A kiosk designed by Slovenia's greatest architect Jože Plečnik (1872-1957) has officially reopened in Ljubljana's Prešeren Square to give up-and-coming entrepreneurs a boost.

Located next to the Triple Bridge, another of the architect's masterpieces that is a major Ljubljana landmark, the renovated kiosk is one of the three in the capital that are part of Plečnik's legacy.

It used to sell newspapers and cigarettes, but now it will foster innovative ideas and aim to promote products by entrepreneurs who trained under a programme dedicated to meet local challenges, said Lilijana Madjar, head of the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region.

As the winner of an open call published by the city authorities, the agency will be able to use the kiosk for free for five years. During this time, it will be promoting the participants of its project.

The first generation of them includes 78 entrepreneurs, and by the end of 2028 the agency aims to help another 100 participants or more.

The programme is part of the EU Project, My Project, a nationwide campaign run by the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development that is dedicated to the presentation of EU-funded projects.

"The Plečnik kiosk is a multi-purpose kiosk. And it is this multifunctionality of heritage that is the key to its preservation," Rok Žnidaršič, an architect and Ljubljana deputy mayor, said at the 22 April opening ceremony.

The only other applicant in the open call was Z.O.P., an organisation that publishes Outsider, a magazine about architecture, culture and society.

Since 2020, Z.O.P. has been renting another kiosk by Plečnik in Ljubljana, the one located in Vegova Street, to provide a sort of a mini cultural hub.

Jože Plečnik also designed a kiosk in Ljubljana's Vegova Street, just opposite the National and University Library (NUK), also designed by him. Photo: Aleksander Vujović

Standing between the National and University Library building and the Križanke open-air theatre, both of which were also designed by the great architect, that kiosk reopened in 2021 after being restored.

The third kiosk, standing in Croatian Square near the UKC Ljubljana medical centre, is abandoned but may well be restored one day, considering that Plečnik's works in Ljubljana have been included on the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage.