Howfar

would you

go?

2 3

How farwouldyousearch

for your roots?

Globeflowers on the slopes of Koro{ka.

Geography

other; thus like the predecessors of today's Slovenes, who first settled this territory in the 6thcentury and a century later founded the first Slovenian state - the duchy of Karantanija, mute

How did Slovenia become Slovenia? The names Slovani, Slovini or Slovenci derive from theroot "slovo" (word) and mean people of the same word, i.e. those who understand each

She never liked the greyness of hotel mornings - shewanted to spend the day before the start of the confer-ence away from the capital city, to discover it a little bitat a time. But where should she go? Maybe to where herancestors came from. To the margins, the sea and thefringe of the Karst. She knew that the Burja blows there,an unusual wind unknown on the east coast of herAmerican homeland. The hotel receptionist hands herthe keys to a car, advising her where she had to stop onthe way to the coast; at 10, wrapped up in a warm blan-ket, she entered the fairy-tale world of underground sta-lagmites and stalactites that is Postojna Jama; at 12 shesaw before her the magical world of the Secovlje saltpansand realised that there are places that have escaped thetourist swarms; at 1:30, she allowed herself a glass ofwine in a Piran inn that reminded her of holidays inItaly; at 3, driving along the road through the pictur-esque Karst landscape, she reached the conservation vil-lage of Štanjel, continuing her route towards the vine-covered hilly landscape and winter-sports centre atBovec. At 5:30, she dropped down from the highestSlovenian mountain pass Vršic, still marked by winter,towards Kranjska Gora, sitting in the middle of the high-lands before drinking her last coffee of the day at 6:30on the terrace of a cafe by Lake Bled, with an island anda small church in the middle. As she returned toLjubljana and her hotel, she decided to return next sum-mer. But this time not alone, but with her family, proudof the beauties of the land of her forefathers.(Diana Oblak is an anatomist from Cleveland, a child of Slovene parents.)

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Frankish state, the Slavs adopted Christianity and gradually lost their independence. TheFreising manuscripts also date from this period (the 10th century); they are the oldest

Geography in numbers* 20,273 km2 is the surface area of the Republic of Slovenia * 1,370km of borders * 46,6 km of coastline * 2,008,516 population (30june 3006) * 99.1 population density per km2 *Nationalities: Slovenes 87.8%, Croats: 2.8%, Serbs 2.4%, Muslims1.4%, Hungarians 0.4%, Italians 0.4%, others 5% * 50.1% urban population.

witness to which is the stone Duke's throne on Gosposvetsko Polje (in what today is Austria),on which the Karantanci crowned their dukes. In 745, Karantanija became part of the

Slovenia as paradise on earthForeign visitors are rarely unmoved by the natural beauties of Slovenia - the landscapes, peace,attractive towns and villages and the like. But for me, more important attractions are hidden inits social characteristics: how people live alongside one another. I imagined some indicator ofthe spirit of a society - I notice whether people you meet on Golovec wish you a good morning,whether pedestrians also have rights and so on. In the towns and villages, Slovenia ranks high,something I've only rarely experienced. Slovenia compares well with other countries I've lived in.I've lived in 13 countries - rich and poor, Christian and Muslim, democratic and autocratic. Noneof them (except Australia, which is now our home) come close to the combination of attractivefeatures we found in Slovenia.Don Hindle, Australian, professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of NSW)

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8 9

The National and University Library in Ljubljana

How farwouldyou

reachfor knowledge?

Society

InternetMore than one-quarter of the population use the Internet and electronic mail, ranking Sloveniaamong the European average. Due to the increasing e-literacy of the population, a governmentprogramme has enabled the construction of 246 Public Internet Access Points, and the governmenthas also adopted an e-business programme (e-government), which should remove the last admin-istrative barriers and allow more citizen-friendly operations.

