PR! Issue #7 (Autumn 2011/Winter 2012)

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a perfect rendezvous

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Ljubljana Ring Road at the exit Nove Jarše (BTC), go into Šmartinska cesta and follow our signs.

HOW TO GET HERE? Leave the north-east part of the

Žale

Šmartin ska cest a

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BTC Kolosej

Letališka cesta

The Shopping CenTre, Šmartinska 152 g, Ljubljana phone 01 587 30 50, www.citypark.si

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Ljubljana E-Newsletter

Ljubljana E-newsletter, released every first Thursday of the month, informs about current events and activities in the Municipality of Ljubljana. Newsletter registration is possible online: www.ljubljana.si/en/newsletter/ Ljubljana Tourism News E-newsletter informs about interesting facts, attractions and everything else you can experience in the Capital.

Newsletter is issued randomly, when needed.

Register online: www.visitljubljana.si/en/e-news/

Top Restaurants and Small Shops

Top 24 Restaurants in Ljubljana and Top 13 Small Shops in the Centre of Ljubljana were issued by Ljubljana Tourism to present the must visit restaurants and shops in Ljubljana Old Town. The brochures were issued in Slovenian/ English and Italian/German versions and contain tips on special features of individual restaurants or shops and when and why to visit them. Eating or shopping at these locations, the winners of the Ljubljana Quality Selection awards, is an unforgettable experience. www.visitljubljana.si

I Like Ljubljana Anyone who loves Ljubljana and is interested in current events in the city and the surrounding area can join us on Facebook. To increase the visibility of Ljubljana as a tourist destination, an advertising strategy,

A Captivating View; Photo: D. Wedam

which includes conveying information about the latest events and contents, has been developed. You can learn more about the festivals and other major and minor events, new tourist attractions, museums and galleries and many other interesting subjects.

The aim of the photos is to highlight details and to present the beat of the city and its hidden spots. Questions and suggestions are constantly being answered too and we also look forward to exchange experience and information.

Our advertising strategy currently includes six countries; Italy, Austria, Germany, France, Great Britain and

Finland; with many more yet to come.

The results of the communication analysis on our Facebook page – it is conducted on a weekly basis are thrilling. They speak in favour of the strategy and confirm that we really know how to attract tourists to Ljubljana. Any kind of feedback is highly appreciated since it contributes to improving the Ljubljana tourist offer.

Follow the beat of Ljubljana on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ VisitLjubljana or on Twitter: www.twitter.com/VisitLjubljana. Živa Jalovec

New Tips for Incentives New Promotional Brochure and Photo DVD

Ljubljana Tourism recently issued an updated edition of “Tips for Incentives”, with an emphasis on Ljubljana and Central Slovenia. The publication, produced in both print and digital format, is intended as an informative and helpful destination toolkit for incentive and meeting planners. The project was partly financed by the European Regional Development Fund. »Tips for Incentives« showcases an array of individual products that can be easily combined to create authentic and dynamic incentive programmes or give an added value to business meetings. The brochure mainly includes information on the capital in Central Slovenia, while a section is also dedicated to activities in other areas, since many attractive locations in Slovenia – from the Adriatic coast to the Alps – can be reached within 1.5 hour’s drive.

Over eighty tips provide a selection of themed programmes encompassing everything

from outdoor adventures and teambuilding to ethno heritage, nature and enogastronomy. All descriptions state the seasonality and maximum number of participants. “Tips for Incentives” can be downloaded from www.visitljubljana.si/meetings.

Tatjana Radovič

The new promotional brochure presents the most distinctive and unique features of Ljubljana, its appearance, tourist attractions, cultural heritage, modern artistic creativity and some celebrities who have marked the town recently. The brochure in Slovenian and English has been issued in both print and digital format, as well as on MiniDisc. It is free of cost and available at Tourist Information Centres and online in PDF format at: www.visitljubljana.si.

Also an updated version of the Photo DVD covering 15 topics and consisting of as many as 762 photos of Ljubljana has been issued recently.

It is free of cost, in order to promote the city of Ljubljana. Range of topics includes Secession, Baroque, Conference Venues, Events, Festive December, Green Ljubljana, Winter, Ljubljana Castle, Architect Jože Plečnik, Important Buildings, Bridges and Embankments, Central Slovenia,

Images of Everyday Life in Ljubljana, Panorama and Ljubljana Dragon, the symbol of Ljubljana. High resolution photos are available upon registration at www.visitljubljana.si under Journalists and Travel Professionals tab.

Janja Romih Kulenović

A Perfect Rendezvous, Newsletter for Travel Trade Professionals Publisher: Ljubljana Tourism, Krekov trg 10, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. Phone: +386 1 306 45 83, Fax +386 1 306 45 94, e-mail: info@visitljubljana.si, www.visitljubljana.si; Editorial board: Petra Stušek, Tatjana Radovič, Barbara Vajda Production: Mediamix, Maribor; Head of advertising: Zdenka Šarlah, Mediamix. Phone: +386 2 235 05 67, e-mail: zdenka.sarlah@mediamix Printed by: Schwarz d.o.o., Avčinova 13, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Autumn 2011/Winter 2012 • Committed to caring for the environment, we print on recycled paper.

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Photo with Ljubljana Dragon

Photo: D. Wedam

At the Tourist Information Centre (TIC) near Triple Bridge, from spring until late September, visitors had an opportunity to meet the little naughty dragon, a mascot of Ljubljana, who invited them to take a look at the stall with souvenirs. If you visit TIC, you can take a photo with Ljubljana mascot and take home a unique souvenir also in the winter.

New on Ljubljana’s Menu

Photo: Teman d.o.o.

