Dear readers of our newsletter,

Summer is here and it is time to update you on the events where the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ljubljana has been involved this spring. Both cultural and political events, as well as openings of projects connected to the EEA and Norway grants, have been occupying us.

In April a concert with two Norwegian talents within classical music was organized by Kulturna Agencija Lane d.o.o. in cooperation with the embassy. Ingrid Søfteland Neset played flute and Christian Hundsnes Grøvlen played piano. It was an excellent concert and more can be read about it below.

This year’s World Championship in ski flying was held in Planica, Slovenia. However, the next one in 2012 will be held in Vikersund, Norway. At the moment a new ski flying hill is being built in Vikersund, and the constructers behind are two Slovenians; Janez Gorizek and his son Sebastian Gorizek. Below you can read about how the work with new hill progresses.  

The 29th of May Eurovision Song Contest was held in Norway. Slovenia attended with the band Ansambel Žlindra & Kalamari in Oslo, but unfortunately they did not make it through the semifinals. However, in advance of the Eurovision Final ambassador Vikør invited the Ansambel Žlindra & Kalamari to her residence for a lunch as part of their preparation before going to Norway. The band also came to celebrate the 17^th of May. Some of the members were dressed up in their Slovenian traditional costumes, which was of great appreciation from the Norwegians wearing their bunad. The 17^th of May celebrations were a successful event where everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.  May was a busy month, and included another major event; a Norwegian-Slovene Human Rights Conference. The Norwegian embassy organized the conference in cooperation with Slovene Foreign Ministry and the Slovene National Assembly on the 12^th of May. The topic of the conference was equality of men and women in national legislation. The debate panels had a wide international participation and also the Slovene President, Danilo Türk, was present and gave the opening speech. Both Norway and Slovenia are members of the UN Human Rights Council this period. In the very end of the same month an education group from Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) made a study visit to Slovenia arranged by the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS). The education project is a Norwegian initiative and the embassy arranged premises and a dinner for the group while they were in Slovenia.

June and July have been the months for following projects receiving financial support through the EEA and Norway grants. A visit to Lipica Stud Farm was made, as a press conference about the planned Lipizzaner Museum was held. In Ljubljana the Centre for Helping the Blind and Visually Impaired was officially opened. The center has several special features involving using the senses of feeling and hearing in order to facilitate practical training in orientation skills. Another opening took place in early July at Maribor University; the Interdisciplinary Didactical Centre for Environmental Education. You can read more about how one will use the center to transfer knowledge from university level to a didactic level used in training of future elementary and secondary school teachers below. Also a museum of Slovene film actors has been opened in Davica in south-western Slovenia with support from the Norway grants in July.

The Royal Norwegian Embassy of Ljubljana wishes you all a nice summer and you will hear again from us in the fall.

Concert by Norwegian Music Talents
	Kulturna Agencija Lane d.o.o. and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ljubljana arranged a concert together on Friday 9th of April in Ljubljana City Hall. Two Norwegian talents within classical music gave us a delightful concert. Ingrid Søfteland Neset played flute and Christian Hundsnes Grøvlen played piano.Read more >

Ansambel Žlindra & Kalamari getting ready for Oslo
	Slovenia’s contribution in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest combines two musical styles; folk music and rock, performed by Ansambel Žlindra & Kalamari. As the Eurovision Song Contest this year is to be held in Oslo, the Norwegian embassy in Ljubljana invited the band for a lunch as part of their preparation before going to Norway. Read more >

New ski flying hill in Vikersund
	Vikersund will be the next host of the ski flying world championship, which will take place in February 2012. The hill is now under reconstruction, the work started right after Easter this year. The hill should be ready for the rehearsal championship to be held in February 2011, and the whole arena is expected to be ready for the championship in ski flying in February 2012.Read more >

President Türk opened Norwegian-Slovene human rights conference

The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ljubljana organized in cooperation with the Slovene Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Slovene National Assembly an international conference on equality of women and men in national legislation on Wednesday May 12th. The conference consisted of two panel debates, and the panels had wide regional participation. The Slovene president, Danilo Türk, who is known for his engagement on human rights issues, opened the conference. The conference received broad media attention. TV, radio and newspapers were there to report. Read more >

17th of May celebration with Ansambel Žlindra & Kalamari
	The Norwegian constitution day, the 17th of May, was successfully celebrated in Ljubljana also this year. The day gathered many people, and was a good opportunity to tell about Norway’s way to independence and Norwegian customs and traditions. Read more >

Lipizzaner Museum on its way
	The EEA financial mechanism is partly financing the establishment of the Lipizzaner Museum which is planned to open in April, 2011. The location of the museum will be at the famous Lipica Stud Farm in Slovenia. On Wednesday June 2nd, a press conference on the development of the museum was held, and Norwegian ambassador Guro H. K. Vikør participated. Read more >

Centre for Helping the Blind and Visually Impaired
	The Centre for Helping the Blind and Visually Impaired located in Ljubljana was officially opened on Wednesday the 23rd of June. The Centre, which is co-financed by the Norway Grants, is the the first of its kind in Slovenia. Read more >

Opening of the Interdisciplinary Didactical Centre for Environmental Education

Ambassador Guro H.K. Vikør attended the opening of the Interdisciplinary Didactical Centre for Environmental Education at the University of Maribor on the 7th of July. The ambassador has visited Maribor University several times in connection with the Science Educational Centre for Sustainable Development project, which also this centre is a part of. The first time was in February 2009 in order to sign the documents for the project, which is worth almost 1,1 million euro and with 85% of the funding donated by Norway. Read more >

Museum of Slovene film actors in Divica
	Škratelj´s homestead was at the beginning of the 20th century the biggest and most important homestead in Divača (South-Western part of Slovenia). Through the Norwegian Financial Mechanism financial support has been granted to renovate renovate the buildings of Škratelj’s homestead and establish a film actors’ museum. Read more >