History

A Short chronology

The building of Cankarjev dom was undoubtedly the biggest cultural investment of the last century:

•    as late as April 1977, the pit in the middle of the enclosed construction site, which had not seen any change in over ten years, still wasn’t showing any signs of materializing the dream of a cultural centre;

•    on 11 May 1977, an initiatory committee was formed and the IZITR began to prepare plans, under the leadership of Professor Edo Ravnikar; archaeologists moved to the construction site; potential founders started having discussions about money and financing;

•    in summer 1977, a social agreement on construction and financing was prepared and the operative panel met every Monday at 18:00 in the Ljubljanska banka building;

•    in autumn, the main works were allocated amongst investors and the arduous struggle of raising funds began; the programme and other committees of the operative panel were already working at full blast;

•    a social agreement on the construction and financing of the Ivan Cankar Cultural Institution was signed on 15 January 1978, despite a prohibition on investment in social activities which had arrived from Belgrade. Engines finally started roaring on the construction site on 26 January 1978; the republic and the city ardently searched for construction funds;

•    in the spring of 1980, the first cultural and congress events were held in Linhart hall. Previously, the Kulturni dom Ivan Cankar working organisation was established; Miran Kert was its first Director General, Marjan Javornik the first Programme Director, and Igor Lampret his deputy. Despite major disagreements, Božena Zakrajšek brought over the majority of the then congress team from Kompas Magistrat. The institution also employed Sašo Kranjc and Jana Kramberger. The former became the Technical Department Director and the latter the Corporate Services Director in 1982 – both have successfully performed their functions till this day;

•    by September 1982, when Mitja Rotovnik became Director General, all of the four central halls had been completed (except for the stage of the largest one, Gallus Hall, which had to wait two more years before staging its first event). For this reason, in 1982 the concert of the Slovenian Philharmonic was performed in front of the iron curtain, other art and cultural events were also held on three makeshift stages in front of the iron curtain until 1984.

In the middle of the seventies a bright and courageous idea was born: the dream of a modern centre which would offer audiences a considerably improved experience of top quality cultural events, larger conventions, scientific meetings, educational activities, commercial presentations and social gatherings, whilst at the same time providing creators and organisers with a more modern base for the development and execution of their activities. The idea came to life and prospered... Investment in the construction of Cankarjev dom, with its constant multi-faceted creative activities, surpassed even the most optimistic expectations and forecasts. The pleasant environment and the Centre’s technologically outstanding equipment made it the central meeting point and scene of various cultural and artistic creators as well as scientific, political and economic services. 

The creators and constructors of Cankarjev dom looked at similar institutions abroad in their search to the answer of how many years it would take for visitors and organisers to accept and get to know all the dimensions of Cankarjev dom. But the wider the Centre’s doors opened during the construction period, the more they were surprised by the response of people, who had been sorely lacking such a centre for so many years. One of the reasons for Cankarjev dom’s popularity was undoubtedly the unique and unusual structure of its programme, architecture, function and administration.

The genesis of Cankarjev dom first appeared in an idea that was proposed on 14 November 1975, during a sitting of a committee for the celebration of Ivan Cankar’s centenary, led by Mitja Ribicic. From that time on the Socialist union, cultural communities, the Municipality of Ljubljana, as well as other municipalities, republic bodies, businesses, administrative offices and the media hosted lengthy discussions about the idea, programme and financial opportunities of such a cultural centre. Public opinion was firmly in favour of construction.

The genesis of Cankarjev dom first appeared in an idea that was proposed on 14 November 1975, during a sitting of a committee for the celebration of Ivan Cankar’s centenary, led by Mitja Ribicic. From that time on the Socialist union, cultural communities, the Municipality of Ljubljana, as well as other municipalities, republic bodies, businesses, administrative offices and the media hosted lengthy discussions about the idea, programme and financial opportunities of such a cultural centre. Public opinion was firmly in favour of construction.

On such a basis, between 14 April and 19 May 1977, the competent republic, municipal and city organs and companies confirmed an agreement on the construction, the programme, the project plan and the working bodies for the realisation of the project.