High above Ljubljana, in the Crystal Palace, a three-storey Mediterranean restaurant diVino and Twenty Café offering luxurious French pastries have opened recently. On Poljanska Street an innovative restaurant Gostilna dela, functioning the same way as Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Restaurants and employing young people from socially disadvantaged groups, has also opened its doors.

Months of Joyous Celebrations and Carnivals In December, the month of joy, autumn gives way to winter and in February, the month of pranks, winter gives way to spring. In Ljubljana numerous events take place.

Festively Adorned City; Photo: D. Wedam

Summer has gone, autumn has skipped and winter has already showed its teeth, but with a smile - the cold brings the Festive December to Ljubljana. This is the month when Ljubljana is especially beautiful. It is covered with lights, and delicious smell of gingerbread, cinnamon, roasted almonds and mulled wine fills the streets. Also this year, diverse events will take place in the streets of Ljubljana.

The Festive December 2011 will start on December 3, with a traditional switch on of Christmas

lights that decorate the city until early January. Children will be delighted to see the parades of two good old men, Saint Nicholas and Father Frost. Visitors will stroll along the Breg embankment where Christmas market stalls offering small gifts, delicious drinks, and good food will be located. Festively decorated city will become a venue for concerts, puppet shows, dancing and circus performances. The highlight of the Festive December will be the New Year’s Eve celebrations at different

venues, with a traditional fireworks display, which will light up the sky above Ljubljana and officially start the New Year.

If you do not catch the celebrations in December or sleep through January, you can make it up by having crazy fun in February.

On Carnival Saturday, February 18, the city centre will be filled with carnival masks which will chase away the winter and welcome back the spring. www.visitljubljana.si Špela Golčer

Culture in the »World’s Most Beautiful City« Ljubljana is known for its diverse cultural life, where an important role is played by the Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana (MGML). The institution combines six Ljubljana galleries, two museums and a collection and prepares a series of exciting exhibitions, projects and events all year round, which have been warmly welcomed by the locals and tourists.

In the next few months the MGML will host many events, to highlight but few: in February 2012, the City Museum of Ljubljana will put on display an exhibition, which offers an insight into sculptural museum collections (on display until the end of the year). For the first time the collection will be present in all its diversity. It consists of sculptures of the people who lived in Ljubljana within a certain time and were closely connected with the city and its development.

You will admire them in all their virtues, vices and destinies.

From January 17 to March 18 the Jakopič Gallery will host an exhibition of 55 black and white photographs, which illuminates the Neue Slowenische Kunst, considered to be one of the most prominent Slovenian artistic phenomena, as seen through the eyes of established photographer

Jože Suhadolnik.

The traditional 90th Art Directors Club Exhibition, put on display at the Vžigalica Gallery from March 20 to April 15 2012, will present the best design and advertising solutions of 2011. www.mgml.si Maja Kovač

A Snicked Preview into Coming Exhibition; City Museum Archive

The Castle Seen from Above; Photo: P. Hieng

Ljubljana Castle, a medieval fortress in the heart of the capital, which is one of the most visited tourist spots in Slovenia, offers a wide range of cultural, artistic and educational programs.

Throughout the year, various contents on cultural heritage and top contemporary art by Slovenian and foreign authors intertwine at the castle.

Some events are already traditionally included in the events program, such as old Slovenian traditions connected with the castle vine, the descendant of the oldest vine in the world: vine pruning, grape harvest, and St. Martin’s Day. Cheerful is also for the Carnival, Gregorjevo (St. Gregory’s Day, March 12) and Jurjevanje (St.

George’s Day, April 24).

Until spring, rooms in the castle serve as a venue for folk and classical music concerts, jazz evenings and exhibitions of local and foreign artists.

Lovers of history, cultural heritage and archeology can attend guided tours around the castle or visit a permanent exhibition on Slovenian history. For children and youth special programs and research and creativity workshops are organized. www.ljubljanskigrad.si Jasmina Pinoza

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Spring in the Sign of Hockey

BMX Pleasure in the Capital

Photo: A. Furlan

Legendary BMX bike lives also in Ljubljana.

Since October, the capital is richer for a new bike park, which was officially opened by almost 60 cyclists taking a lap of honour. Shortly afterwards young cyclists already fought for important points of the cup and national championship titles in the Itak Rajd Race. www.kd-rajd.si

Photo: EPA Archive

In March and April 2012 Slovenia hosts two hockey championships. First, the ladies will compete: the IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division II will take place in Jesenice and Kranjska Gora. Then, from 15 to 21 April, Ljubljana will become a venue for the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I. Next to Slovenia, also Austria, Hungary, United Kingdom, Japan and Ukraine will compete. Slovenian team announces putting up a hard fight. www.svetovno.hzs.si

Science Can Be Fun Would you like to dress up in a soap bubble, whisper at a distance,

take a look at dancing fluid and shiny dark fish in the sea, listen to your

Fun Demonstration; Photo: B. Čeak

echo, wonder why the flames of fire come in different colours or find out how high you sound? All this and much more can be experienced in the House of Experiments.

The House of Experiments is the first Slovenian interactive science centre where you can conduct interesting experiments from the fields of science and technology by yourself and learn about natural laws and phenomena in a fun way.

Experiments arouse curiosity and in a simple and pleasant way explain natural laws of everyday life and take you into the world of science.

In addition to experiments, you can also take a look at “adventures”, short plays where the main actor

is science. You are never too old for experiments, is the motto of the institution. Therefore, visitors of all ages are welcome to visit the House of Experiments and satisfy their scientific curiosity. Language used is international; the House of experiments is fun also for foreign visitors. www.h-e.si Miha Kos

Beat of Music The autumn-winter concert season in Ljubljana offers some famous names. The concert of Sir Elton John, one of the most successful musicians of all times, who has sold over 250 million records in his long career, will take place on November 11 in Stožice Hall. Among his greatest successes is the song Candle in the Wind from 1997, which

is dedicated to Princess Diana who tragically passed away.

