LJUBLJANA –
World Book Capital
Pécs, 28 June 2010
Ljubljana Urban Region (LUR)
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LUR
= Central Slovene Statistical
Region (NUTS 3); 1 of 12 SI regions
26 municipalities; area: 2.555 km2
Population: 529.646 (> 1/4 of SI;
1 Jan. 2010); active pop.:
281.185 = 54% (2008)
Density: 207,3 (1 Jan. 2010)
GDP per capita: 24.600 €; index
SI 144 (2007)
RDP LUR 2007 -2013:
– The vision of the region: The
region will achieve a high
level of global
competitiveness and a highquality of living through
encouraging creativity &
co-operation.
– One of objectives of LUR:
creative people and
successful companies
(increase of added
value/employee by 10% by
2013)
Ljubljana – Capital of Slovenia
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Population: 279.653 inhabitants (> 1/2 of Ljubljana Urban Region;
1 Jan. 2010)
Active population: 208.112 = 75,4% (2008)
Density of population: 1.017 (1 Jan. 2010)
GDP per capita : not measured for municipalities any more, just
for regions
Ljubljana – City of Culture
14
museums, 33 galleries,
10 theatres, 47 NGOs,
10.000 cultural events/year,
10 international festivals
 8 February - Day of Culture
(National Public Holiday), free
entrance to all cultural institutions
Ljubljana – World Book Capital
World Book Capital (April 2010 – April 2011)
Ljubljana – WBC Candidature (1)
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Candidature accepted at the UNESCO General Conference
in 2008, when Slovenes celebrated the 500th anniversary of
Primož Trubar’s birth, the author of the 1st Slovene book and
the founder of Slovene literary language.
The Slovene history and the history of the book in Slovenia give
us the reason to speak about books with passion, as did the
Slovene poet Oton Župančič (1878 – 1949):
Book at hand; handed down devotedly time and time again…
Could it be handled any better? (motto of LJ – WBC)
The poet was convicted that what is written in books is passed
from one generation to another, with every generation
drawing from these sources vital and enriching messages for
the present they live in.
Ljubljana – WBC Candidature (2)
The programme of Ljubljana – World Book Capital:
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Promotes the principles of freedom of expression, freedom to
publish and to distribute information as they are endorsed by
UNESCO, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the
Florence Agreement
Promotes literature, authors, books, reading
Encourages reading culture & improves access to book
Combines all the links in the book supply chain & connects
everybody
Sets up a network of literary festivals & events (intercultural
dialogue)
Implements PPs, includes partner cities from Slovenia and
abroad
Ljubljana – WBC Programme (1)
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More than 500 events
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Honorary Sponsor: Dr Danilo Türk, President of the Republic of
Slovenia
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The programme is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the
Republic of Slovenia and the Slovenian Book Agency
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Majority of events performed by NGOs and public institutions
from the field of culture; a part of the programme in
collaboration with Slovene cities, embassies in LJ
Ljubljana – WBC Programme (2)
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TRUBAR LITERARY HOUSE
LITERARY FESTIVAL: FABULA 2010
LJUBLJANA AND BOOKS
BOOKS AND THE CREATIVITY IN CULTURE
THE BOOK AND THE CITY
LJUBLJANA METROPOLITAN LIBRARY
WORLD BOOK SUMMIT 2011
BIWEEKLY CULTURE MAGAZINE Pogledi – Views
LJUBLJANA – A CITY OF REFUGE
NEW SPECIALIST CHILDREN’s BOOKSHOP
1. Trubar Literature House
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1st literature house in Slovenia will be open in Sep. 2010 in the
presence of a high UNESCO delegation
Mission: to become a reference point for literature, the book
and critical reflection
Literary events, festivals, readings, creative workshops, book
presentations and visits of foreign writers & poets
Combining literature with music, fine arts puppet theatre &
other artistic expressions
Support for projects promoting reading culture through the
use of new technologies (Internet, electronic books & blogs)
Cultural education
The headquarters of a new book club, web portal and
exhibitions
Morning, afternoon and evening programmes
2. Literary Festival: Fabula 2010
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Fabula 2010 – Literatures of the World Festival, 3 to 28 May
2010
Opening ceremony with Herta Müller, winner of the 2009
Nobel prize for Literature; hosted renowned authors from
Australia, Czech Republic, Germany, Israel, USA
Public readings in parks, by the river Ljubljanica, in hospitals
and homes for the elderly, on buses ...
