, such as persons of note from the music world. The majority of the photos at the exhibition are from the 1960s.

The National Museum of Contemporary History wishes to mark the 90th birthday of Edi Šelhaus, one of the legends of Slovene war and post-war photo journalism and a cameraman in the Trieste region between 1945 and 1947. The emphasis of the exhibition will be on the first Yugoslav jazz festivals and the first music

A unique experience of this year’s summer festival will undoubtedly be Asimetrías, by Andrés Marín’s flamenco ensemble, that was premiered at the 13th Flamenco Biennale in Seville in 2002, and which immediately enjoyed great success and standing ovations. Critics spoke of a different understanding of flamenco, which does not function as an intrusive sensation but rather as a source for Marín’s unique aesthetic concept. Asimetrías represents a space in which dance develops. It is con-

Pop rock

U2 9th -10th Aug at 8pm, Maksimir, Zagreb (Cro), EUR 80-148 U2 are among the greatest stars of global pop music and need no special introduction. The immediately sold out concert in Zagreb prompted the addition another performance on the following day, for which some tickets may still be available. The tour is named after the 360degree staging and audience configuration it uses for shows, which U2 claims is “the first time a band has toured in stadiums with such a unique and original structure”; the stage being placed closer to the centre of the stadium’s field than usual. The stage has no defined front or back and is surrounded on all sides by the audience. The stage design also includes a cylindrical video screen and will increase venues’ capacities by about 1520%. Only tiered football stadiums can be used with this scheme; flat fields and baseball stadiums are not possible. Willie Williams, who August 2009

58 EVENTS dom (Gallus Hall), Ljubljana, EUR 59-84

ceived on an asymmetrical perspective and combines tradition with the avant-garde, depicting a search for an artistic portrayal of various views of the same event. The scenes that Andrés Marín presents on stage, and which in their essence conceal the conflicting nature of the character of flamenco, are accompanied by two guitars and three vocalists, as well as by atypical instruments such as the trumpet.

Pop

Madonna – Sticky & Sweet Tour 20th Aug at 7pm, Hippodrome Stožice, Ljubljana, EUR 60-550 The pop icon comes to Ljubljana to what is expected to be the biggest pop concert ever held in Slovenia. The Sticky & Sweet Tour is the eighth concert tour to support her eleventh studio album Hard Candy. It is Madonna’s first major venture from her new recording and business deal with Live Nation, following the Hard Candy Promo Tour. The tour had many achievements in 2008, including becoming the highest grossing tour by a solo artist, breaking the previous record held by Madonna on her Confessions Tour, which grossed US 194.7 mil-

lion (also the highest grossing tour ever for a female artist). The tour is estimated to have grossed US 280 million as of December 2008. During the show, Madonna will play around 20 songs which spann a career of nearly three decades. The concert moves from a homage to 1920s art deco to the early 1980s music scene in New York, the city where, according to online biographies, Madonna moved in 1977 to pursue a career in dance with just $35 in her pocket. The public will be warmed up by Paul Oakenfold, the British trance DJ.

Classical

The London Symphony Orchestra 20th Aug at 8pm, Cankarjev

With the symphony sketches La Mer, the orchestra with the conductor Valerij Gergijev will outline an impression of an afternoon at the sea – the play of waves and the lively exchange between the wind and the sea – just as they were symbolically painted in music by Claude Debussy. In the second part of the programme is one of the three symphonies that Dmitri Shostakovich wrote during the Second World War. This time of tension, hope, conflict and loss can be felt in Symphony No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 65, the so-called Stalingrad, imbuing it with a dark character.

Electronic

Party with a cause 29th Aug at 5pm, Tivoli, Ljubljana, SMS donation

Theatre & dance

Young Lions 21st-29th August, Old Power Plant and other venues, Ljubljana Each year, Young Lions, an international theatre and dance festival, brings together performing groups and solo artists whose work is characterised by original approaches to theatre and dance. The festival is part of the Junge Hunde international network, whose mission is to bring together young artists from across Europe, to present their work to international audiences, and review and refresh innovative practices in European theatre.

