Slovenia

Slovenian children have become slightly fitter this year but the latest nation-wide fitness test in schools has shown that girls are still scoring 8% lower and boys 4% lower in their overall physical fitness than before the Covid pandemic.

The interest of German companies in Slovenia as an investment destination is still high, but there is a downward trend, shows a survey conducted by the Slovenian-German Chamber of Commerce which identified the tax wedge and shortage of workers as the main challenges.

Celebrated for its picturesque lake, islet and a castle perched on a rocky cliff, Bled will broaden its appeal further next year by adding a contemporary art museum designed by the award-winning British architect David Chipperfield.

A Eurostat projection indicates that the age structure of Slovenia's population will change significantly in the coming decades as population ageing accelerates. In 2100, the elderly are expected to account for a third of the country's population, which is forecast to decline by some 7% in the next eight decades.

A park dedicated to the Slovenian anthem was inaugurated in Kranj on 1 June to celebrate both the national anthem and its precursor as well the authors of the lyrics France Prešeren and Simon Jenko.

Celebrating friendship among nations, Zdravljica (A Toast) was adopted as Slovenia's national anthem in 1989, less than two years before the country gained independence.

Patti Smith, a celebrated punk poet, singer and artist, will perform on the border between Slovenia and Italy in October in a prelude to the 2025 European Capital of Culture hosted by Nova Gorica and Gorizia.

The 5 October concert will be held at a new venue in place of a former border crossing known as Rožna Dolina (Valley of Roses) in Slovenian or Casa Rossa in Italian.

Staff at all three public universities in Slovenia staged a strike on 30 May, demanding a fair pay system in higher education and respectful attitude from the government, and warning about what they see as harmful changes to the Higher Education Act.

People watched in awe as the world-renowned Lipizzan horses put on a dazzling show this month in the village of Lipica in the small Alpine state of Slovenia.

Slovenia's meetings industry has been recovering well from the pandemic and is expected to trump pre-Covid figures this year. The outlook for the next two years is less certain at the moment. Poor transport links and labour shortages are seen as the main obstacles.

An exhibition at the National and University Library (NUK) in Ljubljana sheds light to one of the most fascinating historic periods in terms of censorship. Slovenians and Imperial Censorship from Joseph II to the First World War is the result of a multi-year research project.