Still – the emphasis is on still – Ljubljana is for many a grey spot on the map. German-speaking people take notice only when the Slovenian capital is presented to them as Laibach. No wonder, because even today, more than 100 years after the end of the Habsburg monarchy, in many heads it is a city with an Austrian character. This is only partly true, because the city is very old – it has a Roman foundation – and its most famous “son”, the great architect and urbanist Jože Plečnik, was trained in Vienna by Otto Wagner, but developed – when back in Ljubljana – a highly original form of architectural language, which took loans from Slovenian building tradition and from antiquity.

But if you want to explore the self-assured work of the young architects who are now building Ljubljana, reaching the same levels of the great European metropolises architecture, you should give yourself into the care of an experienced guide like Aleksander Ostan. Being himself an architect, he is the greatest lover of his hometown and shows with great empathy her hidden beauties. He knows the history of its development like his vest pocket, and is an ever-keen observer of its renewals, as his colleagues enrich the city – while teaching in London or Vienna. You may also go with “Sascha” (his friends call him so) on a trip of discovery and will hardly come away from it without being astonished. Every building task, however small, difficult and intricate, is solved with precision and utmost skill by architects such as Sadar + Vuga, Bevc Berovič, Decleva Gregorič, OFIS or whoever was called to design it. This applies to university and commercial buildings as well as to the XXS-house.

Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova (MSUM)
Located in perhaps one of the coolest (and most graffitied) quarters of Ljubljana called Metelkova, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MSUM) is one of the best museums to visit if you are in search of inspiration and cultural or historical enlightening of all things Slovenia.Slovene Ethnographic Museum
This museum is dedicated to exploring the ethnographic history of Slovenia through a collection of documents, artefacts and art all curated into an annually changing exhibition. The Slovene Ethnographic Museum also incorporates a weavers’ workshop, a museum shop called Lectarija, and a café. National Museum of Contemporary History
National Museum of Contemporary History has been located in Ljubljana’s largest and most central green area, the Tivoli Park, inside the Cekin Mansion since 1951. The museum includes collections from World War I, World War II, postwar Yugoslavia, and independent Slovenia. Museum of Modern Art (MG)
The Museum of Modern Art is the central museum and gallery of Slovenian artwork from the 20th and 21st centuries. From the local impressionists to constructivism and socialistic avant-garde, to current contemporary creations, all lovers of modern art will find comfort and inspiration in the exhibitions displayed in this museum.

Potica, a yeast-dough cake with a variety of filling options, is the most typical Slovenian dessert. The best known of over 80 varieties are tarragon, walnut, crackling and poppy seed poticas. (Typical of central Slovenia.)
Prekmurska gibanica (Prekmurje layered cake) is a moist dessert consisting of layers of poppy seed, cottage cheese, walnut and apple filling. It is protected under the Traditional Speciality Guaranteed designation and can only be sold under its name when prepared according to the traditional recipe. (Typical of Pannonian Slovenia, the region of Prekmurje.)