he chamber of the National Council (the Small Hall of the Slovenian Parliament) was renovated in 2019. It is home to the National Council, as well as serves as a back-up hall for sessions of the National Assembly and hosts other events, especially those which integrate the civil society into the work of the Slovenian Parliament, for instance public consultations, seminars, conferences, educational courses, presentations of opinions, and other events.
The appearance of the renovated chamber incorporates three motifs: the ear of grain, its ripening, and the chaff riddle. As the upper chamber of the Slovene Parliament, the National Council is a corrective and can be symbolised as a “sieve and riddle”, as it itself symbolically sifts laws passed by the National Assembly.
The renovation preserved the key characteristics of the chamber: it continues to slope down towards the table of the president, it is flanked by balconies on both sides which are intended for visitors, the media, and interpreters, as well as continues to eschew sharp edges. Similarly, original elements have been preserved to a great degree. The conservation and restauration work undertaken on the chamber sought to preserve as much as possible especially its wooden elements: the ash-wood panels and doors, the cornices, and the pear-wood fluted vertical cladding next to the windows.
The chamber of the National Council is located on the ground floor of the parliamentary building on Šubičeva street. Before the renovation, the chamber had 120 seats, but only 90 remain today. The new tables are covered with oak veneer, while the seats are made from white leather. The chamber also boasts a new conference and voting system, television cameras, and displays.
The renovated chamber of the National Council will certainly ensure a great technical and habitable contribution to the work of the National Council and its other activities relating to the civil society.