The Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, a body managing European Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund, has issued a decision on financial support for the Sugar Factory Gallery renovation project in Ljubljana.

The project is part of the Sustainable Urban Strategy of the City of Ljubljana 2014-2020, and its funds are provided from the Comprehensive Territorial Investments mechanism intended for the restoration of brownfield sites and the revitalisation of urban spaces.

Within the framework of the Sugar Factory Gallery renovation project we are going to reconstruct the existing building, which is going to improve the urban environment and further liven up the wider city centre. In addition, we are going to remove a physical barrier which is limiting mobility on this part of the Poljane Embankment and thus obstructing the most optimal connection between the city centre and urbanised areas in the east of the city. We are also going to improve the social aspect of space use, namely, at the conclusion of the project new contents and arrangements are going to make the area dynamic with a rich programme and social life, also making it safer and more pleasant as well as interesting so that the citizens and visitors to Ljubljana would keep coming back.

For this reason the City of Ljubljana wants to set up a modern gallery area in the former sugar refinery. For the investment in the amount of over 23 million euro the European Regional Development Fund is contributing just under 11 million euro and the corresponding public contribution from the national budget is just above 2.5 million euro.

Big exhibition area

The Sugar Factory Gallery is going to present modern fine art and visual arts with most significant biannual events in Ljubljana, namely, BIO Ljubljana and International Biennial of Graphic Art, certainly playing an important role. This is going to solve the long-term lack of a big exhibition space in Ljubljana.
The gallery is going to be managed by the Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana, a public institute the City of Ljubljana has established for such activities.
The renovation is going to start at the conclusion of the public procurement procedure for the selection of a contractor, which is currently in the bid analysis phase, and is expected to be carried out in 24 months.