Opera

Bolshoi Theatre – Eugene Onegin 24th-27th Aug at 8pm, Cankarjev dom (Gallus Gall), Ljubljana, EUR 59-84 The world-renowned State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia will conclude the musical summer of the Ljubljana Festival. Their new staging of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin by Russian director Dmitrij Černjakov, a staging that for stalwarts of tradition has proved to be somewhat controversial, has impressed internationally recognised connoisseurs of opera. Russian critics awarded Černjakov the prestigious theatre prize, The Golden Mask, for the performance, and the legendary director of the Paris opera, Gerard Mortier, has labelled the new staging of Eugene Onegin as the best arrangement of a classical opera work in recent years. Černjakov’s staging was recorded on film and more than a hundred million opera lovers were able to watch the new performance on numerous television channels throughout the world last Christmas. After its success The Slovenia Times

in Paris in 2008, in 2009 the performance was hosted by the main opera theatre in Tokyo, Japan, and by the La Scala in Milan. The State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia will conclude their 2009 world tour with Eugene Onegin at the Ljubljana Festival. The performance (with one intermission) will be sung in Russian with Slovene and English subtitles.

A popular event of electronic music with the best Slovene electronic musician DJ Umek is designed to promote SMS donations among the young. This charity was attended by a record 30,000 visitors last year, and this year the expectations are even higher. This year, as before, the funds raised will go to the Beli obroč, association for young victims of crime.

Exhibition

Auto Motor Show Ljubljana 4th-6th Sept from 9am to 8pm, Gospodarsko razstavišče, Ljubljana Auto Motor Show Ljubljana, the biggest car, motorbike, car audio and tuning event in Slovenia, attracts thousands of visitors every year. You can see presentation of new cars, motorbikes, quads, car audio products, all kind of accessories, the most beautiful tuned cars, custom motorcycles, as well as many shows and music groups entertaining the visitors.

CULTURE 59

50th Ljubljana Jazz Festival

Jazz rocks! When evanescent, jazzy rhythms from Ljubljana’s open-air stage at Križanke start tickling the ears of passersby, summer has finally arrived in the city. True to its reputation as a harbinger of hot days to come, this year’s Ljubljana Jazz Festival, celebrating its 50th anniversary, has left the audience anything but cold. The fans of pure jazz may have frowned upon laptops being used as a rhythm section, but were probably appeased when they heard the musicians jam intensely, yet effortlessly in the best tradition of rock. By Marko Vuković

tepping into Križanke, a former Knights of the Cross monastery turned summer theatre, from the bustling city centre and finding yourself enveloped by sleek columns, elegant arcades and breezy balconies has always been a bit unsettling. It takes a minute or two to soak in the atmosphere, get used to the incessant murmur of voices talking in the dimly-lit courtyard and embrace the quaint feeling that one may perhaps be out of time, but certainly not out of place. Perhaps this gentle jolt to awaken the senses is what Jože Plečnik, the most famous and influential of Slovenia’s architects, wanted to achieve when, in the 1950s, he reworked Križanke as a venue for cultural events. The architecture’s undeniable unity of force and form that is mirrored in excellent acoustics of the theatre is but a vessel through which musicians reach out to their audiences. At the 50th Ljubljana Jazz Festival, their job may have been made easier by the sheer enthusiasm of the public, but no less challenging.

At the vanguard Bugge Wesseltoft, a Norwegian pianist, is no stranger to challenges. In the mid-1990s he started his New Conception of Jazz project, through which in a series of critically acclaimed, if not exactly groundbreaking records, he set out to spice conventional jazz improvisations with electronic beats, quirky synthesizer sound bites and modulated vocals. Lately, he has been working and touring with Laurent Garnier, a legendary French electronic music producer, further exploring rhythmic textures and the place of piano in genres as diverse as techno and drum&bass. Those who expected Mr Wesseltoft’s performance to be along the lines of his long-time collaborator Nils Petter Molvaer, a trumpet player who, together with his band and a DJ, performed at the festival five years ago, were likely to be disappointed. Mr Wessel-

toft, sitting alone at the piano with only a laptop and a synthesizer to keep him company, took the audience on an intimate, introspective journey into the waters of playful, accessible piano improvisations, expertly layered upon flowing bass lines and percussion, which he had sampled live beforehand. Seeing Mr Wesseltoft reach behind the keyboard of a grand Steinway to play a bass line on its strings, sample it immediately through the computer and then add on percussion by sampling a tambourine, one could not help but recall the US avant garde composer John Cage’s experiments with the prepared piano. But this is as far as similarities go; smooth, yet unexpected transitions from frivolous piano solos to blaring, thumping techno can only be the domain of one of the fathers of the nu jazz movement himself.

