The hostel was closed down in January after a bitter dispute featuring the Ljubljana Municipality as the owner one one side and the private lessee and the collective responsible for its extensive culture programme on the other.

After facing strong opposition to plans to sell the building, located next to the Metelkova counterculture centre, and a failed auction, the municipality decided to hold on to the hostel.

It will from now on be run by Ljubljanski grad, the city-owned operator of Ljubljana Castle, which has announced that the KUD Sestava collective will continue to organise a part of the culture programme, including Tuesday's world music concerts.

During the summer, jazz concerts will held on Friday in the hostel garden.

The building, which served as a prison for more than 100 years before being saved from a city-planned demolition, also features a gallery and a small museum dedicated to its sinister history.

While it has undergone a thorough renovation, the 20 unique 'prison cells' on its first floor, designed by Slovenian and foreign artists, have reportedly been left intact.