President Nataša Pirc Musar visited Cleveland, the center of the Slovenian community in the U.S.A.

This is the first visit by a Slovenian president since 2001, when President Milan Kučan visited this city.

The President began her visit at the Consulate General of the Republic of Slovenia in Cleveland, where she met with Consul General Suzana Češarek and consulate staff and was briefed on their work.

She visited both Slovenian parishes in Cleveland, St. Vitus Church and Church of St. Mary of the Assumption and Slovenian schools in both parishes.

During her visit, Consul General Suzana Češarek hosted a reception at which the President of Slovenia presented the Slovenian community in Ohio with an award for their long-standing work in preserving Slovenian cultural heritage, language, national identity and values in the United States, for their support to their homeland during its gaining of independence, and for their exceptional contribution to strengthening friendly relations and cooperation between the Republic of Slovenia and the United States of America.

The President continued her visit with a tour of the Slovenian National Home on St. Clair Avenue, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year and is considered the largest Slovenian national home in the United States. The Slovenian National Home is a cultural and social hub for the Slovenian community and also houses the Slovenian Museum and Archives, the Slovenian Reading Room and other Slovenian institutions.

In the Cleveland area, the President also visited the Slovenian recreational center Slovenska Pristava, which regularly hosts picnics and social, cultural, religious and sporting events, making it probably the most vibrant part of the Slovenian community in the United States.