The first Fabrika Fest opens a new chapter for the Old Ironworks with the support of the NONA project

Ravne na Koroškem, 24 June 2026 – The first Fabrika Fest, held under the theme "Between the Sparks of the Past and the Ideas of the Future", took place from 21 to 23 June 2026 in Ravne na Koroškem, successfully bringing together culture, science, industrial heritage, and the local community. The festival demonstrated the remarkable potential of the Old Ironworks (Stara železarna) to become a vibrant contemporary cultural and creative hub.

Over the course of three days, nearly 30 events and workshops attracted a large number of visitors, who explored the region's rich industrial heritage alongside contemporary technologies, art, and a wide range of creative activities. The festival connected the key landmarks of Ravne's identity, including Uršlja Mountain, the Old Ironworks, Ravne Castle, and Javornik Manor.

Designed as a platform for connecting different disciplines and generations, Fabrika Fest offered visitors opportunities to participate in robotics and artificial intelligence workshops, discover traditional blacksmithing heritage, visit exhibitions, attend lectures and concerts, and enjoy numerous other activities that transformed the Old Ironworks and other festival venues into lively spaces for creativity, learning, and social interaction. The festival's success was made possible through the collaboration of numerous partners, cultural organisations, educational institutions, businesses, and local associations, all of whom contributed to the inaugural edition.

NONA Capacity Building Seminar Explores Cultural Management, Governance, and Investment for Heritage Spaces

A key professional event of this year's Fabrika Fest was the NONA Capacity Building Seminar, featuring the panel discussion "Cultural Management: How Do We Create Spaces Where Ideas, Creativity, and Development Flourish?"

The seminar brought together experts from the fields of culture, heritage, tourism, education, business, and regional development to exchange knowledge and explore new approaches to the governance, management, and investment of cultural and industrial heritage sites.

The panel featured distinguished Slovenian experts, including Špela Pavli Perko, Director of Delavski dom Trbovlje; Primož Šporar, High-Impact Designer and CEO of FUND 2740; Mateja Hafner Dolenc, Secretary General of the Association of Historic Towns of Slovenia; and Tilen Hudrap, Slovenian musician and ambassador of the Old Ironworks. The discussion was moderated by Zdravko Kozinc, Co-founder of the Iskriva Institute, and was followed by a workshop led by Primož Šporar on innovative investment models for cultural and heritage projects.

As part of the seminar, the NONA partnership also presented the project's objectives, activities, and preliminary results, while the panel served as an evaluation of the Old Ironworks programme and identified recommendations for its future development.

The discussion concluded that successful regeneration of heritage sites depends on long-term vision, active community involvement, cross-sector collaboration, and sustainable governance and investment models. Participants also highlighted the importance of developing a year-round programme for the Old Ironworks and strengthening partnerships with local organisations and young people.

The NONA Capacity Building Seminar was organised within the NONA (New Governance for New Spaces) project, co-funded by the Interreg Danube Region Programme, supporting knowledge exchange and innovative approaches to the sustainable regeneration of cultural and industrial heritage across the Danube Region.