On November 30, the giants of hard rock, founded by former Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale, will perform at Tivoli Hall. This year, the band promotes new album Forevermore and returns to Slovenia to repeat the success from five years ago, when they filled the Križanke

Beat of Kino Šiška Centre for Urban Culture; Photo: M. Kranjec

Beat of Stožice Hall; Photo: Javni zavod Sport Ljubljana

open air complex.

If you prefer softer music, then visit the concert of the worldrenowned Australian group, The Ten Tenors, who come to Ljubljana for the first time in early December.

Handsome men include pop, rock and classical opera music in their repertoire. They will perform in Tivoli Hall on December 1.

Ljubljana has many other smaller concert venues, which also host great artists. In Kino Šiška culture

centre, cult Manchester trip hop/ DnB/electronica duo Lamb will perform live and US3, the legendary London jazz /hip hop/breakbeat group, to mention but few. In Trnovo, KUD France Prešeren cultural centre will be revived with an interesting selection of autumn concerts. Also Metelkova cultural centre will not let you down with smaller concerts of well-known performers. www.visitljubljana.si Tjaša Janovljak

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Maximarket turns Forty Renovated

Photo: R. Meglič

Maximarket, the first department store with a comprehensive offer in Slovenia, was designed by famous Slovenian architect Edvard Ravnikar, Plečnik’s student. Opened in the 1970s, it has been closed in the last few months due to renovation. For its 40th anniversary, Maximarket will be refurbished and enriched.

The oldest department store holds a special place in the hearts of the customers since it satisfies also the most demanding taste. The café rents Tablet PCs with free WiFi access. www.maxi.si

Good, Different and Accessible

Photo: M. Vavpotič

In the city centre, Kruharna, a new bakery chain offering bread, pastries and sandwiches of upper class has opened its doors. Kruharna is more than just an ordinary bakery. Its speciality is returning to its roots, which means that they bake according to traditional methods, without additives, using only the best ingredients. www.kruharna.si

Ljubljana – City of Selected Wines and Great Food Although Ljubljana is not a part of the winegrowing region, the city has its own wine route.

The Ljubljana Wine Route takes you to fresh summer indulgences in June and honours

the festival of wine growers and winemakers – the Feast of St. Martin – in November. The event

St. Martin on the City Hall Steps; Photo: T. Čop

is followed by the 14th Slovenian Wine Festival and the 4th Culinary Festival, which also take place in Ljubljana.

This autumn, the Wine Festival is again accompanied by the Culinary Festival. It is intended for all who appreciate the work of winegrowers and winemakers, wine industry, those passionate about wine and for the curious. This year the visitors will not only have an opportunity to taste wine but also to purchase it, for the first time in the history of the festival. The festival will take place from 17 to 18 November 2011 at the Grand Hotel Union, where individual presentations will be held, and at the Slon Hotel, where

Wine Tasting Stalls; Photo: D. Wedam

accompanying program will take place. www.slovenskifestivalvin.si Tatjana Čop

International Ljublj“Ana” Street Performances and entertain with clown and fire performances, animations and street performances.

Since streets are open to all types of performing arts, Ana Monro Theatre decided to join forces in the spring and together with dance institutions, associations and freelance artists, who express themselves with moves, organize street dance

Street Performance; Photo: B. Okorn

It all started with the summer Ana Desetnica festival, the largest international street performance festival in Slovenia. In 14 years, the organizer, Ana Monro Theatre, has laid the foundations of the street art in Slovenia and managed to educate both; the street artists and also the audience who now want much more than just the summer offer! Thus, in cooperation

with Ljubljana Tourism, Ana Monro Theatre brings Ana Cold (Ana Mraz) to Ljubljana in the winter, which confirms that the streets are the best stage in all seasons. Also this year, 26-30 December 2011, Ana Cold with numerous international friends will settle on the Butchers’ Bridge Dazzled by Light; Photo: B. Okorn

festival, Merry Ana (Prešerna Ana), taking place on April 26 2012, on the International Dance Day. Let us not forget Ana Flames (Ana Plamenita) in the autumn – thanks to this year-round offer of street performance festivals, the streets and squares of Ljubljana will always be open and lively! www.anamonro.org Andreja Okorn

STEKLARNA ROGAŠKA d.d., Ulica talcev 1, 3250 Rogaška Slatina foto: Iztok Nikolić, IZIV Dizajn Studio Photo:

® ® Kristalni izdelki blagovne znamke Trump Home

by Rogaška klasično Trump Home crystal reflects elegant design and classic appeal.izžarevajo Inspired by Trump eleganco inaround v naše the domove prinašajo razkošje ter prefinjenost sloga properties world, this collection brings the luxury življenjskega and sophistication Trumpove družine.

Prestiž, ki home. se poda v vsak ambient in si ga lahko privoščimo. of the Trump lifestyle into the Samo v prodajalnah Steklarne Rogaška.

Rogaška Slatina • Ulica talcev 1 • 03 81 80 237 Ljubljana Center • Mestni trg 22 • 01 24 12 701 Maribor • Trg svobode 3 • 02 23 46 687 Koper • Čevljarska ulica 15 • 05 62 78 423 Kranj • Prešernova ulica 6 • 059 13 530 www.steklarna-rogaska.si

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New at the National Gallery

Photo: National Gallery Archive

2 Feb 2012 will see the opening of a new National Gallery collection. The collection will include the works of art that the gallery has acquired over the last decade. Exhibited paintings, sculptures and works on paper date from the 17th to 20th centuries.