10

short period of the Principality of Celje, the last political entity based on Slovenian territory. TheReformation established the foundations of the Slovenian literary language, bringing Slovenes

preserved texts in the Slovenian language. In later centuries, the Slovenian lands became partof first the Habsburg and then the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. The mid-15th century saw the

He wanted to catch up with the timesin which he lived and move beyond aEurope that believed in the permanenceof a system in which the earth was thecentre of the universe; he wanted toreform the Slovenian Church and toteach the people the lessons of thegospels, and he wanted to reorganisethe Slovenian education system and laythe foundations for the development ofSlovenian literature. Because he was aman of a changing world, he had toflee. To Nürnberg, Rothenburg,Tübingen. Once there, he didn'trenounce thoughts of spreading hisviews; he wrote for his countrymen andhad his first book printed in Tübingen -for security under the nickname"Illyrian patriot", just as the printerMorhart hid behind the name JerneiSkuryaniz from Sedmograška. The workof the Slovenian protestant reformer,founder and first superintendent of theprotestant Church in Slovenia, includ-ing several catechisms and translationsof individual parts of the Bible, wereplaced in 1596 on the Vatican's list ofbanned books and were later largelydestroyed. Two pamphlets from 1550also escaped fire and oblivion. Trubar'sCatechism and Primer are today consid-ered the first printed Slovenian books.Primoz Trubar (1508-1586), central figure of SloveneProtestantism and founder of the Slovenian literary lan-guage. He fled to Germany in the face of persecutionfrom the Catholic Church in 1547.

Sunday morning in Ljubljana flea market...

Primo` Trubar (1508-1586)

11

Slovenian national consciousness began to strengthen, reaching a peak in the year of revolu-tions (1848) with the demand for the unification of all Slovenes in a single kingdom within the

their first printed book in Slovene in 1550 and in 1584 a Slovene translation of the Bible. Duringthe period of the Illyrian provinces (1809-13, half of Slovenia was part of the French Empire),

BehaviourWhen Slovenes enter a lift, they say hello, andwhen they leave, they say goodbye. This is afriendly custom, one that I accepted much quick-er than the Slovenian way of driving. In fact itsays a lot about Slovenes, but it would beextremely inappropriate for instance inManhattan, Hong Kong or Sao Paulo. I've beenliving in Slovenia for so long that every time Ireturn to New York, I must stop myself fromgreeting everyone who enters the lift, becausesaying hello on every floor in such an environ-ment would sound very strange (and sayinggoodbye would come across as a provocation).Michael Benson, American film-maker and publicist

The Main Square of Maribor

Left> A hammersmithRight> Tartini’s statue in Piran

Ljubljana open market

Sitting out near the Ljubljanica river

A typical fairgroundscene

Education in numbers* 447 elementary schools attended by around 170,000 pupils* 98% of elementary school pupils continue at one of 141 second-ary schools * 89 tertiary education institutions are attended byaround 90,403 students with around 15,000 students graduatingeach year * more than 20% of graduates continue with postgraduate studies *

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Countryside of northern Slovenia

How farwouldyoufollow

beauty?

Art and culture

Southern Slav parts) and the disintegration of Austro-Hungary, the Slovenian ethnic territorywas divided among four states; within the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (the

Austrian Empire (the unification of Slovenia programme). After the First World War, the failedattempts at trialism (division of the Habsburg monarchy into Austrian, Hungarian and

29 January 1944. A day like any other that winter: unpleasantly chilly. The readingroom of the new Ljubljana library is cold. It is closed to the public because of the frost.Staff members are huddled together in a single room with a lit stove. The hours passslowly in the dead silence of the large building. The clock strikes ten, eleven … suddenlya roar. The building, distinguished by its squares of red brick and stone worked in vari-ous forms shudders. The glass shatters, the doors of the reading room are blown off,thick smoke and the smell of petrol waft into the room. Fire, heat and dust. The arrivalof the fire-fighters reveals that an Italian postal plane in German service has crashedinto the reading room. The cause of the accident: a fault in the flaps. The pilot of theplane and a library worker lose their lives in the flames. 60,000 books also burn withthem. After the war, the reading room is completely renovated, and the library isrenamed the National and University Library. Critics today believe that the building isone of the most important creations of the world-renowned Slovenian architect JozePlecnik in his homeland.(Joze Plecnik (Ljubljana, 1872-1957), Slovenian architect who worked in Vienna, Prague and Ljubljana)

