Creative handicraft workshops

When you visit their workshops and studios, you’ll be inspired by their passion for old trades. And that’s not all. As you take part in a workshop you’ll become an artisan yourself, and create your own tangible memento of Ljubljana and this unique experience.

Visit Ljubljana’s artisans: the last umbrella repairer in the city, a weaver, printer, the only goldsmith and silversmith in the country, or a potter. They’ll make sure that while you learn about these traditional crafts, some of which are the oldest in Slovenia, you’ll also have a lot of fun. Come by yourself, as a pair or a group. Join a workshop during your stay in Ljubljana or for a special occasion, to make the day even more memorable.

Is your favourite umbrella damaged, but you can’t bear to throw it away? Or would you just like to know how Marija Lah, the only umbrella-repair woman in Ljubljana, has kept alive an almost sixty-year-old family trade that’s now rare in the world, in a time of disposable mass consumerism? She can be visited at her workshop in the old town centre, which glows with the patina of decades past. Discover this interesting trade through the colourful stories of this remarkable artisan. Even better, you can try your own hand at mending an umbrella and so stay safe from the rain for a long time to come.

A word about the artisan:

Marija Lah is the last practitioner of a trade that was started almost sixty years ago by her father. She’s an interesting storyteller, and as she tells you about the workshop’s family history it will come to life and captivate you. Her infectious enthusiasm for the work she does will both inspire your interest in her craft and make you want to try to mend an umbrella yourself.

Have you ever considered how much work and how many professions were needed, just a few decades ago, to print a single book? How were letters put on paper? What did they look like? How many letters were needed to print a single page in a book? What kind of printing methods and devices were used? You can find the answers to all these questions and more in a workshop at the old print shop, and by actually printing a poster yourself. The artisan will show you how to use a printer’s letters and inks, how a simple printing press works, and how to print a unique image or text that will remind you of this special experience for years to come.

A word about the artisan:

Marko Drpić, the founder and manager of Studio tipoRenesansa, the only relief printmaking studio in Slovenia, has more than twenty years of experience in calligraphy instruction, letter carving in stone, and design and print workshops. He has developed teaching courses for various age groups, and gives lectures and runs workshops at a number of universities. He’s a great storyteller and an inspiring teacher.

How often do you get the chance to poke around the drawers of an old printshop? During this experience, you can mix your own printing inks and discover quirky old presses as you learn how to prepare wooden printing letters to create a poster or the front cover of a pocket book. The printmaker will teach you how to prepare printing ink and help you understand how a simple printing press works. For a few hours, you can become a paper-feeding assistant, printmaker or even a quality supervisor.

A word about the artisan:

Marko, the founder and manager of Studio tipoRenesansa, the only relief printmaking studio in Slovenia, has more than 20 years of experience in teaching calligraphy, letter carving in stone, and design & print workshops. He has developed teaching courses for various age groups, and gives lectures and runs workshops at a number of universities.

How would you go about getting clothes, if you found yourself in, let’s say, the 17th century? You’d sit down at the loom and first weave the cloth, most likely from flax, hemp or wool in Slovenia. Weaving used to be a widespread craft on Slovene territory, with a loom in almost every household. Now you can weave your own cloth in Ljubljana in one of the rare weaving studios that still remains. This is where you can learn the basics of hand weaving by trying it yourself and creating a unique souvenir from Slovene wool.

A word about the artisan:

The experience is led by the seasoned weaver Mojca Tomšič. She has been working with her school friend Barbara Lapuh for almost twenty years at the Slovene Ethnographic Museum (SEM) weaving studio, twisting threads into wonderful fabrics. Together they fashion the resulting textiles into unique products, from wallets, purses, handbags and bags, to shawls, wraps, tablecloths, rugs and blankets.

This is a rare opportunity to enter the exquisite world of a goldsmith’s and silversmith’s precious art. He will take you on the exciting journey of making hand-crafted jewellery as you discover precious metals such as gold and silver, and the melting, purifying, forging and rolling processes. This will result in a bar of silver ready to be worked into remarkable jewellery. You can also do some of the work yourself.

A word about the artisan:

Johann Christoph Steidl Porenta is the only goldsmith and silversmith in Slovenia. In his Zlato runo (Golden Fleece] studio near the Križanke complex, you can admire his exceptional creations, from jewellery to sculptures, which reveal the artisan’s boundless imagination. They are inspired by nature or events and stories that resonate with him. The artisan trained as a goldsmith and silversmith at the workshops of the Benedictine monastery in Würzburg, and has lived and worked in Ljubljana for several decades.

The power of love is infinite, just like a circle. And a circle is embodied in a ring. If you wish to present your love in a ring, whether it’s romantic, among friends or family, you can do so in this unique workshop led by a master jeweller.

The work will be carried out in pairs. The artisan will help you choose the shape and finish of a silver ring, and carefully guide you through the whole process, from preparing a silver bar for the ring to applying the finishing touches. And don’t worry – if you have any problems then the artisan will be there to lend a hand. Whatever happens, you’re guaranteed to end up with a unique memento: a ring created with love.

A word about the artisan:

Johann Christoph Steidl Porenta is the only goldsmith and silversmith in Slovenia. In his Zlato runo (Golden Fleece) studio near the Križanke complex, you can admire his exceptional creations, from jewellery to sculptures, which reveal the artisan’s boundless imagination. They are inspired by nature or events and stories that resonate with him. The artisan trained as a goldsmith and silversmith at the workshops of the Benedictine monastery in Würzburg, and has lived and worked in Ljubljana for several decades.

Sit behind the potter’s wheel in pairs and get creative! This will be more fun and easier, as you can help each other tame and shape the clay on the wheel. Together, you’ll create a unique cup from Slovene clay.

This experience is a remarkable opportunity for couples, families and friends to spend their free time in an active way as well as discover one of the oldest crafts in the world. It also has a long history in Slovenia and, as you’ll find out at the Slovene Ethnographic Museum (SEM) pottery studio, where the workshop takes place, there’s still a huge amount of interest in the craft today, among all generations.

A word about the artisan:

The SEM pottery studio is led by the academy-trained sculptor and ceramic designer Eva Peterson Lenassi and her associates. The studio, which also serves as a sales gallery and classroom, is dedicated to clay work, training, experimental and research work, the making and showcasing of earthenware, demonstrations of traditional pottery and small-batch art production.

Do you know that clay can dance? When you sit at the potter’s wheel and try to work it into a cup, your hands are sure to make it dance. However, you’ll have to tame it before it jiggles out of control. And with careful hands you’ll end up with a nice cup on the wheel. Just like the process itself, every product created in the Slovene Ethnographic Museum (SEM) pottery studio is unique. So why not come along and try your hand at pottery making?

Make a date with clay and the potter’s wheel!

A word about the artisan:

The SEM pottery studio is led by the academy-trained sculptor and ceramic designer Eva Peterson Lenassi and her associates. The studio, which also serves as a sales gallery and classroom, is dedicated to clay work, training, experimental and research work, the making and showcasing of earthenware, demonstrations of traditional pottery and small-batch art production.