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 Mreža 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 Rožič, 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.