Several events: Writer’s city, Exploring the city along literary
paths, Fabula Cinema; education & training events
Special attention to children’s and youth literature
The literary competition for pupils: Literature turns into a comic
strip
International symposium on Ivan Cankar (1876 - 1918), an
important Slovene writer and thinker
3. Ljubljana and Books –
3 programmes (1)
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2010/2011 School Year – the Year of the Book => promotion of
the reading culture among the young generation
Ljubljana Reads: the municipality gives an original picture
book of a Slovene author to each 3-year-old child & to each
pupil on his/her first day of school; running for 3 years
Growing up with a Book: The Slovenian Book Agency will give
a book of a Slovene author to all secondary school students in
Slovenia
3. Ljubljana and Books –
3 programmes (2)
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The Books for Everybody:
– 21 titles, 8.000 copies/title (the average edition of books
published in Slovenia is around 1.300 copies), 3 €/copy,
new: libraries & cultural institutions as booksellers (220)
– experiment: the idea of raising the awareness of
purchasing books as an indispensable part of reading
culture
– public funds: 366.977 € or 15.000 € per book
4. Books and the Creativity
in Culture
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Books in cultural institutions, organised by museums, galleries,
theatres, musicians and other cultural creators:
– The Book and the Theatre
– Books of Music
– The Book and the Film
– The Book and Fine Arts
5. The Book and the City
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Interventions in the public space emphasise the importance of
reading and encourage reading culture
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New reading niches in public areas: in hospitals, asylum
centres and homes for the elderly
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The book as the promoter of social cohesion => to make
books and cultural events more accessible to vulnerable
groups
6. Ljubljana Metropolitan Library
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Libraries = centres of knowledge, information and creativity
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Ljubljana Metropolitan Library is one of the central venues of
LJ – WBC programme
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Several projects focused on books, literature & culture; e.g.
coordinating the Books for Everybody project, a photographic
competition on the book, Dancing with the Book
7. World Book Summit 2011
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World Congress: World Book Summit 2011 - Books as Promoters
of Human Development (translation, monitoring, models of
reading)
Final event of LJ – WBC 2010 (31 Mar. – 1 Apr. 2011)
2 themes to be discussed by key experts in the global book
market:
– Book Globalisation and Reading in the Digital Era,
– Publishing Books on Smaller Language Markets and
Translating Books from Minor National Languages into
World Languages
Goals: book market monitoring, reading culture strategies,
policies for improving access
8. Biweekly Culture Magazine
Pogledi – Views
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A new biweekly magazine for art, culture and society to fill a
media gap in culture (1st edition on 7 Apr. 2010) - a
cornerstone of LJ – WBC 2010 programme
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Subsidised by City of Ljubljana and Ministry of Culture between
2010 and 2013
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To encourage the critical appreciation of cultural production
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Widest possible audience (supplement of a daily newspaper,
32 pages, 60.000 copies per edition)
9. Ljubljana – A City of Refuge
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In 2010 Ljubljana intends to become a part of the International
Cities of Refuge Network (since 1994)
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Common activities of City of Ljubljana and the Slovene PEN
Centre
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Refuge to writers, poets and intellectuals from countries whose
authorities breach the freedom of expression and prevent
free-thinking and writing
10. Specialist Children’s Bookshop
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New bookshop: Bonfire under the Castle (Kres pod Gradom)
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Quality books for children between 0 and 10 years
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Meeting writers, illustrators, fairy-tale tellers
Success
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Improving economy of the book in the future
Two years after the project: number of copies to raise for 30%
(more than 2.000)
Average price per book to drop for 30% (about 15 €)
Boris Pahor (1913),
Herald of Slovene Literature
Ljubljana sends the following
book message to the world:
The book remains the 1st companion of
humankind also in the 21st century.
Thank you, books!
More information:
http://en.ljubljanasvetovnaprestolnicaknjige.si/home/