This year’s May festivities got underway in Ljubljana the evening before the International Labour Day with the traditional 1 May bonfire on Rožnik. The celebrations are ongoing until 9 May, which Ljubljana celebrates as a city holiday.

The people of Ljubljana traditionally celebrate 1 May, the International Labour Day, on Rožnik with a red carnation in their buttonholes. This year’s events on Rožnik for 1 May were led by the Partisan Choir, the Slovenian Police Orchestra, dramatic actors Lara Jankovič and Marko Simčič and the Aplavz Band, while those present were also addressed by Mayor of Ljubljana Zoran Janković.

9 May – Ljubljana City Holiday

The festivities in May go on until 9 May, when we celebrate a City Holiday to mark Peace Day and Europe Day. Ljubljana celebrates its city holiday to commemorate 9 May 1945, when sirens from Ljubljana Castle heralded the long-awaited and determinedly-fought struggle for freedom. The City of Heroes and the Partisan Army had overcome the occupying forces and defeated the wire which formed a menacing encirclement of Ljubljana and restricted the lives of the people of Ljubljana during the war years.

To honour the City Holiday, on Friday 9 May 2014 there was a Gala Meeting of Ljubljana City Council at Ljubljana Castle, at which Mayor Zoran Janković bestowed the highest awards of the City of Ljubljana, through which, once a year, Ljubljana honours deserving citizens in public life and organisations that give the Slovenian capital a seal of excellence.

At a gala ceremony, this year’s titles of Honorary Citizen were awarded to the professor of criminal law at the Law Faculty in Ljubljana Ljubo Bavcon, Sc.D., and a renowned Slovenian artist, Jože Ciuha.

Traditional ’Walk around the Wire’ Event

Thursday 8 May 2014 sees the start of the traditional ‘Walk around the Wire’ event – a walk around the 35km-long route where between 1942 and 1945, the Second World War occupying forces encircled Ljubljana with barbed wire to prevent contact between the city and the rural hinterland around it.

The 58th ‘Walk around the Wire’  got underway this year in the morning of Thursday 8 May with a walk by children from Ljubljana kindergartens, with pupils from Ljubljana primary and middle schools took part on Friday 9 May.

The main event took place on Saturday 10 May when the path played host to hiking lovers and the ‘trio’ race. The "trio" race is a unique running competition with tree runners at all time, running side by side, and the running time is of the last one to cross the finish line. The organisers encourage mutual help and solidarity among the runners with this type of competition. The running time is marked when the weakest link arrives at the finish, encouraging the other two to help, support and motivate each other.

More information on the events within the traditional ’Walk around the Wire’ hike and the trio race is available on the event website.