For lovers of contemporary art, culture, creative crafts and all the exciting things that bring creativity to a travel destination, Slovenia is surely the right choice. And not only in the capital Ljubljana, which is the hotspot when it comes to festivals and events, while being home to numerous art institutions and creative hubs; you will also find venues elsewhere that will enchant you not only with their ambience, but above all with their content.
Here are just some of the creative hubs you can put on your list for your next visit, while we also announce some exciting new additions, including Ljubljana's Center Rog, Maribor's Rotovž and the Lah Museum in Bled.
Maribor's Minoriti Cultural Quarter, with its several unique venues (the former Minorite monastery, the Three Hags, the Auditorium, the Judgement Tower and the Church), brings together diverse content and events from various fields of artistic and cultural creation. The Quarter is home to performance, music, film, puppetry and other events, as well as exhibitions, talks and creative collaborations. The location of the Cultural Quarter is unique: it is connected to Lent and to the old town centre of Maribor.
The Slovenian capital is now home to the Center Rog creative and social hub, which is located in the renovated former Rog bicycle factory. The Rog building on the Ljubljanica embankment is considered to be the most important industrial heritage building of the 20th century in Ljubljana, and it will remain faithful to craftsmanship with its new content. Center Rog will host a number of workshops and studios where artists and artisans will be able to design and make their own products. There will also be a branch of the city library, a café, a bistro and a varied programme of events.
Just a short walk along the Ljubljanica from Center Rog is another remarkable building – a former sugar refinery that was renovated a few years ago to become Cukrarna, a space for displays of contemporary art and presentations of contemporary art projects in the fields of visual, intermedia, performative, sonic, music and other arts. A walk through Cukrarna's central space or a visit to the café, where concerts and other events take place in the evenings, is a special experience in itself.
Not far from picturesque Lake Bled, at the foot of the castle hill and the oldest castle in Slovenia, a new museum of contemporary art is already under construction. The Lah Contemporary museum will not only be a remarkable new addition to Bled and beyond, but also an architectural landmark. The museum building was designed by the renowned architectural studio David Chipperfield Architects. The museum will house a private collection of Slovenian and international art.
The visualisations were provided by David Chipperfield Architects.
Named after the renowned Slovenian painter, the museum is housed in a former monastery not far from Kostanjevica na Krki, Slovenia's smallest town and the only island town in the country. When hosting occasional exhibitions, the gallery spaces, set in the remarkable ambience of former religious buildings, turn into venues for contemporary art installations, objects and works. The museum’s permanent exhibitions feature works by Slovenian 20th-century painters. Make sure to top off your visit with a stroll around the surrounding estate with its famous forma viva.
The old glassworks and Vraz square have always been an important cultural meeting point for Ptuj and the people who live and work in Slovenia's oldest town. Twenty-five years ago, the former glassware workshop was taken over by young avant-garde artists, and in 2023 the renovation of the building will provide Ptuj with a new youth and cultural centre, as well as improved urban spaces in this part of the city in order to attract locals and visitors alike.
The MAO is one of Europe's oldest museums of architecture and design, which today transcends the role of a classical museum. It is the custodian and promoter of the world's most extensive collection of Slovenian architectural and design heritage, attracting architecture and design enthusiasts with innovative exhibitions. It is housed in a castle complex in Ljubljana's Fužine neighbourhood, which can also be reached by city bus number 20. In the castle courtyard, visitors can sit in the café or visit the museum shop.
In 2025, Maribor plans to open a new “heart of the city”, Center Rotovž, a shared urban space intertwining diverse cultural content. This will revitalise Rotovški trg square, which will function as a shared creative, cultural, educational and intergenerational space. It will house the renovated Maribor Library, the programmes of the Maribor Art Gallery and Artkino, a multimedia space that can be transformed into an amphitheatre for events, workshops and classrooms.
This visual arts museum in Slovenj Gradec presents art from the second half of the 20th century. Founded in 1957 as the Art Pavilion, it has now outgrown its role as a museum and is an important social player in the region and beyond.
The neighbouring cities of Nova Gorica (Slovenia) and Gorizia (Italy), which will be honoured as the European Capital of Culture in 2025, also offer a unique venue as well as a rich programme of cultural and artistic events that will carry across the globe Slovenia’s image as a destination for an exceptional cultural break. These two cities are already hosting a number of events that transcend borders.
There are many exceptional venues and institutions that enrich the artistic and cultural landscape with their content all over Slovenia. Where will your desire to explore take you? The set of creative experiences is rounded off by numerous festivals and events, from film to music, from those dedicated to street art, to contemporary graphic art production.
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Contemporary art in Slovenia is housed in the most extraordinary places one can imagine, such as a former bicycle factory or sugar refinery, former convents and castles. Check out where contemporary art, culture and crafts aficionados can really find something to enjoy.
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