Revitalised spaces of industrial heritage

Ljubljana's STARA MESTNA ELEKTRARNA – a brick beauty, host of extraordinary events

Ljubljana's old electric power plant named "Stara mestna elektrarna", a magnificent technological monument, is one of the few surviving examples of Slovenian industrial architecture. After years of abandonment in the 1980s and 1990s, the late 19th-century building slowly began repurposing its spaces, original intended for electrical production, with various artistic activities, also serving as a photogenic location for film and video makers.

After its renovation, the old electric power plant building finally acquired a new cultural character. Today, one of the most renowned art festivals, the Mladi Levi Festival takes place under its roof. The exhibits in the building's foyer serve as testimony to its former life as a power plant, but the main hall is the centre of the action, with concerts, plays and dance performances, as well as other events.

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TOBAČNA – from tobacco factory to tobacco museum

Downtown Ljubljana was once home to a tobacco factory, which in its heyday was the third-largest producer of cigarettes in the Austrian half of the monarchy. According to stories told by the townspeople, the first cigarettes named "Virižnike" impressed even the Emperor Franz Joseph I himself. The factory employed mostly women because they were supposed to be more skilled in manual work. They were called "cigararke" ("the cigar women"). After Slovenia gained independence, the tobacco business died out and the abandoned buildings were given new purpose, such as the Tobacco Museum. From time to time, artists and designers who have found their creative environment in the former Tobacco Factory open their studios to the public.

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Magazin Grando and the Monfort Wooden Hall – when the smell of salt gives way to the spirit of creativity

Walking between Portorož and Piran, you will come across an interesting building by the sea, which was once a salt warehouse. Along with the Koper Tavern, it is one of the few examples of this kind of technical heritage in Slovenia. Inside the walls of the former warehouse, you will no longer find salt, but an exceptional exhibition space. The simple yet grand ambience is also a venue for various events.

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Old Glassware Workshop, Ptuj

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.

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Attractive experiences of former mines and mining stories

Maybe when you hear the word mine, you think of a tough and dirty environment, but in Slovenia you'll connect the word with extraordinary experiences. Why? Because there are remarkable stories beneath the surface of the earth, in the mineshafts and in their surroundings above ground, whose attractive presentation will stick in your memory.