Restored, large-scale tapestries return to Cankarjev Dom

The tapestries, measuring six by four metres, were made specifically for the grand reception hall of Cankarjev Dom, a cultural and convention centre built in 1977-82 to the design of architect Edvard Ravnikar (1907-93).

They were designed by Jože Ciuha from Slovenia, Jagoda Buić from Croatia, Mladen Srbinović from Serbia, Mersad Berber from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Milutin Kostić from Kosovo, Etelka Tobolka from Vojvodina in Serbia and Dimče Nikolov from Macedonia.

Most of the tapestries were made by Dekorativna, the renowned Slovenian textile company at the time. Buić and Tobolka made their tapestries themselves and Tobolka also made Berber's.

After bearing witness to the many events held in the grand hall for four decades, the tapestries needed a through clean-up and restoration, a work conducted by the Belgian company De Wit.

The idea for the tapestries was put forward in 1979 by Zoran Kržišnik, the art historian and critic who headed the commission responsible for decorating the new centre.

The tapestries stand for diversity, originality and indigenousness of cultural heritage of individual nations and ethnicities, which are being fostered by Cankarjev Dom.

"One of the most important values of the European Union today is multiculturalism, which through a broad public invitation for making tapestries was placed into Cankarjv Dom's cradle even before it became operational," said the centre.