The City of Ljubljana has donated space to be devoted to cultural activities in a building which used to belong to the former Šiška local authority. From this, the Šiška cultural quarter has been born in this area.

One important goal in the City of Ljubljana’s Cultural Development Strategy is to assure better infrastructure conditions for the operation of NGOs and individuals. Last year, we at the City of Ljubljana registered 20 societies, groups and individuals who had submitted requests for assistance in the search for appropriate spatial solutions for their regular activities. Almost all of these applicants for premises operate in the cultural field, are known for their excellence and are important for cultural development in Ljubljana.

In an effort to find spatial solutions for the applicants, the Culture Department came up with a common and ambitious solution to the problem of premises in one location and a solution that would create a new cultural centre. Together with the Property Department, they saw the possibility to utilise office space in a building which used to belong to the former Šiška local authority. The building is very close to the Šiška Cinema Urban Cultural Centre and in this way would round off the cultural offer in this part of Ljubljana. Additionally, in the autumn this building was enlivened by an interesting artistic facelift, when its façade was used for a fascinating artistic installation, made up of concert photography from Šiška Cinema’s first two seasons. To mark its second birthday, Šiška Cinema arranged a selection of 120 photographs from the 2010/2011 seasons on the façade of Šiška administrative unit. The photos were by Mankica Kranjec, David Lotrič, Miha Mally, Boris Voglar, Jani Ugrin, Sunčan Stone, Anže Kokalj, Miro Majcen, Žiga Lovšin, Jure Matoz, Juri Bizjak and Iztok Vidmar.

Last October, the City of Ljubljana announced a public invitation for applications for the award of premises for use in cultural activities – Šiška, which attracted 32 applications. In this process, the City of Ljubljana managed to award all 15 tendered premises. In line with the number of points gained, 7 NGOs went onto a reserve list and 9 submitted applications were rejected. As part of the public invitation for applications we provided operational premises to 15 NGOs and individuals, of which the Photon Society and P.A.R.A.S.I.T.E. Institute obtained new exhibition space in the basement of the former municipal building in Šiška. In this way, we have resolved a many-year-long spatial problem of both NGOs, and simultaneously linked their exhibition activities in one location.

The use of premises from the old Šiška local authority has given Ljubljana a new cultural quarter – the Šiška cultural quarter, in which will operate, in addition to the Šiška Cinema Urban Cultural Centre:

- P.A.R.A.S.I.T.E. Institute
- Photon Society
- CCC Institute
- Project Atol Institute
- Emanat Institute
- Divja misel, Institute for non-profit communication
- CONA Institute
- Druga Godba
- Forum Ljubljana
- Ana Monro Theatre Society
- Polonca Lovšin
- Žiga Aljaž
- Pripovedovalski variete Cultural Society
- Ljud Cultural Artistic Society
- Miha Artnak.

In Šiška there is therefore the prospect before us of the birth of an interesting centre which will ripple with creative energy and diverse productions.