Slovenia Archives

A flexi-record about the Postojna Cave from the 1970s.

Eric sent me this truly wonderful find: the Postojnska Jama - Diaphon Souvenir.

It’s an old guided recording through Slovenia’s famous Postojna Cave complete with eerie background music and an unintentionally humorous pronunciation of “stalagmites.”

You can download the mp3 and read more about it here.

(Thanks Eric!)

Danilo Tuerk, Slovenia’s next president. [source]

Yesterday, during an important drinking holiday, Slovenes went to the polls and overwhelmingly voted for former UN diplomat Danilo Tuerk to serve as the country’s next president. The post of president is largely ceremonial in Slovenia, but the race was seen as providing some hints about how next year’s parliamentary elections might go.

And what was the hint? That the current government is in serious trouble. According to unofficial results, Tuerk (who had the backing of the opposition parties) took 70% of the vote.

I’ve always found Slovenian elections to be mysterious; this one was no exception. I’m especially confused by lopsided results like this one. It’s worth pointing out that the country has been chugging along steadily since independence. The economy is growing, people are prospering, and Slovenia is regularly singled out internationally as a post-socialist wunderkind. But still the public seems to suddenly and inexplicably turn on its ruling party with a fierce vengeance that can only be described as surprising.

When I first came here, the LDS was the party in charge. They basically helped steer the country to EU and NATO membership; they even got the economy Euro-ready. These were no small feats — and they were rewarded with such an intense thrashing in the previous election that they virtually don’t exist anymore. They’re currently a splintered party on the sidelines, while the socialists look set to take over next year.

Indeed, the same destiny seems to be waiting for the current government. Obviously opinions vary on its performance, but as a whole the country is prospering and racking up high-profile successes abroad: the EU presidency next year, for example. But opinion polls (and Tuerk’s landslide victory) augur hard times ahead for the center-right.

I’d hate to see what would happen to a Slovenian government during a recession, or God forbid, a depression. Judging by how hard voters treat governments now, I’m guessing there would be rioting involved…

Congratulations to the president-elect!

Back soon…

Austro-Hungarian soldiers in the Alps during World War I. [source]

Foreign media stories about Slovenia usually involve explaining what a cute and quaint country this is and how Ljubljana is like a mini-Prague. But things have been a bit macabre lately:

• Life and death on Slovenia’s forgotten front in the Telegraph is about the 90th anniversary of the Battles of the Isonzo/Soča,

• Slovenia digs up proof of slaughter is a long story about the unearthing of people massacred after the Second World War.

Despite the grim reading, it’s nice to see some stories with actual substance coming from abroad…

(Thanks Les!)

A picture taken in Rogla, Slovenia, yesterday.

We had a very mild winter last year. It “feels like winter passed us by this year,” one bodacious blogger wrote back in March. They even had to cancel the famous Golden Fox slalom in Maribor (in January) because there just wasn’t any snow. If I recall correctly, it didn’t even seriously snow until sometime in March.

I also distinctly remember everyone joking around this time about how wonderful global warming is. “This is the best!” we said as we strolled around outside in the hot sun. Then we all laughed heartily, like this.

But the party seems to have come to an abrupt end this week. Places like Rogla are now entirely underwater (if you count snow as frozen water) and Maribor also got some flurries and snow on Pohorje… And we’re still in October. October! Even the trustworthy professionals behind Casino Is Slovenia, know that:

The winter season in Slovenia begins in December in the period before the Christmas and New Year’s fairs and holidays and lasts until the end of March. — Casino Is Slovenia

They also know that:

Gambling is second nature to Slovenia. — Casino is Slovenia

Unless they’re mistaken, which they’re not, something is wrong. And that means that this winter is going to be hammertime.

More pictures of Rogla yesterday: (who took them?)

(Thanks Miran!)

Click for blurry full size.

It’s always odd to see Slovenian mentioned in places you wouldn’t expect. One of the last places I would ever suspect to see it is the comic strip Cathy, which has been running since I was born. It makes for some serious cognitive dissonance.

(Thanks A. Medved!)

A Slovenian motorcyclist gets run over.

Here’s a rather traumatic video of a Slovenian motorcyclist showing off for some friends before wiping out and then getting bowled over by a Volkswagen. I’ve seen a lot of these quasi-promotional videos (like this) since coming here, but never one that ended so horribly.

One comment on YouTube so far: “Never go to Slovenia.”

Does anyone know anything else about this?

Slovenia’s Ministry of Pain Finance.

According to a recent article in Forbes magazine, Slovenia is the place to be if you love paying taxes and like to do it a lot. If you’re married, earn 200,000 euros/year, and your goal is to give up as much as of your money as possible to the government, Slovenia will oblige you the most.

This slide (featuring a curious choice of picture to represent Slovenia) lists the numbers that make Slovenia #1. The hypothetical married couple earning €200,000 would bring home €86,903 after taxes. This is five thousand euros more than the second most heavily taxed nation: Belgium.

Even worse, as this horrific chart makes clear: Slovenia is at the bottom every time. A single person earning €50,000 in Slovenia also gets hit harder than anyone else. Likewise millionaires.

There doesn’t seem to be much outrage about it. Probably because 95% of people are too busy evading taxes, defrauding the government, or cheerfully working off the books. The other 5% are idiot foreigners like myself, who are just too stupid to join them.

I think it’s also worth mentioning that this is a country whose legendary hero, Martin Krpan, is a tax evader.

You can read the Forbes round-up here.

(Via Capitalism and Freedom)

Predrag’s homework. Click to see full-page version.

Predrag XXXX 4b¹

An event at school

Two weeks ago we had music. The teacher called me to the blackboard because I was talking to my schoolmate Senad. She told me that I have to sing a song that I can do best. I started singing Zašto baš ti moja ikono sa zida [”Why you, my idol, from the wall?” — a Serbian turbofolk song] The teacher stopped me immediately and gave me a note to bring home. When I showed it to my Dad, he started laughing and said: “Sine reci ti njoj da je Mile Kitić car.” [”Son, tell her that Mile Kitić rules.] I said this, and then there was a parent-teacher conference.

Very modest and superficial
and modest, but there’s progress! 1-2²

(Thanks Dejan!)

1. I can’t know for sure if this thing is real or not but I removed the surname regardless. Suffice it to say that, like the first name, it’s also indicative of a Serbian immigrant. Hence the many grammar mistakes and the occasional Serbian words. [back]
2. The American equivalent would be F-D [back]

The label reads “Coca Cola, Fanta, Sprite … brez kosti (without bones)”

(Thanks Barbara!)