The interior of Ple~nik’s National and UniversityLibrary in Ljubljana

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry by the architects Sadar-Vuga

Previous page:Detail of the churchon Jo{t

1716

joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1919. Slovenes only got their own repub-lic within the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia after the end of the Second World War

1918

Kingdom of Yugoslavia), the Slovenian territory was first divided into two administrativeunits (the Ljubljana and the Maribor) before being united in the Drava banovina. Prekmurje

Like other small central-European nations, the artisticcreativity of Slovenes during thetime of national rebirth waslinked to the lack of their ownstate and political leadership.The Slovenian language, whichfor centuries preserved thenational identity, has nowbecome its greatest bastion,while other art forms made deci-sive contributions to recognitionof the nation in subsequentyears.Although Slovenes were involvedin all areas of art, the recogni-tion of Slovenian culture andcreativity in the last decade hasbeen mainly marked by achieve-ments in literature, theatre,music and architecture.

Art and culture in numbers* Around 4,400 new book titles in 2005 * 7,384,000 items in 61public, 138 specialist and 54 higher-education libraries with atotal of 19 milion loans a year * 12 professional drama theatres2 opera-ballet companies * 7 professional orchestras * more than750,000 theatre visitors per season * 136 galleries and exhibitiongrounds * 121 museums * 90 cinemas * 1,700 amateur culturalsocietes *

Traditional mask of Laufer (runner), Cerkno Carnival

Robba’s Fountain in Ljubljana

Traditional interior:a “black” kitchen

Previous page:The monument to France Pre{eren,the greatest Slovenian poet

20 21

Evening sky over the hills of Notranjska (central Slovenia)

How farwouldyoufly

among the stars?

Science andsocial science

after the first democratic elections in April 1990 and the plebiscite in December thesame year for a sovereign and independent state (88.5% of registered voters voted in

on 29 November 1945; two years later, based on the Paris peace treaty, the bulk of Primorskawas reunited with Slovenia. 1990 marks the beginning of the last period of Slovenian history;

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Life covered with a veil of secrecy and a whiff of romance, due tothe battles won and wars lost on battlefields on the Rhine, FortLouis, Mannheim and Mainz; due to enthusiasm for astronomyand ballistics, roguishness which meant that everyone who discov-ered a mistake in logarithmic tables would receive a gold coin as areward; due to a gift for negotiation that often exceeded thediplomatic abilities of generals; calm and composure during mili-tary campaigns against the Turks, the French and the Prussians,and the disappearance and mysterious death in the waves of theautumn-cold Danube. The first known Slovenian military expertwho achieved shining success in war through practical applicationof his theoretical inventions, a natural scientist and mathematicianwho gained world fame (and a hereditary baronial title) as theauthor of logarithmic tables that led to him becoming a memberof several European academies. In his theoretical writings hereached for the stars, although he couldn't touch them at thetime. Today he can, Jurij Vega is the only Slovene commemoratedtwice in the heavens - through the name of a crater on the moonand a planetoid that orbits the Sun.

The giant of LjubljanaZizek is a bundle of unlikely elements. He's arguably the brightest and most significant star in

Europe's philosophical cosmos, throwing out light by way of an infectious plundering of popu-lar culture and an interest in the tabloid domain of Viagra and virtual pets. Crucially, he is a

theorist of the whole when the perceived wisdom is that grand philosophical theory is nownether credible nor possible. ...

An American critic famously described Zizek as "the giant of Ljubljana". That charmed city,untouched by the wars of former Yugoslavia, remains his home. It is dominated by a hill toppedby a castle and looped by bridges - the central feature in a redesign by the proto-postmodernist

architect Joze Plecnik. His grandly eccentric parliament was never built on the hill, but hisincongruous monument to Napoleon is visible among the medley of styles down below. Theperspective reminds me of the bird's-eye view of the town in Hitchcock's The Birds - one of

Zizek's favourite references. The philosopher's home is just east of the centre as it reachestowards a kind of Slovenian Shoreditch of warehouses.

