Between 17 and 19 April 2026, the Open House Slovenia (OHS) architectural festival will take place across the country, inviting visitors for the 17th consecutive year to explore high-quality Slovenian architecture. This year’s edition, titled All Scales of Architecture, offers more than 100 free guided tours of architectural projects – including in Novo mesto and the wider Southeast Slovenia region.
At the heart of the festival is the direct experience of space – visitors do not observe architecture only from the outside, but enter it, experience it, and understand it through light, materials, and everyday use. The festival encourages reflection on how we build and coexist, while opening a dialogue about the future of our built environment.
Eight projects in Southeast Slovenia
Eight projects will be open to visitors in Southeast Slovenia, including locations in Kostanjevica na Krki, Žužemberk, Mirna Peč and Novo mesto:
- Hidden corners of the former Cistercian monastery in Kostanjevica na Krki (Saturday, 18 April, 3:00 pm)
- Renovation of the Auersperg ironworks in Dvor near Žužemberk (Sunday, 19 April, 10:00 am)
- Mokri Potok eco village (Sunday, 19 April, 11:00 am)
- Kozjek House (Saturday, 18 April, 10:30 am and 11:30 am) near Mirna
- Ribnica Urban Centre (Sunday, 19 April, 2:00 pm)
- Comprehensive renovation of the Cultural Centre Črnomelj (Saturday, 18 April, 11:00 am)
- Permanent exhibition at the Tone Pavček Museum (Sunday, 19 April, 10:00 am) in Mirna Peč
- Srebrniče Cemetery (Saturday, 18 April, 11:00 am) in Novo mesto
Cemetery Srebrniče: Architecture of a space of remembrance
Among the local projects, Srebrniče Cemetery stands out as a thoughtful and subtle architectural interpretation of a space of remembrance.
It was designed by Dušan Ogrin, Davorin Gazvoda and collaborators. The site is structured along a clearly defined axis that leads visitors from the urban environment into the forest and towards an area of calm. The architectural composition includes an entrance building with supporting functions and a central farewell facility with chapels, arranged in a rhythm of light, shadow and green atriums. A distinctive feature is the wooden screen, which subtly separates the public area from the more intimate space of farewell, while light filtering through the tree canopies creates a sense of tranquillity and lightness.
Applications for the tour via link.
Photographs by Miran Kambič.
Registration and voting
All tours are free of charge. Advance booking is required and will be available from 8 April onwards via the OHS festival website. Visitors will also be able to vote for the best projects in several categories as part of the OHS Award, with voting opening on 17 April.
More information via link.
The Open House Slovenia festival once again confirms that quality architecture is not distant or reserved for professionals – it is part of everyday life, including in the local environment of the Dolenjska region.