As Bishop of the Lutheran-Evangelical Church in Slovenia Geza Filo has told the STA, the spirit of ecumenism, reconciliation, dialogue and cooperation will be put in the forefront.

The celebrations will get under way with the arrival of the Reformation Bus, a coach travelling through 68 cities in 19 European countries which have earned the status of Reformation City of Europe due to their significance to the period.

It is scheduled to visit Ljubljana on 24 January and a day later the north-eastern town of Puconci in the region of Pomurje, which is home to the majority of Slovenian Protestants.

A team of volunteers will be travelling on the bus working on an exhibition which will be based on the journey and put up in Germany's Wittenberg.

Several Reformation-themed exhibitions are also planned in Ljubljana.

The first will be launched on 4 April at the National and University Library presenting the most important events and texts that contributed to the development of the Reformation.

An exhibition at Ljubljana Castle, on display from 5 April to 11 June, will show how German theologian and initiator of the Reformation Martin Luther (1483-1546) influenced the German language.

On 8 June, Slovenians will celebrate Primož Trubar Day to honour the 16th-century Protestant priest who wrote the first printed book in Slovenian and was also an important Slovenian reformist. A ceremony to mark the holiday will be held in Ljubljana and another at his home in Rašica, a village south-east of Ljubljana.

Two events for researchers are planned on the same day: an international academic conference in Ljubljana and a conference on inter-religious dialogue in Maribor.

The government had declared 2017 the year of Reformation, with the main state ceremony to be held on 30 October at the Cankarjev dom arts and culture centre.

The main protestant religious service will follow next day at the Primož Trubar Church in Ljubljana, when Slovenia observes Reformation Day.

In the same month, publisher Cankarjeva založba will launch the Slovenian translation of a biography of Martin Luther written by Volker Leppin.

According to editor Tine Logar, the biography chronicles the life of Luther not only as the seminal figure of the Reformation movement who affected Europe's development, but also as an ordinary man.

Bishop Filo has also told the STA that the north-eastern city of Murska Sobota is planning to set up a Protestant museum in 2018 to bring the Reformation closer to the youth.