Image by jost derlink

I love everything about vinyl records. I love the sound, the fact that you have just the most special songs on vinyl contrary to thousands of MP3 on your computer, I also like it when my friends are surprised that my old gramophone is still working:).

One of the things I love is also to browse in small packed 2nd hand record shops. You go in with maybe just a thought what you want, but you always get something special. And the most exciting part is when you’re on your way home and you just can’t wait to listen to it.

VOM 2nd hand record shop is one of the spots where I can fulfill my vinyl love and also the place where I bought my first one. Listening to jazz on gramophone…what else can you want in your life! It’s also a good place for special Ljubljana souvenirs. Why would you buy some lame tourist souvenirs, when you can buy old Yugoslavian evergreens on a vinyl which is probably older than you:).

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VOM | Art & culture, Shopping
Gledališka pasaža | Center
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 19:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana

Image by jost derlink

Quick survey: when you are in Ljubljana or planning a visit, what do brochures show you? They probably show you the castle, Plečnik architecture and old town? Well, there’s a wonderful architectural style they almost never talk about. Slovenian architecture after 1945, sometimes called “socialist” architecture. But is that really the right word? Some of our most important architects were influenced by Le Corbusier. Do you ever call his architecture socialist? In reality this architecture is beautiful, without historical kitsch.

This is just one of the pearls, but you can find a lot more, walking on Slovenska Street. You can check the top of the top from 1945 till 1979 on Evidenca.

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Glavna zadružna zveza | Art & culture
Slovenska cesta 41 | Center
24 hours daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana

Image by jost derlink

I decided to write about three projects in Ljubljana focused on sustainable development and social enterprises. First one is Cultural – ecological fellowship Smetumet (trash-art). Their goal is to show a new perspective on trash and recycling, showing us that we can be a part of “reduce, reuse, recycle” principle in different ways, not just by throwing trash in separated dumpsters.

The beauty of this project is that we can play with our garbage, using creativity and our imagination. With all that we can transform rubbish into new useful and wonderful things. One of the great missions is focused on old clothes. Why do we need to throw away old stuff, just because something new is cheap? We can redesign old ones and give them our personal touch. With the similar “do it yourself” theory they are encouraging us to make our own toys, cosmetics, food, furniture etc. as a statement of standing up against consuming society.

They have their “cradle” in Šiška, where they have different workshops and where you can buy their products made from collected trash. One of my favorite items is wallet made from baby food (Čokolešnik and Čokolino) packaging. I also like that they are located in Šiška, giving this area new quality programs.

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Smetumet | Art & culture, Shopping | Wallet € 10.00
Celovška 53 | Siska
Mon, Wed & Fri 10:00 – 16:00, Tue & Thu 13:00 – 19:00

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Image by Union.SLO

If you would take a part of Amsterdam and transform it into a Habsburg city mixing Mediterranean atmosphere, you would get Gallus bank. It has narrow houses like Amsterdam, Baroque architecture like Vienna and a part of feeling you get in Italian cities with the outside cafés.

The bank is located in the centre of Ljubljana, South of the Cobblers Bridge. Here you can relax, buy some gifts for you and your friends in great shops with old vinyl, CDs with ethno, funk, jazzy music, wooden toys etc. There are also some nice places where you can eat, from pancakes to steaks, sit down and order a cappuccino or just buy a beer and go down the stairs to Ljubljanica river.

The whole area is reserved for the pedestrians, except for the most southern part of the bank which is a parking space of the residents. You don’t have to worry to get hit by a car; just be careful if there are any cyclists near you.

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Gallusovo nabrezje | Art & culture, Bars, Shopping
Gallusovo nabrezje | Center
24 hours daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana

Image by Jost Derlink

I think this is the best museum in Ljubljana, maybe Slovenia, because it’s something different. It shows you the way of life of our ancestors and they don’t do it in a boring way but with a fresh and interactive approach. You will see this immediately when you stand in front of the museum with it’s nice architecture; a mixture of modern and old.

At the moment there are 2 exhibitions. The first one is We and Others: Images of my World and Between Nature and Culture. The second one has been the permanent exhibition since 2006 and I really like it. It’s divided into two parts. The first one shows you everything about Slovene way of life in the past. The second part is dedicated to other parts of the world.

There are also some other activities in the museum. You can test your weaving skills or do a pottery workshop. Who knows, maybe you will discover a new thing you’re good at! There is also a workshop about the proper way of preparing and drinking tea like they do in Japan.

On the ground floor you will find a nice café, where you can sit down and enjoy the view of the castle and adorable neo-Gothic church. Here you can also buy Filter 57, the first cigarettes in Yugoslavia with filter (they started with production in 1957…go figure).

If you have the chance, visit SEM on the last Sunday of the month: you can get in for free.

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Slovene Etnographic Museum (SEM) | Art & culture, Coffee & tea | Admission (adults) € 4.50
Metelkova 2 | Moste | +38613008700
Tue – Sun 10:00 – 18:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana

Image by Jost Derlink

Our oldest and most well known gallery is located on the main city promenade that leads from Preseren’s square to park Tivoli (check the Tivoli Park article). It’s close to the National museum, Opera and Modern gallery.

