Situated close to the central bus and train stations, and only a short walk from the centre of Ljubljana, the former Austro-Hungarian prison, built in 1882, was considered to be a perfect location for a youth hostel. Moreover, the nearby Metelkova counter-culture centre, home to several clubs, is bristling with activity, while bars and night clubs in the city centre are easily accessible on foot.

The reconstruction of the building was conducted in co-operation with 80 local and foreign artists. Virtually every room is a work of art - twenty rooms, or cells, on the first floor were designed or decorated by artists. The ceiling of one was painted by Russian artist Maksim Isaayev, while one was designed by architecture professor Juhani Pallasmaa. Placed below the glass floor of another cell are 16 statuettes made by British sculptor Antony Gormley, out of Slovenian clay sent to him by post. Visitors will have the opportunity to contribute their works of art to the "collection".

Apart from the 20 art cells, which all have original prison bars on the doors and windows (additional small windows make the cells brighter), there are four- and five-bedded rooms, a suite and dormitories, which make altogether 96 beds. On the ground floor there is a special room for the disabled, an oriental coffeehouse, a bar with a conservatory, while a restaurant offering Slovenian food and an Internet nook are also planned. Celica also houses a gallery, a room for workshops and a small library.

The hostel will be run by the non-profit institution Šouhostel, established by the Ljubljana University Students' Organisation (ŠOU), which invested some 430,000 euros in the construction, while the Ljubljana municipality provided an additional 630,000 euros. According to acting director of Šouhostel, Tomaž Štefe, Celica is expected to accommodate its first guests as of mid-June. Yet the demand is high even now, so that about half of the accommodation facilities could have been booked if we had started taking reservations now, Štefe says. The revenues will be used to cover the expenditures, while the surplus will be earmarked for development and promotion of youth tourism in Slovenia and cultural activities of the youth hostel.

Apart from the conspicuous red-orange Celica, two other youth hostels have opened in Ljubljana in May, both to accommodate young travellers as of June. Situated at Litijska cesta 57, Youth hostel Ljubljana will be open all year round, while Youth hostel Ljubljana Šiška is a part of a students' hostel and will only operate during summer holidays from June through August.