Guy Mannes-Abbott, The Independent

3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816406286208998628034825342117067982148086513282306647093844 Science in numbers* 1693 foundation of the Academia Operosorum Labacensium* 1938 foundation of the Slovenian Academy of Science and Arttoday 375 research organisations * 5,253 full-time researchers *

Slavoj @i`ek (photo: Denis Sarki})

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(Jurij Vega (1754-1802), author oflogarithmic tables.Having calculated Πto 140 decimalplaces, he was formany years theworld record holder.)

Slovenian euro coins.

24 25

The Church on Jo{t

How farwouldyoudropdown

theslopes?

Economy

a NATO member and on 1 May 2004 it joined the European Union. On 1 January 2007 Sloveniaalso became a member of the Eurozone.

favour), Slovenia declared independence on 25 June 1991. The Slovenian Parliament adoptedthe new Slovenian constitution at the end of the year. On 29 March 2004 Slovenia became

27

Joining the EUThere is another, much larger circle in Slovenia - its bor-der. A circle that will open like never before. Yes, inva-sions, politics and wars from outside have formed thehistory of the country, and it is a miracle that the heartof Slovenia still beats and that its soul remains largelyuntouched within its borders. But now, with the invasionof its current and future European neighbours, Sloveniais becoming part of a larger world. Many will experienceits abundant beauties and fruits. Equally, Slovenes willbecome citizens of Europe and will step out of the cir-cle to share the wealth of the outside world.Cultural DNA will be mixed, and new identities will beforged from the genetic material of history and memo-ry. Slovenia, don't take too quickly from other countries,but allow a new passion to emerge about the treasuresand possibilities of this country, and help establish highstandards for management in education and culture toallow the European lifestyle to advance. The circleshould open in this way.Steve Diskin, American, architect, visiting professor at ALU

Success stories always have an unusual beginning. Oneexample is the unique race in the last year of the war,January 1945. Competitors tested the first pairs of mas-sive wooden skis hand-made to the design of the skijumper Rudi Finzgar, which because of their side archeswere surprisingly similar to today's skis for carving.Between the wooden skis and the later sales hit therewas a whole series of improvements by local experts,including innovations on a global level. They sup-port the rapid development of the only Sloveniancompany that produces skis which, following a cri-sis in the ski market in the 1990s, today has anew marketing strategy and new designs. As themanufacturer of the most technologicallyadvanced skis and boards, the company fromBegunje in Gorenjska is linked to leadinginternational designers and produces skiswith excellent features, with fashionable andexciting designs and an optimal balancebetween skiing properties and price for allcategories of users. Elan is therefore aword that means something. It repre-sents a respected company and embod-ies the concept of success, a fact thatis confirmed by its sale of 15 millionpairs of skis all over the world.(Elan d. d. is one of the most profitable manufac-turers of winter-sports equipment in the world. Itproduces more than 400,000 pairs of skis annually,80% of which are exported).

Some macroeconomic indicators for Slovenia for 2006: GDP pro capita: EUR 14,808 * Growth in GDP: 5.2% * Inflation:2.5% * Export of goods and services: EUR 20.5 billion * Imports ofgoods and services: EUR 20.7 billion * Unemployement: 6.0% (sur-veyed unemployement level according to ILO standards) *The largest Slovenian exporters: Revoz, Gorenje, Krka, Lek, Impol,Sava Tyres, Cimos, Prevent Global, Adria Mobil

Channel and Elan: special edition skis as shown in the magazine Wallpaper* 26

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How far...

toparadise?