The featured artists include some of the greatest names in Slovenian art, such as Anton Gojmir Kos, Matija Jama, Rihard Jakopič, Ivan Zajc, Lovro Janša, Ivana Kobilica, and Henrika Šantel. www.ng-slo.si

Whale Awareness

The skeleton of a female fin whale found dead in the Piran Bay is displayed at the Slovenian Museum of Natural History in an exhibition entitled Photo: PMS Museum Archive The Mysterious Death of Young Leonora. The exhibition, on view until 15 September 2012, draws attention to the mainly man-made factors causing the whales to be endangered. The skeleton is the largest exhibit acquired by the Museum over its 190-year history. www2.pms-lj.si

International Biennial of Graphic Arts

The 29th edition of the renowned Ljubljana International Biennial of Graphic Arts, held from 23 September to 20 November 2011, focuses on the art event as the most privileged medium of contemporary visual arts The art event as a medium of visual arts underwent a remarkable development in the 20th century and it still remains to be a privileged medium used by a wide array of contemporary visual artists in a variety of different forms.

The Biennial’s main exhibition presents a selection of art events relevant to themes recurring in contemporary art. Along with a vast number of accompanying artistic events and theoretical discussions, it poses several interesting questions: Why

Multimedia in the Graphics World; Photo: J. Babnik

and how has the artistic event come to be such an appropriate vehicle for so many different artistic intentions and aesthetics and such diverse content? Is the choice of this medium a response to specific impulses and voids in our ‘desacralized’ everyday existence? What are the potential dangers of such a development, given that it is increasingly occurring in the completely formalized framework of art institutions, which have, for the last few decades, not only been housing and exhibiting contemporary art, but also commissioning and producing it, their commissioning being comparable in type and scope only to that of the aristocracy and the church in the past?

The Biennial is held at Ljubljana’s International Centre of Graphic Arts, Museum of

Art Installation; Photo: J. Babnik

Modern Art, Jakopič Gallery, Cankarjev Dom Gallery, and the temporary exhibition grounds at Gosposvetska cesta road and Vošnjakova ulica street.

Works by the Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative, the Grand Prize winner at the 28th edition of the Biennial, are on view at the Metelkova mesto alternative culture centre’s Alkatraz Gallery. www.mglc-lj.si Meta Stvarnik

Niko Kralj: An Industrial Design Legend

An exhibition on Niko Kralj, the founding father of Slovenian industrial design and a towering figure among 20th century industrial designers, will be held at the Museum of Architecture and Design from 15 December 2011 to 4 March 2012.

Designed by a King...; Photo: J. Kališnik

Niko Kralj has a long career as an architect, designer and educator.

He has come up with innovative designs for countless chairs, seating sets, cupboards and other

pieces of furniture, contributing thus to the development of the quality of living in Slovenia and bringing international recognition to the country’s furniture industry.

The item that earned him a place among the world’s top industrial designers is his famous foldable Rex chair, which is included in the collection of MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York.

The Rex chair, named after its designer, whose surname, Kralj, means ‘King’ in Slovenian and translates as ‘Rex’ in Latin, first saw the light of day in 1952. In designing the chair, Kralj drew inspiration from Scandinavian minimalism and the philosophy of technical simplicity and advanced ergonomic design at an affordable price – a philosophy still followed by some of the largest manufacturers of mass-market furniture. With over two million units sold to date and numerous

international distinctions and awards, the Rex chair has entered the history books and become a cult design classic. www.mao.si Meta Stvarnik

The Legendary Rex Chair; Photo: J. Kališnik

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Plečnik House

Photo: MGML Archive

Ljubljana is the birthplace of the architect Jože Plečnik, who rose to fame in Vienna and Prague and, back in his home city, created one of the 20th century’s most prominent total works of art, the so called Plečnik’s Ljubljana. His Ljubljana house with a garden and a stone monument collection has been turned into exhibition rooms displaying the master architect’s furniture, personal objects, library, drawing equipment, and architectural models made in clay, plaster and wood. Guided tours only are available to groups of up to seven people from Monday to Saturday. www.mgml.si

Brumen Awards

Until 27 Nov 2011, Ljubljana’s National Gallery will host an exhibition of nearly 800 graphic design works as part of the 5th Biennial of Slovene Visual Communications. The best works, selected by an international jury, will receive Brumen Awards, presented by the Brumen Foundation, which bears the name of one of the founding fathers of Slovenian graphic design, Jože Brumen. www.brumen.org

Ljubljana’s New Cultural Quarter Ljubljana has a new cultural quarter, located in the picturesque medieval Križevniška ulica street, one of the oldest streets in Ljubljana.

Križevniška ulica, whose old name, Ribiška ulica, translates as Fishermen’s Street, is about a hundred-metre-long and six-metrewide street located between the Križanke summer theatre and Breg embankment, right above a Roman road which connected the Roman city of Emona to the river Ljubljanica.

The present Križevniška ulica has a rich history. Its name is derived from the Slovenian word for the Knights of the Cross, who built a monastery complex at the top of the street in the 13th century. The street has provided living, working or leisure space for numerous Slovenian

artists and luminaries, including the architect Jože Plečnik, the natural scientist and patron of the arts Žiga Zois, the playwright Anton Tomaž Linhart, the sculptor Francesco Robba, the poets France Prešeren, Srečko Kosovel, Luiza Pesjak and Matej Bor, the actor and director Ciril Debevec, the chemist and physician Fritz Pregl, and the contemporary composers Urban Koder in Aldo Kumar, to name just a few.

