EMBASSY HISTORY

The first official U.S. presence in Slovenia dates from 1970, when the United States Information Service (USIS) opened a library, press and cultural center in Ljubljana.  The American Center in Ljubljana was one of four USIS posts in the former Yugoslavia and was located in the heart of Ljubljana at Cankarjeva 11.  For almost thirty years, until its closure in 1999, the staff at the American Center in Ljubljana worked to develop closer grassroots relations between the United States and the people of the then-Slovenian Republic of Yugoslavia.

On December 23, 1990, the Slovene people voted to separate from Yugoslavia and on June 25, 1991, the new Republic of Slovenia officially declared its independence from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.  The United States formally recognized the new republic on April 7, 1992 and opened a new Embassy in Ljubljana just four months later on August 25, 1992.  This temporary Embassy was located at Pražakova 4.

A permanent Embassy building was purchased in the mid-1990s and renovations began in 1998.  Assistant Secretary of European Affairs Marc Grossman and U.S. Ambassador to Slovenia Nancy Ely-Raphel opened the new, current Embassy chancery, located at Prešernova 31 in Ljubljana, on December 17, 1999. 

In 2006, the Embassy opened the first American Corner in Slovenia in partnership with the University of Primorska.  The American Corner – Koper, located at  Titov trg 4 in coastal city of Koper, is a cultural and information center established to facilitate co-operation in the fields of education, research and culture.

Location of the U.S. Embassy in Slovenia from 1992 to 1999. Kompas Travel Agency currently occupies the building, at Pražakova 4 in Ljubljana.  (Photo taken June 2006)

Location of the American Center in Ljubljana until its closure in 1999.  A Slovenian political party currently occupies the building, at Cankarjeva 11 in Ljubljana.  (Photo taken May 2006)