Trenta in the Julian Alps

Tourism

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A legend tells that - after creating the world and carefully sharing beauty among thecountries of the world, sparingly and cautiously - God had a handful of pure beautywhich he scattered across the country known today as Slovenia. Although to foreign-ers it may seem no larger than a flowerpot, it does represent Europe in miniaturewith its natural beauty and landscape diversity; here the Mediterranean temperamentmeets the Pannonian melancholy, the apparent coldness of the Alpine world meetsthe joie de vivre of the Karst, the urban bustle meets the sleepy gentleness of thehills. They say that Slovenia is a pleasant country that calms the soul and invigoratesthe body, because of its unspoilt nature, mild continental climate, the hospitality ofits people and the numerous springs of healthy water. The secret of the health-givingproperties of the waters was discovered long ago. The rich culture of thermal spas inSlovenia is shown by excavations of remains from the Roman empire and written doc-uments about thermal waters from the 12th century, and particularly the foundationand expansion of existing health centres during the period of the rebirth of centralEuropean spas; thermal and climatic spas in Bled, Laško, Dobrna and Rogaška Slatinahave - for more than a century and a half - intensively developed spa tourism, whichhas developed into one of the more important branches of Slovenia tourism. Due tothe ever-more hectic pace of modern life, today it depends on the increasingly popularwellness programmes - offered not just by fifteen spas but also by all modern hotelsand independent wellness centres - that in the heart of untouched nature combinesporting activities with an active approach to life. The wealth of untouched nature, thecombination of experience, wisdom and the features of the country with the friendli-ness of the hosts ranks Slovenia not just as a country of growing interest for guestsseeking what they really want and need in Slovenia's mosaic of health and wellness,but also as a country in great demand for organising various meetings and top-levelconferences.

The colourful landscapes of Bled...

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Photo: Golf Bled archive

Slovenia invigorates with natural beautySlovenia is roughly the same size as one of the four Japanese islands, Shikoku, but nature hereis incredibly rich and diverse. In this small area you can find everything: mountains, lakes, hills,plains and even the sea. A true paradise on earth. Particularly recently, I've travelled a lotaround Europe, I've also visited other countries around the world, and I can say with certaintythat nobody else has such wealth.Takashi Tokuhisa, Japanese, karate teacher and art lover

Local port of Piran Oil rape field with beehives

The canyon of the Tolminka River Vineyards of the [tajerska regionAlmost 58% of the country is covered by forests

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FoodOf course foreigners quickly notice the food,

about which it cannot be said that it involvessmall differences, because there's nothing

small about Slovenian food. If Slovenes haveever heard of nouvelle cuisine, they've politely

listened and stuck to their old rule that aguest must never leave hungry. If Slovenianinns have large plates, it's not because they

want to arrange the meal artistically, butbecause they want enough room for moun-

tains of meat, sauce and potatoes. There'snothing wrong with the quantity, and as for

quality - yum! I'll probably come back toSlovenia for Prekmurska gibanica if not foranything else. But also for evenings in the

ice-cream garden by the Ljubljanica orstuffed calamari and seafood platters in Piran,

or ...Christian Moe, Norwegian in Ljubljana

Special attractions:* Underground caves: In Slovenia there are around 8,100 underground caves, 25 of them have been arranged for sight-seeing; the Škocjan Caves are famous for their extraordinary beauty - since l986, they have been included amongUNESCO's World Heritage Sites, the most beautiful of them is the Postojna Cave, so far it has been visited by more than30 million admirers. * Cerknica Lake: The largest intermittent lake in Slovenia, and one of the largest in Europe, its surface can reach up to38 km2. Its mysterious disappearing and reappearing has inspired many folk tales. On the basis of the research work intothe intermittent Cerknica Lake, the polymath J. V. Valvasor (1641-1693) in 1687 became a member of the Royal Societyin London. * Fauna: The best-known representatives of the rich natural treasure of Slovenia are the Proteus anguinus or "humanfish" - the largest known inhabitant of the Karst caves - and the Lipizzaner, a native breed of horse; the stud farm inLipica - over 400 years old - is home to around 200, while there are only 2,500 in the world.* Kraški Teran: A speciality among Slovenian wines is Kraški Teran, a dark red wine from the Refošk vine that grows inthe Karst. The red Karst earth (terra rossa) - a speciality among wine-growing soils - gives it its unique aroma.

