Let's save the Plečnik Stadium

Presentation by dr. Miloš Kosec, which illustrates the relationship between the old
and the new - in the red square is Plečnik's gloriette

https://blog.architectuul.com/post/634638690353872896/a-false-dilemma

Let’s Save the Plečnik Stadium

The Plečnik Stadium, together with other Plečnik's architectural works in Ljubljana, was declared a monument of national importance in 2009.Since 2007, the Bežigrad sports park company (BŠP, Bežigrajski športni park) has been trying to develop a colossal business-commercial and hotel complex on the site of the stadium and adjacent plots.The project completely neglects the protection regime for the monument: the original architectural elements planned to be renewed or reconstructed as replicas, would be degraded to a mere decoration of the new commercial colossus. 

A threat to the monument was soon recognised by the domestic and international public (professional and general). The stadium was included on the lists of the most endangered cultural monuments by two international non-governmental organisations – Europa Nostra and DoCoMoMo. In the process of supervision in autumn 2020, the Ministry of Culture established that the positive cultural protection opinion of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia towards the BŠP project was illegal. As a result, a negative cultural protection opinion was issued for the project in February 2021, and in March 2021 the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning refused to issue a building permit for the BŠP project.It seems that now is a good time to save the monument. 

We call on the Olympic Committee of Slovenia (OCS) to withdraw from the BŠP project and leave the homonymous company. According to the environmental principles advocated by the international Olympic movement, OCS should promote proper protection of a cultural monument.

We call on the City of Ljubljana to abandon the inappropriate and harmful project, which does not represent the renovation of a cultural monument and step out of the company BŠP. We propose that, together with the state of Slovenia, it redeems the ownership share of the Elektronček (originally GSA) company and renovates the stadium following the protection regime and professional cultural protection guidelines. The stadium, an important monument of our nation's heritage, must be returned to society as a public good as soon as possible. Once again, the stadium must become part of Plečnik's Ljubljana and a common green open space accessible to all, intended for recreation, sports training, and various outdoor events.

Kaja Lipnik Vehovar 

Arne Vehovar

prof. dr. Aleš Vodopivec

Urša Vrhunc 

prof. mag. Tadej Glažar

dr. Miloš Kosec

Boris Briškidoc.

dr. Nika Grabar

Nena Gabrovec

Anže Zadel

izr. prof. mag. Anja Planišček

prof. dr. Rajko Kenda

Miha Blažič

Miran Mohar

Arjan Pregl

izr. prof. dr. Petra Čeferin

Janez Lajovic

dr. Pavel Gantar

doc. dr. Jela Krečič Žižek

prof. dr Slavoj Žižek

prof. dr. Peter Krečič

prof. dr. Rado Riha

izr. prof. dr. Beti Žerovc

doc. mag. Zora Stančič

Damjan Kozole

prof. dr. Apolonija Šušteršič

Janez Janša

Andrej Rozman Roza

prof. dr. Renata Salecl

Janko Belin

Žiga Pilih

doc. dr. Gorazd Kovačič

doc. dr. Petja Grafenauer

doc. dr. Blaž Lukan

prof. dr. Marko Juvan

 Alen Ožbolt

Danijela Zajc 

Maja Vardjan

prof.dr Svetlana Slapšak

Jernej Prijon

doc. dr. Jana Kenda

red. prof. dr. Boštjan Botas Kenda

Tomaž Štoka

Karmen Stariha

Civilna iniciativa za ohranitev Plečnikovega stadiona v izvirni obliki

Peter Mlakar

Igor Vidmar

doc. dr. Tadej Troha 

dr. Damjan Prelovšek

Janko Rožič

Jernej Kastelic

prof. dr. Mojca Golobič

izr. prof. dr. Tatjana Capuder Vidmar

izr.prof.dr. Sonja Ifko

Arne Vehovar    Contact the author of the petition