Slovenska Bistrica, a town in the north-east of Slovenia, is getting a state-of-the-art climbing centre. Boasting 3,200 sq metres of climbing surfaces, including 2,000 sq metres of tall climbing walls and 1,200 sq metres of bouldering walls, it is the biggest such facility in the country.

Opening to the public on 7 October, a day after the inauguration ceremony, the centre will be used for recreational climbing and training for now, but hopes to organise international competitions in the future.

The building has a 17-metre tall climbing hall, warm-up and training rooms, and a climbing hall with bouldering walls. Other facilities include a reception hall, changing rooms, toilets, offices and a warehouse.

The centre also features a 19-metre-tall outside climbing wall with two routes for speed climbing and a wall for recreational climbers.

"Climbing is a sport for everyone, and there is something everyone here," the climbing centre director Ursula Pipenbaher told reporters ahead of the inauguration ceremony.

The facility features 165 routes graded from a beginner-friendly 3 to a pro-level 8c+. Fans of bouldering will also find boulder problems and two adjustable walls.

The climbing centre in Slovenska Bistrica. Photo: Gregor Mlakar/STA

The centre was built in line with recommendations of the International Federation of Sport Climbing, said Tomislav Aurednik, president of the Slovenska Bistrica mountaineering club. The facility will meet the standards to host competitions at the highest level, as well as meet the needs of both recreational and professional climbers.

Constructed by Makro 5 Gradnje, the investment is valued at €5.2 million. The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, which has since been reorganised into the Education Ministry and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, contributed €2.4 million, and the municipality covered the rest.

The centre will be open every day of the week. A daily ticket will cost €15, with discounts for children. Season and family tickets will also be available.