Pr{ut drying in the Karst

Famous Potica

The oldest Slovenian wine cellar in Ptuj

The [kocjan Caves

The Lipizzaner horses

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Tourism in numbers* 55 natural spas and wellness centres * 26 casinos * 5 conferencecentres and 15 places with congress facilities * 8 golf courses *hotels of all categories, 8 of them of the highest class * 19 youthhotels and Youth Hostels * more than 200 tourist farms * 50 campsites * 3 marinas with 1,900 moorings * more than 30 winter-sports centres with 1,270 ha of ski slopes * more than 7,000 kmof marked mountain paths *

Gala dinner, Grand Hotel Union, Ljubljana

Habakuk Wellness Centre, Maribor

Casino HIT, Nova Gorica

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Lipizzaners grazing near Lipica

How farwouldyoufollow

a winner?

Sport and recreation

Kayak on the wild waters of the So~a

Harmony of mind and body. The tendonssnapped into action by the pistol shot. Bodyin motion. Running. A view of someone whoseems to be running for life, for victory.Speed. The hundredth that separates thewinner from the losers. Then a moment thatstretches into eternity. And memories; offrozen fingers, because even at the start ofwinter with temperatures around zero shewanted to complete her training schedule;of the running track in her home town, andher first competition; tears of anger indefeat and tears of joy in victory; parentswho - when it seemed she could do nomore - encouraged her and trainers whobelieved in her; crowds always demandingnew victories and the little boy who wroteto tell her that he was keeping the gift sheforgot a few days before on the winner'spodium ... Then disillusion. Lasting speed.The final few metres with the shouts ofsupporters in the background. The finishline, the doorway to a new dimension.Silence reverberating around the arena. Aglance at the scoreboard. Sounds return.Unrepeatable feeling of happiness. Handsthat could embrace the world. 1:55.82.World record. And alongside it the name- Jolanda Ceplak.(Jolanda Ceplak is the world indoor record holder at 800m)

Although almost half of the population ofSlovenia do not participate in sport (a figuresomewhat higher than the European average),Slovenes are still a sporting nation; not justbecause in the past it strengthened national con-sciousness, but also because today you couldhardly find a Slovenian who could not recite theachievements of Slovenian sports people - in skiflying, downhill skiing, athletics, rowing - as wellas those in extreme sports - rafting, canyoning,skiing, snowboarding and climbing.

Ice climbing in the Karavanke Mountains

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Divja jaga downhill world cup

Nature, healthAs far as local customs go, I noticed something: older people here are still vital and young -physically and in spirit. The smiles on their faces and what they radiate supports the old say-ing that those who know how to live with nature are repaid twice over. This must be learnedfrom the people here. Cleaning the lungs in every way.Ana Ristovic Car, Serb, poet, translator and editor of the Balcanis Magazine

* Jolanda ^eplak, world indoor record holder at 800 m

* Slovenian handball team, second in the 2004 European Championship

* Davo Krni~ar was the first person in the world to ski down the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest

* Alja` Pegan and Mitja Petkov{ek, European champions in gymnastics on the beam and parallel bars.

* Luka [pik and Iztok ^op, Olympic gold medallists in coxed pairs

* Rajmond Debevec, Olympicshooting gold medallist

Sports in numbers* 1689 first written mention of skiing and ski equipment inSlovenia * 1862 first Slovenian sports union founded * 1991Slovenian Olympic Committee founded * 14 olympic medals * 287medals in world championships * 6,400 sports societies and clubswith 80,000 members

A group of trekkers on Triglav (2,864 m) Show jumping

Golf

44

Ur{lja Mountain

Howfar onFridayevening?

