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Cultural institutions across Slovenia will open their doors to celebrate what has become know as "The Merry Day of Culture". Marking the birth of Slovenia's poet laureate, France Preseren, access to over 250 cultural events will be made free of charge.

"We hope the open doors project to cause a draft which will force us to think about the creative, developmental and economic power of culture and all planes of dialogue that the culture encourages between people and nations," Culture Minister Majda Sirca said in a press release marking the occasion.

Born on 3 December, Preseren (1800-1849), a poet of the Romantic era, is credited with connecting Slovenian national identity with the Western European cultural milieu.

The day of Preseren's death, 8 February, is officially marked as Slovenia's Culture Day and is a bank holiday.

Preseren's birthday has been celebrated with an open doors day since 2000. The number of participating institutions has been growing rapidly, with 90 taking part in 2005 compared to over 150 institutions this year.

Last year over 40,000 visitors flocked to museums, theatres and galleries to get their cultural fix, according to the Culture Ministry.

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