Visit Ljubljana
In Ljubljana culture is not merely a matter of prestige, but an entire way of life. The Slovenians are apparently the only nation that has a Culture Day as a national holiday. Art and culture have helped the Slovenians - wedged as they were between the more powerful German and Romance nations - to retain their own language and cultural identity throughout the centuries.
Through all the momentous events in the European history and critical moments in the existence of the Slovenian nation, it was specifically the artists and men of culture who often helped the nation get through the most difficult times. Always in the mainstream of events, they absorbed all that was new in the European Parnassus, tested it, adopted what resonated with the Slovenian soul and, with a highly critical attitude towards their own creativity, enriched the European cultural treasure trove with their contributions.
It is precisely in Ljubljana, the heart of Slovenia, that this creativity is expressed most intensely. Due to interesting cultural scene, typically marked by original approaches by many of the Slovenian artists, Ljubljana always was - and still is - something of a challenge to foreign artists. It is because of this that Ljubljana can satisfy even the tastes of the most demanding conoisseurs.
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Museums and galleries
Being the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana does not only have museums displaying the heritage that speaks about the history of the city alone, but is also the seat of most of Slovenia's main museums.
On view at the National Museum of Slovenia (Narodni muzej Slovenije) is a large permanent exhibition featuring the most important archaeological and other exhibits illustrating the history of the entire Slovenian territory. The Slovenian Museum of Natural History (Prirodoslovni muzej Slovenije) keeps large zoological, botanical and geological collections covering practically all Slovenia's plant and animal species and minerals, and provides extensive explanation on them.
Apart from the above two museums, which keep the most general and at the same time the most extensive collections, Ljubljana and its surroundings also boast a number of specialised national museums, such as the Architectural Museum (Arhitekturni muzej), the National Museum of Contemporary History (Muzej novejše zgodovine Slovenije), the Slovenian Ethnographic Museum (Slovenski etnografski muzej), the Technical Museum of Slovenia (Tehnični muzej Slovenije), located at Chateau Bistra near the town of Vrhnika in the immediate vicinity of Ljubljana, and many others.
Apart from the two main galleries, namely the National Gallery (Narodna galerija), which keeps works by both Slovenian and a large number of foreign artists from the Gothic period to Impressionism, and the Gallery of Modern Art (Moderna galerija), which houses a permanent collection of works by 20th century Slovenian artists and hosts temporary exhibitions of contemporary art, Ljubljana also boasts a host of other art galleries, which include a large number of sales galleries featuring exhibitions by contemporary artists from Slovenia and abroad and reflecting the richness of Ljubljana's art scene, which has left its distinctive mark also on the international art scene.
Contemporary art connoisseurs from around the world are probably most familiar with the works by the artists of the so called Ljubljana School of Graphic Art (Ljubljanska grafična šola) and the artistic group Irwin, whose avant-garde concept known as Neue Slowenische Kunst, formulated in the 1980s, has resulted in one of the most interesting and at the same time most provocative artistic oeuvres in the history of contemporary art.
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Music
Music events in Ljubljana reflect the city's two basic characteristics: a rich tradition and a vibrant youthful atmosphere. Throughout the year, Ljubljana hosts a range of larger music events and festivals of both classical music and jazz, folk, rock and a number of alternative music genres.
The most prestigious festivals featuring mainly classical music with sporadic additions of jazz and avant-garde music are the Ljubljana Summer Festival (Ljubljanski poletni festival), the Slovenian Musical Days (Slovenski glasbeni dnevi) and the Summer in Ljubljana Old Town festival (Poletje v Stari Ljubljani). Ljubljana also hosts the traditional Druga Godba festival, one of Europe's finest festivals of world music, and the much acclaimed Ljubljana Jazz Festival.
Concerts of classical music take place in Ljubljana throughout the year. The Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Radio-Television Slovenia Symphony Orchestra often share the stage with world famous conductors and soloists. Based in Ljubljana are also numerous other vocal and instrumental ensembles performing classical music by composers from home and abroad. Many Slovenian musicians, such as the contemporary classical music composer Vinko Globokar and the pianist Dubravka Tomšič Srebotnjak, to mention just a couple, have won acclaim also outside the borders of Slovenia.
Since the 1980s, Slovenia has been known also for a number of interesting and original performers of alternative music. Internationally most renowned is the group Laibach, whose music has – in collaboration with the NSK artistic movement – been upgraded with a provocative concept, image and stage performance.
Concerts of alternative music mainly take place at places such as the Klub K4 club, the KUD France Prešeren arts and cultural centre, and the Metelkova mesto alternative culture centre. Located in a former barracks complex, the latter has developed into a very special cultural phenomenon. Hosting concerts, lectures, DJ performances and other events featuring performers from around the world on a daily basis, it has become an important venue of alternative culture events.
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Theatre & opera
In this part of Europe, Ljubljana represents one of the more important centres of performing arts, in the recent years particularly those committed to contemporary performing practices and challenging approaches.
A proof of this are the successful worldwide guest appearances by the Mladinsko Theatre (Slovensko mladinsko gledališče), the Betontanc dance group, the choreographer Matjaž Farič's dance group Flota, and the Glej Theatre (Gledališče Glej), whose productions are enthusiastically received by Slovenian and non-Slovenian speaking audiences alike. New trends in contemporary theatre, dance and multimedia art from around the world have year after year been introduced to the audiences in Ljubljana at several renowned festivals, such as the Exodos, Break 21 and Ex Ponto.
The repertoires of the two Ljubljana's main theatres, the Slovenian National Theatre – the Drama (SNG Drama Ljubljana) and the Ljubljana Municipal Theatre (Mestno gledališče Ljubljansko), do not only include classics, but also works by contemporary playwrights from home and abroad, whereas the Slovenian National Theatre – the Opera and Ballet of Ljubljana (Slovensko narodno gledališče – Opera in balet Ljubljana), located in a magnificent neo-Renaissance building, offers its visitors a more proven repertoire of works from the world treasury of opera and ballet classics, in which the possible language barriers are easier to overcome.
Acclaimed worldwide have also been performances by the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre (Lutkovno gledališče Ljubljana), which – along with the Ljubljana Mini Theatre (Mini teater Ljubljana) and a number of other Ljubljana-based puppet theatres – importantly contributes to the broad spectrum of puppet shows available to children and occasionally to adults in Ljubljana. Being an important centre of the art of puppetry, Ljubljana has hosted several Unima international puppet theatre festivals.
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