Leisure and free time

45

Laibach in concert (photo: Laibach archive)

Laibach in concert (photo: Laibach archive)

Friday. A day when schoolbooks sit in a corner, when study materials are left on thebenches of lecture theatres, and a day when, for 48 hours, the monotony of officesare enlivened only by the sound of air conditioning and coffee machines. Fridayevening. A time for fun and relaxed chats, the clattering of beer steins and wineglasses, a time for snacks and toasts in old town centres, sitting in the summer alongthe banks of the Ljubljanica and the pedestal of the monument to the Slovenian poetand his muse, and also a time for numerous events, concerts and all-night parties forthe most persistent. But there are some Fridays that are particularly important foryoung people. One such is every performance in the last three years by undoubtedlythe most popular Slovenian band, who excite not only teenagers, but also their par-ents. The only Slovene band ever to appear on MTV or to organise a concert with theSymphony Orchestra of Radio and Television Slovenia was founded in 1995 and therecord-holder in the number of records sold in two months. Slovenes are at leastunited in one thing - Siddharta are the best!(Siddharta, the only Slovenian band to have filled the Central Stadium in Ljubljana at their concert on 13 September 2003)

MusicThe music scene in Ljubljana is exceptional. The diversityand degree of musicality cannot be measured on theRichter scale. If I had to mention anyone in particular,I'd have to say that, for me, Magnifico is a star of thesame mould as Sly Stone, I like the funky Planet Grooveand the great people from Kuhinja. I've worked withSiddharta on six songs; we began with an English ver-sion of B-Machine. Supposedly Laibach recorded it awhile ago.Shawn Thomson, English, songwriter and teacher

Leisure in numbers* Ambasada Gavioli (Izola), K4, BOF, Fun Factory (Ljubljana) -club-bing * Metelkova Mesto (Ljubljana), Pekarna (Maribor) - concerts,entertainment and subculture events * Špas theatre, Theater 55(Ljubljana) - comedy theater * Cafe Teater (Ljubljana) - variete,cabaret * 90 cinemas *

Clubbing...

Siddharta in concert (photo: Ivan Zupi~)

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Good to know

Holidays1 and 2 January New Year8 February Pre{eren Day, Slovenian cultural holidayEaster Sunday and Monday27 April Day of Uprising Against Occupation1 and 2 May May-Day Holiday25 June Statehood Day15 August Assumption31 October Reformation Day1 November All Saints' Day25 December Christmas26 December Independence and Unity Day

BanksSince 1st January 2007, Slovenia is a member of the Eurozone,so the official currency is now euro. Visitors to Slovenia canexchange currency and travellers' cheques, open bankaccounts, send cash and conduct various types of non-cashtransactions in banks. Banks are generally open during theweek from 9-12 and 2-5, with duty banks open on Saturdaysfrom 9-12. Money can also be exchanged in exchange offices,at hotel receptions, in tourist agencies, at petrol stations and inlarger retail outlets. The daily exchange rates can be found at:www.bsi.si/podatki/tec-bs-en.asp

ShopsShops are open without a break; during the week, generallyfrom 8-7 (with some private shops also open until 9 p.m.); onSaturdays from 8-1; some are also open on Sundays and holi-days. Payments are made in tolars, but most shops also acceptcredit cards (American Express, Diners, Mastercard-Eurocard,Visa).

PostPost offices are open weekdays from 8-6, and Saturdays from8-12. In the main towns, the head post office is also open in theevenings and on Saturday afternoons. To use payphones, you'llhave to buy phone cards from post offices or newspaperkiosks; www.posta.si International access telephone number is 00.Telephone country code is 386; www.telekom.siAlmost the whole country is covered by mobile telephone sig-nals, while operators have signed contracts with majorEuropean and global operators.

Electricity220 V, 50 Hz.

WaterWater supplies are safe to drink throughout the country.

WeatherDue to the different climate zones - Mediterranean at the coast,Alpine in the Alps and the Karavanke, and Pannonian in thenorth-east of the country - you should bring clothes appropri-ate to the season. Average July temperatures are above 20°C,

with the January average 0°C, but during the summer it can getvery hot at the coast, and it can be fairly cold in the hills in win-ter. We recommend that you find out what sort of weather youcan expect before you arrive in Slovenia.

Radio programmesTraffic information: on the RDS system after the news on chan-nel 2 from Friday afternoon until Saturday evening in English,German and Italian, and every weekend in July and August.Holiday weather forecasts: July and August, channels 1 and 2at 7:15 in English, German and Italian. Special information isalso added on the weather in the hills and the northern Adriatic.News: international and local news every day on channel 1 at10:30 p.m. in English and German.

