On 9 May 1945 sirens from Ljubljana Castle heralded the arrival of the long-awaited and fiercely-fought for liberation. Today, 9 May is celebrated as a Ljubljana City Holiday.

The month of May is almost upon us, which gets underway with the traditional Mayday bonfire on Rožnik the evening before 1 May – Labour Day. This year, the Mayday bonfire on Rožnik is on 30 April in the evening, and the festivities carry on with participants pinning the traditional red carnations to their chests with the Mayday wake-up call on Tuesday 1 May, which is followed by the Mayday celebration.

The holiday spirit in May continues with the traditional ‘Walk along the Wire’ which takes place from 10 to 12 May. The ‘Walk along the Wire’ represents a healthy, sporty life and is intended for walkers and runners. It follows a 35-kilometre route, where during the Second World War the occupiers surrounded Ljubljana with barbed wire (between 1942 and 1945) in order to disconnect the city from its rural hinterland. Today, the path is a maintained sandy walking and recreational trail leading around Ljubljana that is highly popular among its residents. 

This traditional event, running this year for the 56th time, opens on Thursday 10 May with a walk for the youngest kindergarten toddlers while on Friday 11 May there is a walk for primary and middle school children and Saturday 12 May sees the Path full of hiking lovers and runners in the trio race.

The ‘Walk along the Wire’ is one of the rare sporting-recreational events in Slovenia where it is not necessary to pay an entry fee and is intended for everyone – from the youngest to the oldest, in short all those that are aware of the importance of a healthy lifestyle and would like to enjoy a day in good company and a relaxing atmosphere.

The 56th ‘Walk along the Wire’ will be helped towards a relaxing atmosphere with the associated cultural programme which runs in Congress Square in downtown Ljubljana on Saturday 12 May.

10.30-11.30: Performance by the Partisan Choir
11.30-12.00: Address by Mayor Zoran Janković and announcement of the winners of the trio race.
12.00-13.30: Rock Partyzani

On the City Holiday itself, Wednesday 9 May 2012, there is a gala meeting of Ljubljana City Council at Ljubljana Castle at which Mayor Zoran Janković will bestow the highest awards of the City of Ljubljana.

You can find out more about the 56th ‘Walk along the Wire’ on its official website.