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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana

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 Eva Taucar

Ljubljana’s main and largest park provides a nice green ‘time out’ from city concrete. Grassy areas slowly transforming into woods towards Roznik and Šisenski hill makes it more special and wilder than ordinary parks.

You can actually get a bit lost wandering around, and if you are walking long enough through the woods, you will eventually see glimpse of wild animal patterns, which, luckily, doesn’t mean you are lost in the Slovene jungle, but that you just found Ljubljana ZOO (check the Ljubljana Zoo article).

The park itself offers quite a lot: on the main promenade (leading from Modern Gallery – check the MGLC article – towards the Tivoli Castle) are constant photo exhibitions mostly orientated into nature kingdom and art. Left from promenade there is large children’s playground that sometimes with its cool objects tempts also the adult ones to swing or slide once or twice.

On the right edge is Tivoli sports center with a swimming pool, ice hockey and basketball court, tennis, bowling and many other things that smell like sweat. In between there is green, a lot of it, with some water here or there, to make the whole thing more fresh and perfect for an easy outdoor chill out! If you got cravings for cafe or ice cream, Čolnarna bar next to the biggest pond in a park is a nice place to stop.

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Park Tivoli | Relaxing | Free
Park Tivoli | Siska
24 hours daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana

Image by Eva Taucar

MGLC is located in Tivoli park (check the Tivoli Park article), at the end of famous Plečnik’s promenade, where our grandpas were seducing potential grandmas with flower bouquets in their hands 50 years ago. The former Tivoli castle is now home to many different exhibitions and workshops and every year it hosts the biennial of graphic arts.

The center certainly effects our creative senses, so after visiting the exhibition, I recommend you lie down in grass or take a stroll in the park and, with company of birds singing, brainstorm about what you have seen. I love that kind of „after cultural education” chillin’, and this place has the perfect location to try it out!

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MGLC | Art & culture, Festivals & events | Entrance adults € 3.40
Pod turnom 3 | Siska | +38612413800
Wed – Sun 11:00 – 18:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana

Image by Tjasa Janovljak

By the Koseski bajer pond (see the Koseski bajer pond article), bar Pri Cvicku is situated. The lovely bar is called after Dolenjska’s (Lower Carniolia – Slovene region) great “Cvicek” wine. It offers great views of the pond.

Gostilnica Pri Cvicku is a simple bar, quite well known among the locals and it attracts a crowd that wants to enjoy their coffee or a glass of Cvicek wine. This rosé wine is bought directly from wine producers so you shouldn’t be disappointed, but be prepared, this wine could be quite dry for some tastes.

They also offer dried sausage with minced lard, which is traditional Slovenian, but obviously it is not suitable for vegetarians since it’s made of bacon and spices.

Bar Pri Cvicku can be an excellent stop on your way around Ljubljana on The Path of Remembrance and Comradeship.

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Gostilnica Pri Cvicku | Bars, Coffee & tea | Coffee € 1.30
Marjekova Pot 23 | Siska | +38615174095
09:00 – 22:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana

Image by Tjasa Janovljak

At the moment I can still say that I had lived in Šiska district for more than half of my life but one of the best things for us when we were children – not that we wouldn’t do that as an adults, just the winters are rarely that cold as they used to be – was Koseski bajer which is a pond in Koseze neighbourhood.

This small artificial lake would freeze over and we’d ice-skate on it. What used to be a clay pit, in last years serves mainly fishermen, modellers who are playing here with their favourite toys and of course to Slovenian characteristic, which is exercising, like jogging or cycling around it. There is a footpath that goes around it with several benches along the way.

Koseski bajer lies on the foothills of Roznik and Šisenski hrib which are hills between here and the centre. These places are included in a natural protected area. The Path of Remembrance and Comradeship passes by the pond and that’s why this altogether is Mecca for nature lovers. New sitting areas were constructed this summer so you should definitely check it out.

In the other part there is lovely bar called after Dolenjska (Lower Carniolia – Slovene region) wine pride Cvicek that offers great view on the pond and pristine atmosphere of Ljubljana’s suburbs.

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Koseski bajer pond | Relaxing | Free
Koseska cesta | Siska
24 hours daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana

Image by Tjasa Janovljak

The gravel-paved footpath around the city Pot spominov in tovarištva is The Path of Remembrance and Comradeship. Sometimes it’s also called as the Green Ring, but signs on the path refer to it as POT (which means a path).

Where there used to be a barb wire fence which surrounded Ljubljana during World War II is now 33 km long path and crosses today’s urban area and outskirts of the city. What was built to prevent contacts between the city and its hinterland is now connecting Ljubljana.

To the people living in Ljubljana this is mainly recreational path on which you can jog, cycle or just have a pleasant walk. With a dog, if possible. In some of the more hidden parts of this Green Ring late at night some cars can be parked, searching for some privacy. Since it is winter we are expecting snow and then there will be cross-country ski tracks provided on some parts of the path.

If you were in Ljubljana on 9th May you could saw incredible crowd walking and running along the path, which marks the anniversary of the liberation of Ljubljana after World War II.

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POT | Relaxing
Koseski bajer – pound | Siska
24 hours daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana