Hostel CELICA is an artistically renovated former prison turned into a hostel situated in the centre of Ljubljana. You can experience to sleep in one of 20 artistically renovated former cells with bars on the door and on the window. It's up to you: spend 20 nights in 20 different cells and DISCOVER your favourite! Looking for other types of rooms? Hostel Celica also offers multi-bed rooms (4, 5, 7 beds per room) with bathroom, dormitory (12 beds) with a male and a female bathroom, wheelchair friendly room for up to 2 physically challenged + 1 accompanying person, with wheelchair adjusted bathroom. Rates include: overnight, breakfast, sheets & towels, free WiFi, VAT and tourist tax. Free facilities and services: Luggage room, guests' kitchen, safety deposit box, Book exchange, Rent–a–boardgame, City maps & information, Book a bed in other hostels. The hostel offers also Free 30 minutes internet in its cyber point! Additional minutes are to be paid. The bar of Hostel Celica is open from 7AM to midnight, on Tuesdays and Fridays to 1AM. It provides hot & cold drinks - coffee, cappuccino, latte macchiato, teas, freshly squeezed juices; alchohol & promotions - local & imported beer, wines, absinthe, agwa, cocktails & shooters; SHISHAS; also check out the cultural program. The restaurant has a-la-carte menu but also serves snacks and a lot of other tempting meals. Hostel Celica is perfect for events such as press conferences, business meetings, lectures, workshops, seminars etc. We also provide seminar catering. Hostel CELICA is situated in the heart of Ljubljana, just 300m from the central railway and bus station and approximately 700m from the city center (Preseren Square and old town). HOW TO FIND US? FROM CENTRAL TRAIN & BUS STATION: 5 minute walk/2 minute drive. Follow the blue street signs "Hostel Celica". FROM AIRPORT: 35 minute drive. Take a bus, shuttle or taxi to the Central Bus and Train station. Then follow the blue street signs "Hostel Celica". FROM LJUBLJANA RING HIGHWAY: exit at Ljubljana Center. Follow signs to the Central Bus and Train station. Then follow the blue street signs "Hostel Celica".

Hostel Celica is situated in a building that used to be a military prison, dating back to 1883, the age of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Later on, as Yugoslavia was formed, the prison came into the hands of Yugoslav Federal Army, where it remained until 1991 when Slovenia claimed its independence. After Slovenian troops defeated the Yugoslav federal army in the 10-day independence war, the military barracks were left empty. The initiative Mreza za Metelkovo (Metelkova Network) aimed to convert the barracks into a multicultural centre and applied to formally gain the emptied space. However, the procedure of was extremely slow and it took over two years. In 1993 the Metelkova Network were fed up with waiting and demanded that the City authorities enable them to move in that same year. The City’s answer to the requests of the Metelkova Network came when the demolishing of the former military barracks began. To prevent the demolishing, a group of approximately 200 Metelkova Network supporters occupied the buildings and virtually protected them with their bodies. Various independent artists later squatted the buildings. Metelkova Network thereby became even firmer, so the city authorities turned off the water and the electricity to make them leave. Gradually many people did leave due to the unbearable conditions, but the most persistent stayed. A group of them, including Janko Rozic, architect, were joined in the Sestava Society with the idea to turn the former prison that used to confine people into an open and welcoming place, a meeting point for international travelers. The project was later financially supported by the City of Ljubljana and the Student Organization of the University of Ljubljana. The creative planning, renovation and transformation took 10 years and during that time, more than 80 artists from all over the world participated in the project. The first travelers spent the night in Hostel Celica in 2003.