Back to the roots Luckily for more tradition-minded listeners, Richard Galliano, a French accordionist, did not need to conjure up his rhythm section from software. Together with Richard Bona, a master bass player of Cameroonian descent, and the

rest of his quartet, he delivered a performance that touched not only on traditional romances, but also delved deep into fast-paced improvisation. Galliano’s imposing and energizing stage presence evoking images of troubadours from the Middle Ages and his virtuoso control of the instrument was well-received by the audience, dispensing perhaps with a stereotype or two that the accordion is only good for polka or maybe tango.

Zorn again Mix these two with a bit of exotica and Jewish klezmer, add a pinch of hardcore and you got yourself a John Zorn band, cynics would remark acidly. Certainly, composer and saxophonist John Zorn has never conformed to the conventional image of a jazz musician. In the mid-1980s, he burst onto the scene with Naked City, a band of fellow New York musicians, playing everything from trash metal and noise to film scores and sleazy jazz. It is no wonder then that Mr Zorn gets along better with singer Mike Patton of the Faith No More fame than with the jazz maestro Wynton Marsalis.

In 2004, when he visited the Ljubljana festival with his Electric Masada group, the audience had a chance to hear how jazz-rock fusion should sound like: raw, uncompromising, with more than enough space for solo improvisations. This year, Mr Zorn chose a more approachable format for his music. Conducting The Dreamers, his new band featuring, among others, Marc Ribot on the guitar, he did not let the musicians improvise their way through the compositions with careless abandon, but kept their energies confined into flexible, but nevertheless meticulously orchestrated series of his trademark jump-cuts between various musical genres. Interspersing what sounded like a rock jam session with catchy tunes from suburban patios and Ribot’s slick blues solos, Mr Zorn set the audience alight, creating a veritable rock concert atmosphere (complete with the stickysweet smell of hashish in the background of the auditorium). A standing ovation from the 1,500strong audience was well-earned, as were the accolades in the media for excellent organization of the festival and the exquisite selection of the musicians. August 2009

60 SPORTS

Paragliding

Reaching for the sky Paragliding might not be among the most famous sports disciplines around, but that does not mean it is any less difficult or that it demands any less attention and training in comparison to more common sports. At the same time, it is also one of the most thrilling, exciting and adrenaline-filled sports out there. By Andrej Pirnat

lovenian paragliders have been among the world elite, with regard to competition and organisation, in recent years. They have reached top places in World and European championships, World Cups and even in military competitions. Last year, they flat out humiliated all their adversaries in Slovakia and it was no different after all six World championship contests.

Always on top The best Slovenian and global team of recent years, Elan, did its work impeccably last year; the credit for this achievement goes to Roman Karun, Uroš Ban, Senad Salkič, Borut Erjavec and Domen Vodišek. Amongst all paragliding heroes, Senad Salkič had the most outstanding season last year, since (in addition to team success) he also came out on top in the individual World Championship standings, and finished fourth in the World Cup. CY CMY K Slovenian paragliders have never been lonely on the podiums of various competitions, and the men’s success of the previous seasons has been equalled by women. Maja Sajovic and Irena Avbelj have shaped the world’s top for many years now and have no intention of slowing down. Not long ago, Irena celebrated a very special occasion. She registered her 10,000th jump, which will be forever inscribed in gold letters, just like all her medals. Unfortunately, the current season started with some bad weather and the first contest in Croatia was

declared irregular. Heavy rain meant that the competitors managed to pull off only three jumps, which was not enough to count for official standings, but nonetheless these few jumps still gave an insight of what to expect this year. Once again, the Slovenian boys and girls had a great start, showing that there is another strong season ahead of them.

Basketball

Track & Field

Nachbar Chooses Europe Over NBA

Ready for Comeback

Journeyman Slovenian basketball player Boštjan Nachbar has decided to remain in Europe, signing a two-year deal with Turkey’s Efes Pilsen. ‘Boki’, who last year averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in the ULEB Cup for Dynamo Moscow also received offers from NBA clubs, but was persuaded to stay in Europe by Efes Pilsen’s ambitious plans. He also confirmed his availability for the Slovenian national team for the upcoming European Championships. The Slovenia Times

Slovenia’s track athlete Jolanda Čeplak, whose doping-related twoyear competition ban ended these days is fit and ready to return to the track. The 32-year 800m specialist was tested positive for blood booster erythropoietine in 2007. Jolanda is feeling optimistic and has allegedly already clocked a respectful time in training sessions. Her best achievements include gold at the European Outdoor Championships and the European Indoor Championships in 2002, and holds the world record for the fastest indoor time in the 800 metres, 1:55.82.

New number one They got a chance to confirm that just a few weeks later on their home g round in Lesce. Throughout the years, the weather and conditions in Lesce determined the fate of many competitors, but by far this is also the best organised contest of the season. Many teams gather under the Ka-

ravanke mountain range every year and they always have a great time. Neither rain nor blowing winds have ever forced the organisers to call it quits. The head of the organisers Drago Bunčič has much experience behind him and always knows the weather conditions, which are of the utmost important in paragliding, to perfection. The same could be said about Slovenian paragliding teams, and they proved so again this year, dominating their home turf. Although as the event unfolded, a new number one emerged. The most prominent Slovenian team Elan was beaten by......another Slovenian team: Flycom, their offspring. Everybody expected them to do great, but were quite surprised as they swung to the top.

Ljubljana Water Games

r e v i R a c i Ljubljan

Friendly rivalry Although members of Elan were happy with the amazing performance of their young guns, they can not wait to show them they are still the best and that they will not be go down so easily. “Our team still has not shown everything it is capable of and I can say, in the name of all members, that we feel we still have something more. As the season progresses, we expect to be more concentrated in our jumps, with special emphasis on team results. We just want to jump like we know we can,” said Uroš Ban of Elan, forecasting future matches and commenting on their results thus far. In contrast, the Flycom team wants to prove that this win was no fluke and wants to win more. All teams will have plenty more opportunities to display their knowledge and skills as the season is still very long and seems it will be very interesting and exciting.

August 19th 2009

Work sh

ops fo

Sla

r chil

Rock concert

lin

dren

h g fi n o o l l a b Water

Swimming

Judo

Track & Field

Dolphin’s Mind

Like Bullies in the Schoolyard

Record is Broken

Slovenian swimmer Anja Klinar won the 400 metres individual medley at the Mediterranean Games. The 21-year-old made it into the finals with the best time of the qualifiers and proved her supremacy by winning with a new record of the games (4:39.48). This is Klinar’s second medal at the games. Couple of days before, she also won bronze in 200 metres individual medley.

Kayaking

Medals Piling Up Slovenian flatwater kayaker Špela Ponomarenko won the gold medal at the Mediterranean Games in Italy’s Pescara in the women’s 500-metre event just a few days after she won the bronze medal at the European Flatwater Kayak/Canoe Championships in Germany, finishing third in 200-metre event.

Slovenian judoka Aljaž Sedej won the gold medal in the men’s competition under 81 kilograms at the Mediterranean Games, while Urška Žolnir and Lucija Polavder wrapped up an excellent day for Slovenian judo, both taking gold in their category. Raša Sraka Vukovič, Tina Trstenjak, Petra Nareks and Roki Drakšič complemented on this success, adding silver and three bronze medals respectively.

Sonja Roman set a new Slovenian record in the 1,500 competition run at the AF Golden League event in Rome, covering the distance in 4:02.13. She improved 0.31 seconds on the previous Slovenian record set by Jolanda Čeplak six years ago. Slovenia’s only representative in the Golden League finished in fourth, while the race was won by Maryam Yussuf Jamal of Bahrain.

August 2009

A scene from the opening day of Ana Desetnica street theatre festival in Ljubljana. (photo: Mediaspeed)

The Slovenia Times postgirl Katja and Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković. (photo: Iztok Kordiš)

This spring, just like every spring, old Jack Daniels invited his friends to a genuine American BBQ picnic. (photo Marko Ocepek)

Tennis divas Dianra Safina and Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik at a Porotrož exhibition match. (photo: Mediaspeed)

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

Disco Nautica in Portotož.

Soča Riversplash reggae festival in Tolmin.

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