Wednesday, 19. 2. 2014

2000 years of emona

Ljubljana is celebrating a very important anniversary in 2014 and 2015: a 2000 years of Emona, the first settlement within present-day Ljubljana.

On Tuesday, 18 February 2014, the City of Ljubljana and its partners, Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana and the public institute Ljubljana Tourism held a press conference to present central events and exhibitions to celebrate the anniversary in the Slovenian capital.

The Emona 2000 project coordinator is the Department of Culture of City of Ljubljana, which has published an extensive programme brochure with information on exhibitions, ceremonies and events in the next year. The programme addresses different audience: from general public to professionals, from non-government organisations to the most important cultural institutions of the city and country. The programme content actively involves the local public, strengthens the identity of the city's residents and creates a connection between life in the past and present. It is included in the tourist offer and recognisable throughout the European and international setting.

The Emona 2000 web page has been created in addition to the brochure and within the City of Ljubljana website to provide current information on events and projects to commemorate the antique ancestor of Ljubljana. The visitors of Ljubljana will be provided information on the celebration events of the 2000th anniversary of Emona in various languages at the web portal Turizem Ljubljana.

The City of Ljubljana has recently submitted The Call for Proposals to Co-Finance Cultural Projects for 2014 in the City of Ljubljana and which will mark the 2000 years of Emona. The call will be open until 10 March 2014 and it focuses on co-financing of cultural projects in the area of art and culture, connecting the living culture with the archaeological and intangible heritage of the antique Emona.

The Ljubljana Tourism institute has published »A Call for Collecting Suggestions for Co-Financing Tourist Events in Public Areas of the City of Ljubljana in 2014«. The call focus is the co-financing the tourist events in public areas, including such to show support to the commemoration of one of the biggest anniversaries, the 2000 years of Emona. The application deadline is 28 February, 2014 until 11 o'clock.

The Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana has joined the Emona 2000 project with a central museum exhibition Emona: City in the Empire, which will be displayed from late May 2014 in the City Museum of Ljubljana. The exhibition will situate Emona in an imaginative and attracting way on the map of the vast Roman Empire and introduce the new archaeological discoveries in the last years and the echo of Emona in the 20th century. Blaž Peršin, the MGML director, shared a few words on the project: "The use of the study approach by the museum curators, especially the archaeologists after years of archaeological excavations in the area of Ljubljana in various time periods, most importantly the second half of the previous century and last years helped to unravel may mysteries to the life in the antiquity and now. We aim to encourage the visitors in a communicative and clear way to understand their own history for easier understanding of the space and time today".

On this occasion Emona also received its entry on the web encyclopaedia Wikipedia; its presentation was prepared the City Museum of Ljubljana with the assistance of the Slovenian community of Wikipedians. The Museum has donated 46 photographs of the antique history of Ljubljana to the popular web encyclopaedia.

The Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana is contribution to the commemoration of the anniversary with a few other projects as well:

• from 20 May 2014 the Jakopič Gallery will host an exhibition entitled Traces by the renowned international photographer, Josefa Koudelka, who captured over 200 Greek and Roman archaeological sites;
• the Ljubljana Castle will host an exhibition and an installation on the urban development of Ljubljana from the Roman period to today;
• the Tourism Ljubljana institute will invite Slovenian photographers and set up a photographic exhibition Remains of a City at the Jakopič Promenade in July and August.

The Tourism Ljubljana institute and its content are divided into development and content and product production activities, and promotional activity. There will be several guided tours organised from March 2014: the pre-seasonal Getting a Taste of Roman Emona, Experiencing Roman Emona and Experiencing the Torch-Lit Roman Emona.

The main event in celebration of the 2000th anniversary of Emona will take place between the 22 and 24 August 2014 with the event titled "Ave, Emona!". The Congress Square and the Zvezda Park will come to life as in 2000 years ago with Roman inhabitants, legionnaires, generals, gladiators, vestal virgins and natives. The costumed members of the historical societies of Slovenia and from abroad will recreate the life events in Emona.

The events of this very important anniversary have been and will continue to be presented on various markets and fair in abroad. The Slovenia Explorer travel agency and the City of Ljubljana will organise a one day trip Via Slovenica to introduce the Roman legacy in Slovenia – Emona, the Roman Necropolis in Šempeter, Celea and Poetovio.

An entire line of tourist souvenirs will be offered on the Emona's 2000th anniversary. The line includes practical items (notebooks, t-shirts, magnets, bags) and decorative items portraying replicas of the Roman objects or with motifs of the ancient Roman Empire.

The commemoration of the 2000 years of Emona will also be honoured the Bank of Slovenia with the issue of a 2 EUR commemorative coin in 2015, while the Post of Slovenia will issue a postcard with the Emona theme.