Renovation of Rafut Park and urgent maintenance works on buildings

Since the virus took our celebration away
(and the wild party that follows the day),
where symbolic awards
could be handed out
and the director would give a speech with a shout,
I have decided (though I shouldn't, perhaps)
– a self-proclaimed poet, filling the gaps –
to take the right to write a few words:

LUZ was born in a world quite different from this,
(by political decree, something many don't miss),
but even today, in a new social frame,
our purpose and mission remain just the same:
to ensure that the highest respect is shown
to the spatial planning system we've grown.

As post-war development was somewhat chaotic,
Ljubljana's growth became rather exotic;
the center of the state was soon in a bind,
how to move forward with progress in mind,
considering ideas and the social plan,
to develop Ljubljana as best as we can.

So at LUZ, architect Šlajmer gathered a crew,
of young experts with a multidisciplinary view.
The mid-term goal was already quite clear:
to make the first urban plan for the city right here.
Since then, LUZ has continued its work twice more:
twenty years later, Ljubljana 2000 was at the door,
and a decade ago, LUZ's work was the base
for the current Municipal Spatial Plan in place.

The first spatial plan set the frame and the way,
so Ljubljana's development would not go astray:
neighborhoods were the next challenge for LUZ,
as the influx of residents gave us the cues
for a comprehensive approach to residential space,
in harmony with nature, at a steady pace.
Compared to today's, those neighborhoods of old
offer better living conditions and comfort, all told.

During this time, LUZ focused its might
on projects that brought all functions to light,
arranging the support that settlements need
to ensure that life and work could succeed,
while at the same time, the will grew strong
to protect the landscape and environment all along.

The renewal of laws in the mid-eighties years
brought a new boom to LUZ, calming all fears,
with the creation of detailed urban documents,
as the most vital spatial implementation instruments.

When the independent Slovenian state was born,
LUZ's status changed, leaving us somewhat torn;
with the market mechanism coming to play,
urban planning changed in a significant way:
the public interest, once the authorities' pride,
was overtaken by the interest on the private side.
LUZ adapted and expanded its scope
to all spatial, building, and landscape hope.
(And LUZ does plenty of other things too,
but time is short to list them for you).
With such an expansion of tasks and of role,
LUZ has completed the full spatial circle and goal:
from urban planning and placement in space
to implementation plans and building the place.

But everyone at LUZ has always been aware
that space is a living organism, requiring care,
composed of countless threads that we find,
which must be precisely and carefully aligned.
In all these decades, fortunately so,
LUZ always knew how to make these threads flow,
creating a concept, a plan, or a chart,
woven like a tablecloth, a fine work of art.
Whether urbanism, roads, or architecture too,
neighborhoods, landscape, or rail passing through,
in all of this, effort and knowledge were shown,
and often the personal dreams of our own.

And in the memory of these dreams, we can see
the greatest wealth that we have, you and me:
all our employees who through LUZ's rooms walked
– whether current or former, or those who once talked –
each one of them at LUZ left a mark.
And this binds us together, like a light in the dark,
to look back at our history, the path we have known,
and the rich legacy each individual has shown.

But it's not always work that keeps us together,
if anyone thought so, in any kind of weather.
The many LUZ gatherings, trips, and the fun,
billiards, cycling races, and competitions won
(with technological support and preparation,
even the virus can't stop our celebration)
and a heap of good will, as everyone knows,
shows who we are, from our heads to our toes:
a diverse, united team, full of youthful energy,
leaving many others in our shadow, in synergy.
And this makes the job at LUZ playful and bright,
making life more interesting and a true delight.

So stop for a moment on this jubilee year,
and look at your work at LUZ with pride and with cheer;
give a kind thought to your colleagues today,
so we may enjoy our shared company in every way.

Now I should say: whatever will be, will be,
come on LUZ team, let's reach a century!
But there's no need to rush, let the future appear.
We'll see each other again in the tenth year!

p.s.
This is for Management: when we return, don't forget the party!