Today, Križevniška ulica is the site of a number of cultural institutions, including the Ljubljana Mini Theatre, the City Museum of Ljubljana, the Sculpture Association, the

Medieval Day in Križevniška Ulica Street; Photo: B. Tacol

Photon and Squot galleries, the TipoRenesansa printing workshop and the KUD C3 cultural society, as

well as several restaurants, including Shamballa, Pod skalco and Vitez.

Meta Stvarnik

National Museum’s New Department

The National Museum of Slovenia’s new department in the Metelkova ulica street displays several collections on the history of applied art in Slovenia. The collections, amassed over the last two hundred years, represent an inexhaustible source of inspiration for present generations.

Museum Exhibits; Photo: NMS Archive

A stroll through the Museum can be a rewarding experience for everyone. The Museum’s permanent exhibition brings together over 2,500 authentic objects telling a story about the way of life, creativity and skills of

the people who have lived in Slovenian inhabited areas over the last five centuries. A large number of exhibits are related to famous personalities and towns, villages and castles from across the country. Unfolding before the eyes

of a visitor is an exceptional variety of materials, techniques and styles which developed through the course of the country’s cultural history from the Gothic period through Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Classicism, the Empire and Biedermeier periods, Historicism, Art Nouveau and Art Deco to Modernism.

The collections housed on the first floor offer an opportunity to get to know the developments in the manufacturing of seating and pantry furniture, clocks, and lights from the 16th century onwards. Also housed on the first floor are collections of drinking vessels, glassware, earthenware and porcelain, devotional objects, and objects left behind by Slovenia’s first Olympian, Rudolf Cvetko. On the second floor, visitors can view study collections of antique weapons and metal objects, liturgical textiles and toys, a collection of paintings and musical instruments, and a collection of objects left behind by

the gymnast Boris Gregorka.

The Museum offers free admission and regularly scheduled guided tours every first Sunday of the month.

Guided tours in several languages can be arranged for groups at other times. www.nms.si Meta Stvarnik

Museum Exhibits; Photo: NMS Archive

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Jazzy Tunes at the Mons Hotel

Apart from being known as a design hotel and fine conference venue, it occasionally welcomes fans of the Mons Jazz Club that has just stepped into its fourth season. Till June 2012 six concerts will delight an audience favouring a more mainstream repertoire. The RTV Slovenia Big Band, which performs since 65 years, is joined by several renowned conductors and guests – all great singers and musicians. The Hotel is also pleased to offer a Jazz weekend package. www.hotel.mons.si

Bon Appétit at Smrekarjev hram

Photo: GH Union Archive

Smrekarjev hram restaurant boasts a 50-years tradition under the roof of Grand Hotel Union. Its high-end classical cuisine has been awarded the Ljubljana Quality brand. The Fall 2011 seasonal menu, which also features some “forgotten” Slovenian dishes (including bear meat!), has been recently presented. www.gh-union.si

A New Gem on the Ljubljana Skyline

The recently opened Crystal Palace (Kristalna palača) is a new business centre with conference facilities and a shopping arcade, providing an attractive space for both work and relaxed socialising.

Crystal Palace; Photo: S. Kos

With its 89 metres of height, Crystal Palace is now the tallest building in Slovenia and a city landmark that sets an array of new engineering standards. With its firstclass technological and ecological materials, its own solar power plant, modern sophisticated architecture with a shimmering glass facade and an elegant and comfortable interior design it creates a unique new type of public space in the city. The entire investment by the BTC d.d. company was worth 57.5 million Euro.

The Crystal Palace is also intended for meetings and events.

Its multi-purpose hall for up to 200 people theatre-style, dividable into two individual sections, offers daylight and state-of-the-art conference technology, including

wireless Internet, three simultaneous interpretation booths and system, large-screen monitors and event recording. On the second floor a large park-like open air platform – the Green Terrace, can function as an event space. A gourmet restaurant on the spot and the top-floor cafe provide a versatile gastronomic experience for event catering.

The design of the Crystal Palace complex aims to create an environment where people will meet for business as well as for pleasure and strives to meet the highest expectations and requirements of its users regarding architecture, environmental standards and residential comfort.

The Crystal Palace is located in

Shopping Arcade; Photo: S. Kos

the BTC shopping area, one of the largest business, shopping, recreational, entertainment and cultural centres in Europe, which attracts over 21 million visitors yearly. By mid 2012, a four star hotel with approx. 200 rooms is due to open there, adding another important element to its offer. www.kristalna-palaca.com or www.visitljubljana.si/meetings

Coming soon: the 4th Conventa Show

The fourth edition of Conventa - South East European Exhibition for Meetings, Events and Incentives is fast approaching.

Preparations are underway for launching yet another must-attend event in Ljubljana on 18-19 January 2012, offering a unique opportunity to meet, network, negotiate and conduct business under one roof.

Although numbers do not tell the full story, they portray an image. The target for Conventa 2012 is to attract 140 exhibitors from the wider SEE region and 300 accurately selected hosted buyers, mainly from European countries. In terms of business exchange, the aim is to reach 3,800 prescheduled meetings.

Educational opportunities are another important aspect: the Future Leaders Forum for students and interesting lectures intended for industry

professionals enable all to tap new knowledge. The Show’s sustainable management is also to be enhanced, and the same goes for the fam trip programmes.

Conventa 2011 saw 116 exhibitors showcasing their meetings and incentive offer from 9 countries (Albania, Austria, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia and Italy). Hotels with conference facilities had the highest share by product (46 %).

224 hosted buyers were confirmed, mainly from France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Russia and Slovenia. 65 % were agency buyers and 20 % association buyers, and 54 % of them had the final decision responsibility for

Official Reception at Conventa 2011; Photo: T. Bernik

placing business. The previous edition also featured 17 regional partners and 16 international and domestic media partners.

The main organiser is the

Slovenian Convention Bureau, and Ljubljana Tourism is proudly listed again among Conventa’s coorganisers and official partners. www.conventa.si

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BW Premier Slon Hotel Refreshed

Photo: Ž. Koritnik

The Best Western Premier Slon Hotel continues investing year after year to upgrade the property’s quality and enhance the guests’ experience. After a soft refurbishment of the rooms and a complete makeover of the conference facilities and lobby area, the existing wallpapers, carpeting and lights in the Hotel’s corridors are being replaced till mid December 2011. The selected new materials, accessories and colours are to add a touch of warmth and elegance to the interior decor.

Another important novelty that immediately received a positive feedback from guests is a new Health Club, featuring a fitness room with high-quality Technogym equipment (open 24 hours a day) and a small, yet cozy and relaxing spa area with saunas. The current investment is worth 500,000 Euro. www.hotelslon.com

Boutique + Chic + Gourmet = Cubo Hotel

The recently opened four-star Cubo Hotel, a valuable addition to Ljubljana’s accommodation portfolio, boasts a privileged location just a few steps away from the Old Town and many important city institutions. It has been developed from a 1930’s residential building following a major refurbishment and an investment worth 2.4 million Euro.

Photo: Cubo Hotel Photo Archive

The property features twenty six rooms /suites decorated in a modern, yet discreet style with a touch of sophistication, which is reflected in the choice of excellent materials and room amenities.

To name a few - the prestigious Rivolta Carmignani bed linen, found in luxury hotel chains such as Hilton, Ritz and Four Seasons,

and L’Occitane toiletries and room accessories. However, the Hotel is building its image and reputation among modern nomads not only with the trendy comfort provided, as a strong focus is given to excellent service and an attention to each individual guest. As an added value, the use of Wi-Fi Internet throughout the property is complimentary and

the mini bar is included in the room rate.

A well-equipped conference room that can welcome fifty participants to business meetings can be privatised for other functions, too. By the end of 2011, a fitness room is to complement the existing hotel amenities.

The name Cubo in Ljubljana is primarily known to gourmets, as it originally stands for one of the most favoured fine dining restaurants whose brand and creative culinary art were developed by Chef Boštjan Trstenjak. This concept has been successfully transplanted into the city centre, under the roof of the Cubo Hotel, whose restaurant offers seasonal menus influenced by contemporary Mediterranean fusion cuisine, based on selected and fresh local ingredients. Shortly after its soft opening, the restaurant delights both hotel guests and many external ones with its innovative menu and extensive wine list, not to mention the exclusive accessories - Bauscher porcelain and Riedel glasses on top.

The hotel operation, including the refurbishment and opening, was carried out in less than two years and was partly financed by the European Regional Development Fund. www.hotelcubo.com

Guest Room; Photo: D. Rallita

Ljubljana’s Congress Strategy 2020 The development policy for congress destination

Ljubljana until 2020 has seen the light of day in autumn 2011.

Commissioned by Ljubljana Tourism and executed by GO.MICE Congress Agency, it evolved through the participation of over 30 partners from all supplier categories. The document sets the basis for a propulsive role of the lucrative meeting industry, highlighting its direct economic impact and other factors contributing to a city’s positive image and development. New partnership models, ambitious action plans and strategic priorities should Archive of the Edtna Erca Congress 2011

strengthen Ljubljana’s position on the international market, with a stress on bids for association congresses.

Within the project a delegate survey assessed their satisfaction with the destination and quality of congress services. 92.5% would be likely to return for business or leisure, even more would recommend Slovenia and about half extended their stay.

The destination factor (image, hospitality, safety..) was rated 4.28 out of 5, while the congress factor (venue, hotel quality, air access, catering..) was rated 3.83. www.visitljubljana.si/meetings

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Limbarska Gora Hike

Photo: F. Urankar

Each year in March, hiking enthusiasts get together at the Limbarska gora hill in the wooded surrounding area of the town of Moravče (30km from Ljubljana) to attend a hiking event known as Up Limbarska Gora to Get a Carnation. At the top of the hill, crossed by the E6 European longdistance footpath, all women hikers receive a carnation. www.limbarskagora.com

Ljubljana Wrapped in a Big Hug

A journey around the edges of Ljubljana takes you through 25 municipalities which, together with the capital, compose the Region of Central Slovenia, while at the same time forming the capital’s green belt – as if wrapping it in a big hug.

Exciting Tour on Board the “Veseli Janez”; Photo: E. Masnec

Visitors to Central Slovenia, where the pre-alpine and alpine worlds meet the karst, have a charming opportunity to be in the midst of urban bustle and just a moment later by a quiet river, in the silence of a forest or in the middle of a glade. It is precisely because of this diversity within short distances that a regional destination marketing organisation has been established to run the destination of Ljubljana –

Central Slovenia.

A variety of interesting tours for groups and individuals have been set up in order to promote the region as a whole. Those visiting from spring to autumn can explore the region from an open-topped double-decker sightseeing bus called Veseli Janez (Happy Johnny). An additional six tours including town, country, heritage and local food have been set up to

A Gateway to Culture in Slovenia A national cultural portal called Culture.si has recently been developed to provide a full overview of the cultural landscape in Slovenia. Designed to help professionals explore possibilities for collaboration with Slovenian cultural organisations, it presents information on cultural producers, venues, festivals and support services, and encourages international cultural exchange in the fields of arts, culture and heritage. The portal contains over 2,300 searchable articles, a bank of downloadable images and logos, and an up-to-date address book. A professional editorial board and technical support team ensure that it is all verified, accurate, reliable – and ready to use. www.culture.si

make it possible for visitors to take the most out of their visit to the region – whether travelling on their own or as part of a guided tour.

