Hi guys,

Today, I am showing you a quirky place called Metelkova.
It is located right next to the Museum of Contemporary Art of Metelkova (or MSUM in Slovenian).
This place was a former military barracks built in the late 19th century.
In 1993, 2 years after the independance of Slovenia,
a part of that former barracks was squatted by hundreds
of volonteers and artists who opposed its destruction.

Since then, many slovenian artists have completly transformed this place
and it has become an alternative culture center where young people like to go.
There, they can find many art expositions, concerts, bars, night clubs etc …

I went there last year during the day to see how it looks like.
I was surprised to see that all the walls were decorated with graffitis
and plenty of other stuffs.
Some like it and some don’t, but at least, this place is very original.
You don’t get to see that everywhere and certainly not everyday.

As I was wandering around, I heard a woman (a tour guide) talking to a group
of tourists and pointing at a colored building.
She said that the building was a former military prison for more than 100 years.
Now, the building is a Hostel called “Hostel Celica” (meaning “Hostel Cell” in English).
People booking a room there actually sleep in cells.
The managers of that hostel dicided to keep the bars of the former prison.

Metelkova is about 700 meters away from the Ljubljana train station.
If you are in the area, try to go there and have a look.

My tips for Metelkova:

1/ Wander around and look at the graffitis.
2/ Go visit the MSUM museum (150m away).
3/ Go visit the SEM museum (250m away).
4/ Sleep in a cell at Hostel Celica.
5/ Go there have a drink during the night.