FrequenciesChannel 1: AM 326.8 (918 KHz); FM 88.5, 90.0, 91.8, 92.0,92.9, 94.1, 96.4Channel 2: FM 87.8, 92.4, 93.5, 94.1, 95.3, 96.9, 97.6, 98.9,99.9www.rtvslo.si

School holidays29 October 2007 - 2 November 2007 - autumn holidays24 December 2007 - 2 January 2008 - New Year holidays 18 - 22 February 2008 - winter holidays for Ljubljana and Maribor25 - 29 February 2008 - winter holidays (except for Ljubljanaand Maribor)28 April - 2 May 2008 - May-Day holidays

Important telephone numbersPolice 113Fire brigade 112Ambulance 112AMZS (Automobile Association of Slovenia) 1987General info 090 93 98 81

Where to find additional information about Slovenia?Government Communication OfficeGregor~i~eva 25, 1000 LjubljanaPhone: +386 1 478 26 00Fax: +386 1 251 23 12www.ukom.gov.si

Ministry of Foreign AffairsPre{ernova 25, 1000 LjubljanaPhone: +386 1 478 20 00Fax: +386 1 478 23 40www.mzz.gov.si

Office for European AffairsGregor~i~eva 25, 1000 LjubljanaPhone: +386 1 478 24 50Fax: +386 1 478 25 00www.svez.gov.si

Chamber of Commerce and Industry of SloveniaDimi~eva ulica 13, 1504 LjubljanaPhone: +386 1 589 80 00Fax: +386 1 589 81 00www.gzs.si

Statistical Office of the Republic of SloveniaVo`arski pot 12, 1000 LjubljanaPhone: +386 1 241 51 00Fax: +386 1 241 53 44www.stat.si

Slovenian Tourist BoardDunajska cesta 1561000 LjubljanaPhone: +386 1 589 18 40Fax: +386 1 589 18 41www.slovenia.info

Ljubljana Tourist BoardGregor~i~eva 7 1000 LjubljanaPhone: +386 1 426 71 11Fax: +386 1 425 33 58www.ljubljana-tourism.si

Cultural Centres in SloveniaBritish Council Center Tivoli, Tivolska cesta 301000 LjubljanaPhone: +386 1 300 20 30Fax: +386 1 300 20 44info@britishcouncil.siwww.britishcouncil.si

French Institute Charles NodierBreg 221000 LjubljanaPhone: +386 1 200 05 00Fax: +386 1 200 05 12biblio@institutfrance.siwww.institutfrance.si

Goethe InstitutTivoli Center, Tivolska cesta 30 1000 LjubljanaPhone: +386 1 300 03 10Fax: +386 1 300 03 19info@ljubljana.goethe.orgwww.goethe.de

Italian Cultural Institute Kongresni trg 131000 LjubljanaPhone: +386 1 241 56 40Fax: +386 1 241 56 43iiclubiana@esteri.itwww.italcult.slo.it.tt

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO? NOT FAR! 3rd edition

Publishers: Government Communicaton Office (Director An`e Logar, MA) and SlovenianTourist Board (Director Dimitrij Piciga)Production: Nuit d.o.o.Author of the text: Miha TrefaltThe quotations from abroad were published in the daily Delo in the series "Views ofSlovenia", in 2003Photographs: Tomo Jeseni~nik, Lorenka Stropnik, Branko Cvetkovi~, GovernmentCommunication Office of the Republic of Slovenia, Slovenian Tourist Board Archives,Getty imagesPrint: Mond Grafika d.o.o.Ljubljana, July 2007

Not far!

CIP - Katalo`ni zapis o publikacijiNarodna in univerzitetna knji`nica, Ljubljana

308(497.4)908(497.4)

TREFALT, MihaHow far would you go? / [author of the text Miha Trefalt ;

photographs Tomo Jeseni~nik ... et al.]. - 3rd ed. - Ljubljana : Government Communication Office : Slovenian Tourist Board, 2007

ISBN 978-961-6435-41-3 (Government Communication Office)1. Gl. stv. nasl.233951232

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