LJUBLJANA Travel Agent Manual

www.visitljubljana.com

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The city is distinguished by the harmonious co-existence of tradition and a modern pulse – it is a lively centre of creativity, where culture is basically the way of life. Every year, Ljubljana hosts over 14,000 cultural events, including prestigious music, theatre and art events, and alternative and avant-garde events. The Ljubljana Festival with a programme of top artistic events has been making a distinct mark on the cultural scene for more than 65 years, the distinguished ensemble of the Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet has been successfully performing for more than 110 years, the Slovenian Philharmonic boast a rich history and is one of the world’s oldest institutions of its kind. There are also the traditional Jazz Festival, the International Biennial of Graphic Arts, the Summer in Ljubljana Old Town festival, Film Under the Stars, Music on the Ljubljanica, several traditional street festivals, and Ljubljana is also one of the more important centres of theatre in this part of Europe – in recent times in particular it has demonstrated a modern, extravagant and provocative creativity. An important part of the city’s modern cultural identity is the Metelkova mesto centre, which developed from a squat in a former army barracks and today is the alternative culture centre. As the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana is also the seat of numerous museums, which bear witness to the diverse history of the city and the territory of our country. The central art institutions are the National Gallery and the Museum of Modern Art and, in addition, Ljubljana also boats a large number of smaller art shops and galleries. In Ljubljana, the proud bearer of the UNESCO City of Literature title, you can simply indulge in books in numerous green spots in the warmer months, in the Library under the Treetops.

Musical tradition and contemporarymusical life The scope of musical events held in Ljubljana reflects both a rich musical tradition and a burgeoning contemporary music scene.

Music festivals The Ljubljana Festival , with its long history and tradition of presenting premier artistic events, contributes significantly to the cultural life of Ljubljana in the summer. Ljubljana hosts Druga Godba , one of the oldest world music festivals in this part of the world, which the influential British magazine Songlines ranked among the world’s 25 best international music festivals of 2009 and 2010. Another highly acclaimed music festival is the Ljubljana Jazz Festival , which brings together the greatest names in the genre. The selection of the most important traditional music and culture festivals can be found on page 27.

Opera and ballet Music lovers can attend regular opera and ballet performances staged by the National Opera and Ballet Theatre , concerts performed by the Slovene Philharmonic Orchestra and the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra , who have shared the stage with world famous soloists and conductors, or concerts of excellent vocal and instrumental groups who perform Slovene and foreign works, ranging from the classics to contemporary works by various composers.

One of the world’s oldest philharmonic societies

The present Slovenian Philharmonic is one of the world’s oldest musical institutions of its kind, being the successor to the Academia Philharmonicorum , established in 1701. It has a rich history and a long list of distinguished members, including, among others, Gustav Mahler, who began his career as a conductor in Ljubljana.