The tours take you to the best of the region’s small towns, villages, castles, churches, monasteries and local Photo: B. Peterlin museums. Some of them include magnificent natural attractions, from mountains and lakes rather than by car, bus or train. to underground caves and botanic A booking enquiry form for the gardens. Guided hikes of various tours of the region is available from degrees of difficulty are available in the recently redesigned website at several different languages for those www.visitljubljana.si. wanting to explore the region on foot Tjaša Janovljak

Bogenšperk Castle in

Ljubljana Marches;

Šmartno pri Litiji; Photo: A. Fevžer

Photo: K. Dolenc

Visit.Ljubljana Portal Redesigned

Ljubljana Tourism’s web portal at www.visitljubljana.si has recently been redesigned in order to provide information about the entire Central Slovenia and make the search for desired content even easier than before. One of the major new features is the Activities section, which links you to content across the portal and offers useful external links along the way.

The Activities section, located under the Activities tab on the Visit Ljubljana homepage, is divided into six subsections, including Sights and Attractions, Nature and Active Holidays, Eating Out, Shopping, Entertainment, and Art and Culture.

Each of the subsections provides a general overview of the topic and allows you to explore further.

The subsection Eating Out, for example, is further subdivided

into the following topics: Welcome to the Countryside, Slovenian Cuisine, Slovenian Wines, and Best Restaurants in Ljubljana – Ljubljana Quality Winners. If, for example, you choose Slovenian Wines, a browsable list of wine bars and shops appears under the Points of Interest tab, a list of tours and excursions providing opportunity to taste local wines under the City Tours and Excursions tab, and a list of forthcoming wine-themed

events under the Events tab below a general overview of Slovenian wines.

If you want to create your own plan of activities for your visit to the region, you can do so if you click on the Add to MyVisit link next to the points of interest, tours and events that you find interesting, go to the portal’s easy-to-use MyVisit planning tool on top of the page, and organize the added items by date. www.visitljubljana.si

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Healthy Mountain Air at Rakitna

Rakitna is a village and holiday resort in the heart of a large wooded karst plateau at 800 metres above sea level. Due to its extremely favourable climate, created by the mixing of air masses from the Mediterranean and the Alps, it is one of the healthiest places in the low mountains of Slovenia. In winter, its lake turns into a romantic ice-skating rink and its landscape into a paradise for cross-country skiers. Rakitna’s new hotel and wellness centre, Hotel Rakitna, offers a choice of organized leisure activities and tours across Slovenia. Christmas and New Year specials are available. www.mkz-rakitna.si

Beekeeping Tradition

Photo: A. Fevžer

To learn about the rich history of beekeeping in Slovenian inhabited areas, visit the Slovenian Beekeeping Centre in the village of Lukovica, which runs guided tours in German, English, Italian and French. Apart from tasting honey and choosing from excellent bee products on sale, you can go on a bee and herb-themed nature trail. www.czs.si

Trips to More of Slovenia’s Hidden Gems

Ljubljana, with its central location, is a perfect base for exploring Slovenia. This year, the trips on offer from Ljubljana Tourism take you not only to the country’s major places of interest, such as Lake Bled, the Postojna and Škocjan Caves, the Lipica Stud Farm and the towns of Piran and Portorož, but also to several of the country’s hidden gems.

One of the interesting options is to explore the rich heritage of the small town of Idrija, a 2011 Destination of Excellence. Local attractions include one of the most important monuments of

engineering heritage in Slovenia, known as the ‘Slovenian pyramids’, an abandoned mercury mine, fabulous handmade lace, a castle, a ‘botomless’ lake, and Slovenia’s shortest river.

Lake Bled; www.slovenia.info; Sava Hotels & Resorts Archive

Hiking enthusiasts can opt for an easy ‘trip through the land of Jurij Vega’, a famous Slovenian mathematician and physicist. The trip is suitable for hikers and Sunday bikers of all generations, including families with small children and seniors. A good traditional Slovenian lunch is included.

Only 35 kilometres from Ljubljana lies the Stari vrh skiing resort, suitable for all skill levels.

Full-day, half-day and night skiing trips are available from December to March. Apart from transfer from Ljubljana and ski pass, the trip includes a one-to-two-hour beginners’ or skiing technique improvement lesson.

A ‘Slovenia in one day’ trip is

Piran; www.slovenia.info; Photo: U. Trnkoczy

available to those planning only a short visit. The trip takes you to Lake Bled, the town of Kranj, and the Postojna Caves.

All the trips can be booked through Ljubljana’s Tourist Information Centres. www.visitljubljana.si Tjaša Janovljak

A Winter Idyll with a Difference

From spring to autumn, Ljubljana and its surrounding areas offer a variety of different tours providing a unique cultural and natural heritage experience. Some of them may also be a charming choice for the cold winter months.

A visit to the Budnar Homestead (Budnarjeva domačija) living heritage museum above the small town of Kamnik takes you to back to the time when smoke in the kitchen was an everyday sight and sauerkraut with potatoes was on the table almost every day. Organized groups can choose from several combined visitor experience programmes, all of them including an authentic culinary experience.

Ice Stalagmites; Photo: M. Trobec

Apart from a tour of the museum, visitors can opt for a bread-baking session, an Advent wreath or straw toy making workshop, various seminars on Slovenian heritage, and a Slovenian slow food dinner.

The latter, available for groups of 10 to 20 people, consists of eight courses of traditional culinary delights appropriate to the season.

