Ljubljana opens permanent exhibition in former communist secret police cells

The Study Centre for National Reconciliation (SCNR) has opened a permanent exhibition titled ‘In the Shadow of Beethovnova’ in Ljubljana. The exhibition is located within the former prison cells of the secret political police, which were used to detain opponents of communist totalitarianism.

Minister of Justice Mihael Zupančič and SCNR Director Tomaž Ivešić officially inaugurated the site. During the opening, Zupančič emphasized the distinction between a rule of law and arbitrary power, noting that these spaces demonstrate what happens when law is used as a tool for political retribution rather than justice.

The exhibition is the result of several years of research and follows the restoration of the building, which occurred in 2018 and 2019. The cells were part of a broader system of penal institutions that operated in Ljubljana from the end of World War II until the mid-1950s. The public will be able to visit the exhibition starting October 1.