As part of the exhibition UNITED BUDDY BEARS, The Art of Tolerance, there will also be an auction of the Slovenian bear, which was part of the exhibition until this year, when it has been replaced by a new one.

The auction will run until 17 July 2024 at 14:00, with all proceeds going to the Association of Friends of Youth Ljubljana Moste-Polje.

Until 17 July 2024, 145 two-metre bears are on display in Republic Square, holding up their arms to spread friendship and optimism between the countries they represent. Among them is the newly painted Slovenian bear created by young artist Luka Rep.
The previous Slovenian bear, created by artist Marjan Kekec-Ogradni from Ptuj, has been part of the exhibition since 2003, it has travelled around the world and has been in 34 exhibitions on five continents. The bear has now been withdrawn from the exhibition and is currently in the City Hall atrium, awaiting the end of the auction and, with it, a new owner.

The bear is presented in the flyer below, which also contains a QR code you can use to submit your bid. The auction runs until 17 July 2024. We invite you to participate, as we all want to raise as much money as possible for a good cause.

Who will the auction proceeds go to?

All auction proceeds will be donated to the Association of Friends of Youth Ljubljana Moste-Polje, which has worked for almost 70 years to ensure and exercise children's and human rights. They support the healthy and stimulating development of children and adolescents, provide them with positive role models and create opportunities for those children and adolescents who live in difficult social conditions. Their guiding principle is also to draw attention to children's and human rights and to strive to achieve the conditions for a life of dignity for all in our society. The association's core values are cooperation, respect, solidarity and responsibility.
The exhibition in Ljubljana is a collaboration between the City of Ljubljana, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ljubljana and Buddy Bear Berlin, backed by numerous partners and supporters of the project.

• Auction (pdf, 882 KB)