Ljubljana is a fabulous town, and set to play a much larger role on the world stage this year as Slovenia steps up and takes the (rotating) role of President of the EU. Slovenia is the first ex-communist country to do so, and one that is far larger in spirit and culture than the geographical area it occupies would suggest. Home to the infamous NSK (Neue Slowenische Kunst) art collective, which includes the band Laibach, painters group IRWIN and the Department of Pure and Applied Philosophy, Ljubljana was high on my list of places to visit when I first dreamed of Europe.

The comets of Ljubljana

The first thing I notice, driving through the Austrian Alps from Klagenfurt Airport, is Ljubljana’s incredibly beautiful setting. Nestled between mountains and even with the inevitable concrete urban growth, this compact city has a great deal of charm. I didn’t even make it to the centre of the old town until after the first week, and managed to spend an entire day under a bridge. (Klagenfurt is a small skiing town in Austria is where the cheap flights land; to reach Ljubljana from here takes less than 2 hours by car and around 3 hours by train.)

Ljubljana: Art & culture

Soak up the atmosphere and orient yourself on arrival with a walk along the three rivers, which connect in the centre of the old town. In winter there is a magnificent display of galaxies and comets throughout the winding cobbled streets, with lighting designed by one of the countries’ most famous painters. The romantic story of Francè Preseren, the National Slovene poet, is commemorated with his statue gazing out the window in Preseren Square. (Here he is eternally looking across longingly at the window of his lost love, Julia, who broke his heart by marrying a German banker. Most of his poetry centers on themes of hopeless love, romantic yearning and existential angst.)

The Slovenian sculptor Marko Pogacnik is a famous “earth healer,” a process he has named lythopuncture. This deals with the energies that flow beyond visible nature, the earth healing process and new consciousness of the earth and our planet. He plans to regenerate the city by aligning the urban vibrations with the natural flow of energy around the globe, but until then the central parliament is somewhat off centre and located on a busy intersection.

The original design by architect Joze Plecnik was to connect the churches on either side of the river with the house of parliament, and so create a power triad through the town. He designed the Triple Bridge across the Ljubljanica river (Tromostovje), the market along the riverbanks and had planned future development of the city, with his not-executed work being the design for a Slovene parliament 120 meters high. (The fourth Bridging the Gap conference takes place in Slovenia in May, hosted by the Environmental Agency of the Republic of Slovenia, with a focus on responding to environmental change.)

Slovenia: Do you feel love?

Ljubljana: See a film

When you’re ready to sink back into the comfort of a velvet chair and watch the latest art-house films, or perhaps experience a live ‘expanded’ cinema performance, make your way to KinoDvor. The classic refurbished cinema is home to an eclectic program of international and local films, and also hosts experimental film and video events, such as the Singing Bridges Live set, where I performed with Luka Dekleva, part of CoDeep collective, and Nova Viator, who run a diverse array of audio visual club nights, a spring festival and one-off performances. If you’re lucky enough to coincide with one of these events, you are sure of a great time, the scene is warm, friendly and welcoming. Keep your eyes and ears open when you’re out and about in the town, as you might also find one of Nova’s art installations scattered throughout the city.

Ljubljana: Eat, drink, dance

For some of the best simple and tasty Bosnian food, and football mad décor, stop by at Lovpol (Litijslacesta 47, 1000 Ljubljana). We had sudukice z lepinjo, beef sausages with bread and paprika sauce, green beans and kajmak (butter cheese). Delicious!

Dinner at Lovpol in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Once you head back into town, find your way to Metelkova, the ‘internationally renowned autonomous cultural zone’ created on the site of the former military barracks. This public space lay unused until September 1993, when it was occupied in order to prevent its illegal demolition by the government, and to carry out various forms of autonomous creativity. It’s now home to a complex of artist studios, galleries, bars and clubs. Metelkova is one of the few places where different types of live music ranging from Free Jazz, Noise to Dub and Techno can be heard in peaceful coexistence.

A number of artists have their studios at Metelkova, along with one of the most open and creatively varied galleries for contemporary art not only in Slovenia but regionally, too. I was taken to the secret “dark room” bar at Jalla Jalla and introduced to the Slovene Bears Blood, one of a series of contemporary drinks with a folk-story twist. Urban tribe, another young funky group who also put on parties, are responsible for some of the most intriguing alcohol marketing I have ever seen. Their range of vodka allows you to shout a phrase into the bottle, and the sound-wave of this vocal print is then embedded into the glass for your drinking pleasure. Their absinthe is apparently as genuine as you can get without wormwood.

After this, we head over to Alkatraz gallery, where the exhibition opening features a Kitsch (art group) calendar of Barbie and Ken (and their friends), playing in a variety of polyamorous configurations in local settings. The homemade schnapps almost killed me, somehow I made it back into the centre of town for a club night at K4.

The latest party organizers to make a splash in the town are Sindikat, who put on the fantastic queer party at K4 Club, with multiple dance floors, VJ’s and rooms filled with assorted hipsters, artists, dancers and freaks! The club is home to a variety of avant-garde music and visuals collectives and groups, and is also associated with the art next door in Gallery Kapelica. This is always worth a visit, as they show some fascinating work from local and international artists, you might just stumble across one of the next big sensations in the art world.

–Jodi Rose

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours & things to do in Slovenia, from Ljubljana day trips to the Postojna Caves and Predjama Castle.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 4th, 2008 at 9:31 pm and is filed under Destinations, Europe, The Art of Travel, Travel Inspiration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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