respectively, with Graz (Austria) around 130 km away. Velenje is well connected by train and bus to other destinations, and is also easy to reach by car. Culture The Velenje Cultural Center, in the northwestern part of the square, was built in 1959 according to plans by Oton Gaspari, and opened in November 1960. Its façade was decorated with a relief by Stojan Batič, and its interior by Riko Debenjak. The hall was the 1990s center of subcultures in Velenje. Today, it hosts the public institute Velenje Festival, which holds various cultural activities. The hall also houses a puppet theatre and a dance theatre. Economy and education Velenje is one of the strongest economic centers in Slovenia, equipped with modern infrastructure. Economic development is based on the energy, metal-processing, and construction industries. The only operating lignite mine in Slovenia is located immediately west of the city. Environmental protection, craft, and trade services have been experiencing solid development. The city has three large shopping centers. These include Hypermarket Mercator Velenje, Velenjka, and Velenje Shopping Center. Velenje is an employment, administrative, and educational center of the wider Savinja–Šalek region. It has six primary schools, seven secondary/high schools, a university, and a music school. Transportation The drive from Ljubljana takes about one hour. Velenje's city center is relatively easily covered on foot, or by bicycle. Bicycles can be rented from the tourist office in Villa Bianca. There are up to 15 trains per day to Ljubljana and Maribor during the week, all of which require a transfer in Celje and take about 2 to 3 hours. Fares cost between €8 and €13 one-way. There are only four trains on Saturdays, and none on Sundays. Velenje's train station is located just west of the city centre. Velenje's bus station is on Šalek Street (), just east of the Mercator shopping center. There are frequent local and regional buses during the week, with up to five direct buses on weekdays to Ljubljana and up to 22 to Celje. Public city bus transport in Velenje is cost-free. The nearest airport is Ljubljana Airport, with Graz, Klagenfurt, and Zagreb airports relatively nearby. Sports Velenje holds the only long adventure race in Slovenia, called Adventure Race Slovenia, which is known across Europe and is held every weekend in June. It was first held in 2003 by the Lake Dragon Scout Group. The handball club RK Gorenje Velenje and