In the National gallery you can see one of the most important art pieces of Slovenian artists. From the baroque period to the first half of the 20th century. Works that are younger than 60 years are exhibited in the Modern gallery across the street.

Usually I don’t like to spend my time in city walking from one gallery to another, because you can’t absorb all of it and you don’t get to know the city well if you’re trapped inside. But there is always one I want to visit.

Our National Gallery is not the biggest gallery in the world so you don’t have to take a whole day to check it, and if you are in a hurry I’d recommend you the part with the great 4 Slovenian Impressionists: Grohar, Jakopič, Jama and Sternen.

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National Gallery | Art & culture | Entrance € 7.00
Presernova cesta 24 | Center | +38612415418
Tue – Sun 10:00 – 18:00, Thu 10:00 – 20:00

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Image by Jost Derlink

France Preseren’s art and cultural center is one of the most important locations of Ljubljana alternative scene. It is located in Trnovo, near Plecnik museum and Trnovo church. In the building of this center you will find a gallery, a bar and a stage.

KUD also houses the studio of Radio Student. On the stage of the center there are a lot of different events going on throughout the whole year, for example improv theater, different concerts, workshops and movies.

Since the summer of 1992, KUD France Preseren hosts the international Trnfest festival on the courtyard of the center in August. It’s the main event in Ljubljana in that month. There, a lot of bands and theatre groups from Slovenia and abroad, are performing.

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KUD France Preseren | Art & culture, Bars, Music | Beer € 2.00
Karunova ulica 14 | Vic | +38612832288
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 01:00, Sun 14:00 – 01:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana

Image by Jost Derlink

My friend from Australia stayed at my place for a week and when I was telling her what to do in Ljubljana, I mentioned 2 art cinemas. She was really surprised that a small city like Ljubljana has 2 of them and Melbourne has none. I guess that we are lucky and I’m really glad, that I can spend some nice evenings in nice old cinemas with interior from the 30′s.

So those 2 cinemas are Kinoteka and Kinodvor, both in the center and really close to each other. I will present you the first one. I won’t say that it’s better but it sure has more movies on the program and it’s a bit cheaper

Kinoteka is located on the Miklosiceva Street, somewhere in the middle between the train station and Preseren square. They show movies from Europe mostly, but also from other parts of the world, like Japan or, of course, America, but never too commercial. You can find different genres, from dramas to black comedies and thrillers. Usually they show 2 films per day and I think you can see each film only once, so be careful not to miss your favorite movie on the big screen!

The cinema also has a nice café and in the same building you will also find a French restaurant if you get hungry during the movie.

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Kinoteka | Art & culture, Cinemas | Fee € 3.00
Miklošiceva cesta 28 | Center | +38615471580
Check the program

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Image by Jošt Derlink

Šiška is becoming a better and better place to live and CUK (center urbane kulture / center for urban culture) Kino Šiška earns much of the credits for this. It opened in fall 2009, but already has a huge impact on the Ljubljana scene.

In the last few months it hosted a lot of important musicians from Slovenia and abroad (Josipa Lisac, Lollobrigida, Isis, Pan Sonic, Juno Reactor, Florence and The Machine, New Young Pony Club…). They have mostly music events, but also photo exhibitions, theater and dance events, some workshops…

In the past Kino Šiška was a cinema (kino in Slovene) and was built as a part of the Šiška municipality center. When Ljubljana got a new cinema complex in 2001, the majority of smaller cinemas closed their doors. They wanted to renovate Kino Šiška into a multipurpose hall for different kinds of contemporary events and almost a decade later we finally got it!

My favorite events in Kino Šiška are YU GO! Nights. Each of them presents 3 or 4 bands from ex-Yugoslavia area and can also be tagged as nu yu scene.

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Kino Šiška | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Music, Theaters, Festivals & events
Trg prekomorskih brigad 3 | Siska | +38630310110
Depends

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana

Image by Tjaša Janovljak

“Stara elektrarna” literally means and is an old power station. It is a technical monument and as such protected. It was built approximately hundred years ago and has worked till after second world war. In eighties and nineties the building was discovered by artists and since then it attracts all sorts of performers.

I usually go here a few times a year when they are hosting some – usually quite crazy – shows. It can vary from modern dance to theatre and other kinds of scene performing. Sometimes they organize artistic or technical (that concern scene performing: scenery, lights…) workshops, lectures, round-table discussions and similar. Rarely you can get into a nice party but if you happen to be invited on one, don’t say no. Their biggest happening there is Festival “Mladi levi” at the end of August.

The main hall has a spacious stage to which you get after beautiful entrance hall which is preserved as a museum. Here you can see part of a big chimney, turbine and some measuring tools that were used in the power plant.

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Stara elektrarna | Art & culture, Music, Theaters
Slomškova ulica 18 | Center | +38651269906
Depends on the show

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana