There is hardly a Slovenian unfamiliar with Ciril Kosmač’s novel The Balad of a Trumpet and a Cloud; that’s one of the reasons the blue sign by the road leading from Portorož through Beli Križ in the direction of Piran is bound to catch the attraction of those driving by, as the blue sign behind the shrubbery hides rich history. Those unfamiliar with the novel are intrigued by the name itself. The building used to be the Home of Writers, while today enterprising young men preserve tradition, spicing it with a pinch of modern times.

“The idea to turn the Home of Writers into a hostel came by coincidence. I had rented the neighboring house, which had no parking space, so I contacted the Society of Slovenian Writers asking their permission to park there. As it turned out, they had been looking for someone to manage the house, and we made a deal. The house basically remained the Home of Writers, as writers have priority over other guests. But as there is not enough writers to fill the house, we decided to start advertising it on various web sites as a hostel," Luka Mrdakovič, the head of the hostel, explained their decision to open a hostel. "After checking the house we soon realized that turning it into a hostel would be the most sensible thing to do. The house has ten rooms, 25 beds, a communal kitchen and living room, and three bathrooms," he elaborated.

"We want our hostel to become an oasis of good mood and well-being"
"The house was in a state of disrepair when we came. We changed all the windows and doors, demolished and renovated the bathrooms, arranged a reception office and fixed up a nice little bar… We didn’t interfere much with the surroundings – we repaired the benches, took care of the meadow behind the hostel, hung hammocks, added a ping-pong table and a badminton net. We try to be nice to all our guests. We would like to expand our services, but above all we want our hostel to become an oasis of good mood and well-being," Luka explained, and said that their guests can really feel at home in their hostel.

In the past the house had many purposes, for a time it even served as a brothel
The Home of Writers is an interesting building. Its walls must had learned many secrets, and the intention was to preserve the spirit of the writers after renovation. "We paid tribute to writers also by naming the hostel after the novel The Ballad of a Trumpet and a Cloud by Ciril Kosmač, as Kosmač lived and worked not far from here," Luka explained. In the past Slovenian and Czech writers used to visit the house, and Luka is convinced that a vast number of literary works of art have been created there. Are there any interesting stories about the house? "The writers told us that the house used to serve as a brothel for some time. A person claims that even Benito Mussolini used to visit the house several times, but I am not so sure that that story is genuine," Luka said, laughing.

Comparative advantage – a parking space of their own
And how do they differ from other hostels? "A Hostel is intended for those who want low prices, and new acquaintances. The most important part of a hostel are community rooms where people meet, and get to know each other. Our advantages are a large living room, communal kitchen, and a nice bar with a terrace. We are among the few in the municipality offering to our guests free parking spaces," Luka explained. It is a great comparative advantage, as the price of parking in the Piran parking garage is 17 euros per day. The location is perfect as well – close enough to Piran, Portorož and Fiesa, thus allowing guests to walk there, yet far enough for them to enjoy peace and quiet in the nature.

Brina Tomovič
Translated by G. K.