Hostel Celica, Slovenia: Former military jail turned hedonistic hostel

Precious things usually have an unlikely existence, true beauty a dark underbelly and intriguing places have often been fought for. In Slovenia's capital of Ljubljana stands a former military jail where many inmates were political prisoners incarcerated, under an oppressive communist government, for speaking out on human rights issues. That building is now Hostel Celica, where everyone is welcome regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, religious beliefs or their sexual identity or orientation.

But the past hasn't been entirely expunged; you can still sleep in a cell.

Celica (pronounced see-LIT-zah) is the Slovenian word for cell and the structure's utilitarian shape and barred windows broadcast its original function. But exterior walls are now painted in bands of strong warm colours and, interiorly, a lot has changed too.

There's a cafe restaurant with sunroom seating, communal room and kitchen, lounge, art gallery and a place for meditation and prayer. Bedrooms built into the attic are for those who aren't fully committed to simulating incarceration, while 20 prison cells on the first floor are now two-bed and three-bed rooms.

Each renovated cell – the work of Slovenian, Swedish, Italian, French, Argentinean, American artists and designers on a budget of €2600 a space – is conceptually, creatively and physically distinctive. One has Leonard Cohen poetry on the walls, another represents the human eye. There are clay figures under a glass floor in 119, all the furniture in 101 was bought second-hand at markets and the round window in 110 is a reminder of past demolition attempts. Cell 118 has been restored to Yugoslav prison style with authentic beds from the era.

But Celica's story isn't the typical bargain-priced derelict building repurposed by financially advantaged outsiders with zero interest in the existing community. The symbolism of turning something oppressive and restrictive into a place of positive opportunity is taken very seriously by the hostel, as are its responsibilities to the local area.

Celica is located in Metelkova Mesto, formerly a military barracks built in the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1991, following Slovenia's 10-day war into independence, the Yugoslav National Army abandoned the precinct and artists moved in. Since then, as Celica's project manager, Tanja Lipovec, explains, "it has always been a place for autonomous cultural expression". When the city tried to remove those communities "they protected this place with their own bodies". The Slovenian Ministry of Culture's museum district is now adjacent to Metelkova Mesto and Ljubljana's current and arguably most progressive mayor, Zoran Jankovic, publically recognises the squat as a valuable centre of urban culture. Metelkova now has six clubs, two bars, two galleries, the Peace Institute – Slovenia's biggest NGO – and Celica.