In some circles in Slovenia the name Autonomous Cultural Center Metelkova City is considered to be almost a synonym of squatting. Although Metelkova was not the first public squat, it definitely remains the oldest of those still around. Drawing comparisons with the international squatting movement, the squatter community in Metelkova is analyzed on different levels: to what extent it nurtures the culture of squatting, and what was and remains the role that Metelkova plays in a wider Slovenian context in terms of developing and sustaining the squatting culture. The article ends with the conclusion that the squatter movement in Metelkova (and elsewhere in Slovenia) has so far failed to fully develop, nurture and maintain strict guidelines and principles, and that this can be attributed to the lack of squatting tradition, the large number of people involved in the project, and the internal division among them on the legalization issue.
