MGLC Švicarija

In 1835, the Casino Association of Ljubljana opened a place of amusement with a guest house for its members on the hill above Tivoli Mansion. When the Austrian Marshal Joseph Radetzky resided in the Mansion, he had a Swiss-style house, the Schweizerhaus, built next to the guest house. In 1908, the guest house was demolished and replaced by Tivoli Hotel, drafted by architect Ciril Metod Koch, which became a popular destination and a famous meeting place for Ljubljana's citizens, artists and bohemians. Before the Second World War, the sculptor Ivan Zajec set up his studio in one of the rooms of the former hotel. After the end of the war, other important Slovenian sculptors followed suit and Švicarija became the cradle of post-war Slovenian sculpture. Today, MGLC Švicarija, which has operated under the auspices of the International Centre of Graphic Arts since 2017, brings together many national and international artists with a good number of residential and work studios as well as a diverse public programme and has become the new cultural, educational and social hub of Ljubljana.