Metelkova Mesto: the back story

About Metelkova Mesto: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Ljubljana Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

A few minutes’ walk from the railway station, behind the museums, a cluster of old army buildings is covered from top to bottom in murals, mosaics and sculptures. This is Metelkova Mesto, and after dark it becomes the city’s liveliest corner.

From barracks to art

The buildings were barracks of the Austro-Hungarian army and later the Yugoslav army. After the army left in 1991, artists and activists moved in in 1993, and Metelkova has been an autonomous cultural centre ever since.

By day

In daylight it is a sculpture garden and open-air gallery: walk among the painted walls, mosaics and odd metal figures, then visit the museums next door, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Ethnographic Museum. Hostel Celica, a former military prison, is part of the same quarter.

Metelkova is a work of art you can walk into, and dance in.

By night

At night the clubs and bars open: Gromka, Channel Zero, Jalla Jalla, Menza pri koritu, Monokel and Tiffany host concerts, DJ nights and parties, from punk and metal to electronic and queer nights. Programmes change week to week.

Our advice: visit once by day to see the art, then return after 11 pm on a Friday or Saturday. Bring cash, check each club’s programme online, and respect the place: it is home to artists and their work.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Metelkova Mesto: the back story before you go.