Each visitor receives a Budnar Homestead memorial book. www.domacija.com An experience of an entirely different kind is a visit to the Mayor’s Cave (Županova jama) near the small town of Grosuplje, which requires you to wear warm clothing and hiking footwear and be fit enough to walk down and up a thousand stairs. The entrance to the cave is through Ledenica, the first in a series of seven underground halls connected by an

Brilliant Pillar in Major’s Cave; Photo: M. Trobec

over 600-metre-long path leading past precipices, abysses, crystal clear water and dripstones of every shape and colour, including, among other things, ice stalagmites in the Ledenica hall. The cave’s

inhabitants, bats, cannot be seen in winter as they are hibernators.

Entrance to the cave is by guided tour only. www.zupanovajama.si Meta Stvarnik

The best way to explore Ljubljana • free admission to the main sights • free public transport, boat ride, funicular, tourist train • other attractive free services 24 hours: € 23.00 • 48 hours: € 30.00 • 72 hours: € 35.00 Sales outlets: Tourist Information Centres, major hotels and on www.visitljubljana.si

www.visitljubljana.si

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Ljubljana Proclaimed the Most Beautiful and Friendliest City The statement holds true; Ljubljana was awarded the first prize by the State Commission of the Slovenian Tourist Association and thus proclaimed to be the friendliest and most beautiful among the major Slovenian cities.

Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, is an important political, scientific and cultural centre.

Residents and numerous visitors consider it a people-friendly town. Although it ranks among medium-sized European cities and possesses all the characteristics of a metropolis, it maintains the friendliness of a small town.

Ljubljana is a picturesque and lively city, which is never

bored. According to the Slovenian Tourist Association Commission, “Ljubljana has in recent times experienced a renaissance by becoming a tidy capital, offering a wide range of events and attracting more and more tourists”. The Commission awarded Ljubljana the first prize in the My Country - Beautiful and Friendly project. For many years Slovenian cities and towns have

Relaxed Stroll in Downtown Ljubljana; Photo: A. Zalokar

competed in the project, in the fields of space and environment regulation and hospitality.

Ljubljana is proud to be awarded

the prize and promises to keep on caring for a pleasant atmosphere and satisfied residents and visitors. Špela Golčer

New Living Room in Town

After long-awaited reconstruction, the Kongresni trg Square is often compared with the living room of the town. The central square, planned already by Jože Plečnik, has again become a venue for social gatherings, with the neighbouring Zvezda Park, famous for decades-old plane trees.

The opening ceremony took place in June, just before the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Independence of Slovenia, when the square shone in all its beauty. There is no doubt about the pomp and circumstance when 1038 musicians perform together. At the venue between the University of Ljubljana and the Slovenian Philharmonic Hall, Mahler’s Eighth Symphony sounded excellent. With the reconstruction of the square, Ljubljana got a new public space

for cultural events, meetings, art workshops, concerts, etc. Pavilion, after reconstruction located at the Philharmonic Hall, also attracts much interest, since smaller, more intimate concerts take place there and invite passersby to stop and listen.

But this is only the beginning.

The Kongresni trg Square will also host the main stage, which was until recently located at the Prešeren Square. The first celebrations will take place already in December and on the New Year’s Eve. At that time,

the fairytale town will be located in the Zvezda Park, attracting children and young at heart.

Near the square also the socalled Slovenian House is situated.

The term, which in most Slovenian rural parts denotes a living room, is here represented by a new shop, Casa Slovenia. It is stylish and attracts visitors with a stove, an old table, cupboards, pots, imitation of open-fire kitchen, beehives and a hayrack. While you shop for the quality Slovenian souvenirs, you

Music in the Heart of the Park; Photo: D. Wedam

can taste delicious borovničevec, Slovenian blueberry liquor.

Tjaša Janovljak

Lively Beat of Green Ljubljana

In the last few years, the Municipality of Ljubljana fulfilled many wishes of its residents and visitors. Through several reconstructions and urban redevelopment projects the city gained many new, tidy pedestrian areas, green spaces, bridges and squares, which are closed for the traffic and therefore increase the quality of life.

Tranquil Moments in the Tivoli Park; Photo: D. Wedam

Living in Ljubljana has been enriched by activities that encourage socialization and provide space for social interaction: cultural and sports events, street performances, sightseeing tours, workshops, meetings, sitting in restaurants and gardens, visiting nearby shops, walking and nevertheless meeting friends. The city is especially proud of the reconstructed Kongresni trg Square, which used to serve as a parking lot. Now, there is an underground parking lot underneath the square.

Thanks to many pedestrian areas and low-speed zones, the movement of pedestrians and cyclists across

the city is less restricted and also faster and less expensive thanks to Bicike(LJ), a very popular free bicycle rental system (LJ), which had 24,300 registered users in early October. Owing to cleaner LPP bus fleet, living in Ljubljana is also more pleasant. The LPP bus fleet this year celebrates 110th anniversary of the advent of the tramcar to Ljubljana, which was later replaced by trolleybuses and buses. Today Ljubljana has a modern bus fleet, including hybrid ones, and very soon also CNG buses which are financed by the European Project for Cleaner and Better Transport, CIVITAS ELAN.

Ljubljana has become greener and therefore now candidates for the 2014 Green Capital - Award of the European Commission which commends the efforts of the cities for cleaner environment, a growing economy and higher quality of life.

Among other things, Ljubljana is also a popular tourist destination, which was confirmed also by the Tourist Association of Slovenia, which awarded Ljubljana the first prize in the My Country – Beautiful and Friendly project, in which Slovenian towns compete in fields of urban planning, environment and hospitality.

Vita Kontić