Besides the Republic of Slovenia and the City Municipality of Ljubljana, the participation of Radio-Television Ljubljana, Ljubljanska banka, Iskra, Emona Ljubljana and PTT Ljubljana was extremely important. An Investment Fund established for the construction of Revolution Square (Trg revolucije) also complemented the programme and the planned opportunities of the centre.

In 1977, about 300 of the most distinguished cultural, technical and other experts cooperated in the participants’ committee on the arrangement of Cankarjev dom construction and financing, committees and other bodies for the construction of the centre. New, similarly excellent workers joined them in the project later on. It is especially worth mentioning that the entire team of working bodies worked without payment, even in the most sensitive and intensive periods of construction. In the first 18 months, construction management employed only three staff.

Five versions of the programme scheme were prepared. Nine locations for the centre were proposed in various parts of Ljubljana. The most important suggestions were published for discussion, some even in 50 000 to 70 000 copies. During the construction, 35 of the most important Slovenian and foreign companies prepared suggestions for individual technical solutions. All the works and equipment orders were submitted as invitations to tenders, or with calls for works.

At the beginning of construction, the Cankarjev dom working organisation was established, and over all of its 20 years it has performed priceless work by preparing programmes, training personnel and managing the centre. In 1982, Mitja Rotovnik, who had been the head of the programme committee for construction, became the Director General of Cankarjev dom.

Several hundred workers, technicians, engineers, and over two hundred companies who took part in project, construction, installation and craft works, constructed the centre in three years.

It was the mid-seventies and renowned Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache was about to conduct the Slovenian Philharmonic orchestra. He raised his arms, and then lowered them. Then he did it again. After the first time, he even turned towards the audience with an annoyed look on his face. Unfortunately, it was to no avail: the chairs in the hall were old and vigorously creaked with each of the spectators’ movements. Finally, the audience somewhat calmed down and the concert began. In those days, the Slovenian Philharmonic always held two concerts at the same time: the first one on the stage and the second one being the creaking of the wooden chairs, since it was impossible to sit motionless throughout an entire performance.

The next day, Dragiša Ognjanovic and Marjan Gabrijelcic held a luncheon in honour of the conductor, to which I was invited. When Celibidache was told that I represented the cultural politics of Ljubljana, he attacked me so ferociously that I still remember that meeting till this very day. We should be ashamed, he pointed out, that we have such a small and badly maintained hall with creaking chairs! He couldn’t understand, he added, how the cultural politics in Ljubljana could be so disdainful towards music. He described Slovenia as provincial and assured me that we wouldn’t live to see him or his orchestra again.

Certain events make you think: they can burden or mark a person for his/her whole life. That meeting with the famous conductor was one such event. Even though I slinked away from that lunch as a dejected puppy, his words provoked me to such a degree that I became much more active in, critical of and even intolerant towards the conditions that were at that time determining the Ljubljana cultural community and the Cultural Council of the SZDL (Socialist Alliance of the Working People).

Mitja Rotovnik, from the uvodnik (editorial) 20 x 365, Spominski zbornik Cankarjevega doma ob 20-letnici, Ljubljana, 13 May 2000

A few basic facts

Head architect of the project:
prof. Edo Ravnikar 

Managers of investment:
the committee of participants in the social arrangement on construction and financing of the Ivan Cankar Cultural Centre (president Mitja Ribicic); Operative panel for construction (presidents: Janez Zemljaric,1977–81; Borut Miklavcic, 1981–85).

Contractors:
SCT, Gradis, IMP, Iskra, Slovenijales, Ljubljana public enterprises for distribution of electric energy and public utility companies, Institute for Research of Material and Construction as well as Investment Fund for the Construction of the Revolution Square – more than 200 companies altogether. 

Investment cost:
EUR 53.5 million

Surface area:
36 000 sq. m

Construction of the Gallus Hall organ:
Karl Schuke, Berlin, Germany

Creator of the Ivan Cankar monument:
sculptor Slavko Tihec (monument unveiled on 10 May 1982)

© Cankarjev dom

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