The Slovenian pavilion’s pyramid design, based on a dynamic geometric pattern, is reminiscent of the country's landscape – Alpine mountains, the Pannonian Plain and Mediterranean hills melding into arable lands with a vast underground labyrinth of Karst caves featuring abundant stalactites and stalagmites. The pavilion is made of natural materials – wood and glass. Slovenia is one of the most densely forested countries in Europe, making wood a strategic raw material. Slovenia also boasts exceptional historical heritage. For example, the world’s oldest known wooden wheel with an axle was found in Slovenia. Our 5200 years old, it is older than the Egyptian pyramids and the Mayan civilisation.
The story of Slovenia is the story of love of nature. Its name – SLOVEnia – even has the English word "love" running through it! The story of "Five buckwheat grains to preserve GREEN, ACTIVE and HEALTHY Slovenia" will be presented to visitors to the Slovenian pavilion through interactive and multimedia features. We hope that a visit to the Slovenian pavilion will promote awareness that small steps enable us all to do some good for ourselves, for Slovenia and for Earth. Visitors will be presented with five buckwheat grains, symbolising the five senses of the national brand slogan "I Feel Slovenia". Traditionally cultivated in Slovenia, buckwheat is a particularly healthy grain, an important crop for consumers, farmers and even bees. Slovenia will be presented through five main themes: salt pans, bees, thermal and mineral waters, hiking and cycling, and the measurement of black carbon particles.
Salt
Salt greatly improves the taste of food. Unground and unrefined Piran salt is a gift from the sea that is harvested on a daily basis from the ancient salt fields in the heart of a protected regional park. Slovenian salt pans are one of a few in the world where salt is produced manually in accordance with traditional customs and procedures dating back to the 14th century. Thanks to substrate biosediment, Piran sea salt is the only salt in Europe which is naturally sweet and white. The fields of “white gold” also hide the salt blossom, hand collected virgin salt which captures the most primal taste of the sea with all its minerals. The quality of the salt blossom' surpasses even the world's most prized varieties of “la fleur de sel”. And if salt was once a strategically important commodity, today it is used in cooking, cosmetics and eco-tourism in Slovenia. The latest hit is wellness in the salt fields with the beneficial effects of mud and sea brine from the salt pans.
Bees
In Slovenia, beekeeping is a way of life. Symbolising a healthy and vibrant planet, bees have a special status in Slovenia. The country is home to the indigenous Carniolan gray bee - the second most widespread bee breed in the world, which is used in the production of honey on all continents. Nowhere in the world are such splendid dwellings for bees constructed as those in Slovenia, where beehives feature painted and illustrated panels, and where more than 10,000 of them represent a world-class unique piece of heritage. Due to their innovativeness, Slovenian beekeepers are also the global pioneers of sustainable tourism with bees. In special Slovenian beehives, you can relax your body and soul to the sound of buzzing bees while enjoying a honey massage.
Hiking and biking
A healthy diet and exercise are part of a healthy lifestyle. As a land of green holidays, Slovenia offers opportunities for a variety of activities throughout the seasons. Hiking and biking are a popular way of discovering the diversity of Slovenia’s regions. They are also the inspiration of many athletes who achieve excellent results to rank Slovenia as one of the most successful countries in the world in terms of number of medals per capitaat Winter and Summer Olympic Games. We invite you to live your adrenaline-inspired dreams by cycling through the labyrinth of abandoned tunnels under Mount Peca, discovering millions of years of history in the most famous tourist cave in the world in Postojna, riding the white Lipizzaner horses indigenous to Slovenia, and to experience canyoning and rafting in the emerald Soča River, one of the most beautiful alpine rivers in Europe.
Thermal and mineral waters
Slovenia is a country of beneficial waters. Not only is its water healthy and drinkable, but the country also bottles mineral water containing the richest source of magnesium in the world. Waters in Slovenia are also a source of adventure. Slovenia has 87 natural thermal springs and the globally unique black thermal water, known as “black gold”. Spa tourism and relaxation in wellness centres are among the most popular way to spend vacations in Slovenia.
Black carbon
To show its awareness of the importance of sustainable development and green technologies for the preservation of our planet's future, Slovenia will present the results of the project “Adventure for Science” at the Milan Expo 2015. Matevž Lenarčič, the world’s best pilot in 2013, measured concentrations of black carbon in the atmosphere with the help of an innovative high-tech ultralight plane produced by Slovenian company Pipistrel and measuring technology developed by another Slovenian company. Together with CO2, black carbon is the largest cause of global warming, but in the form of solid particles, can be efficiently removed from the environment at a relatively low cost. The flight spanning 91,000 kilometres and crossing all seven continents, three oceans and 60 countries in 369 hours, is a unique achievement in the world. As part of the project, measurements were also taken in places as remote and inaccessible as the North Pole.
Slovenia’s presentation will take place in its pavilion of 800 m2, while the entire area of the Slovenian plot is 1,910 m2 and in an excellent position, since it is at the centre of activity at the crossroads of two main streets at the venue and very close to the Italian pavilion.
Lumar IG d. o. o. was selected as the contractor to build the Slovenian pavilion, while the architects SoNo arhitekti d. o. o. were selected to design it.
Architects: SoNo Arhitekti
Authors: Edvard Blažko architect,
Marko Volk architect,
Nina Tešanović architect,
Nejc Batistič architect,
Samo Radinja architect,
Matija Kocbek art director,
Tomaž Bavdež landscape designer
Civil engineer : CBD
Mechanical engineer : Biro ES
Building contractor: Lumar IG
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