Ljubljana; Capital city (population 267,920)
The capital of Slovenia may well seduce you after your first walk through the old town center, with its Renaissance, Baroque and Secession facades, decorated portals and vaulted atriums. It nestles between the castle hill and the Ljubljanica river. Its Baroque churches and palaces are among the most beautiful examples of their kind in Central Europe. A fine vista opens over the city from the castle (foundations from the 9th century, present form from the 16th century), which is currently undergoing total renovation. Ljubljana has been growing fast since the second world war and today has almost 300,000 inhabitants.
Far beyond the last tower blocks rise the hills which enclose Ljubljana basin to the north; to the south is marshland, the Barje. Remains of pile dwellings have been found on the Barje, which can now be viewed in museums. Traces of the past are also visible in the heart of the town: houses and defensive moats, walls, towers, sculptures and the cool buildings of the ancient former town of Emona, all of which testify to a highly developed civilization even in the far past. The migration of nations brought its own civilization, various armies advanced and retreated through the "Ljubljana Gate". This position at a crossroads greatly affected the development of the town and it was often an important administrative and cultural center.
Ljubljana is mentioned for the first time, as Leybach, in 1144 and then in 1146 as Luwigana, with the Town and Old squares below the castle, and New square evolving later, separated from the start by the Ljubljanica river. There was lively traffic on the Ljubljanica in the past, including a steamboat from Vrhnika to the landing at Breg. Traffic diminished when Ljubljana got a railway in the middle of last century.
The busiest and best known of the bridges over the river is Trornostovje (Three Bridges), conceived by architect Jože Plečnik in the thirties, such that it retained its former stone bridge, to which he added two footbridges. Nearby Zmajski most (Dragon bridge) is decorated with dragons, the symbol of Ljubljana ever since one of the dragons found itself on the city coat of arms a few centuries ago. Čevljarski most (Cobbler's bridge) and many other buildings which have given character to the city were erected to Plečnik's plans. The master planned a Slovene parliament and wanted to turn Ljubljana castle into a Slovene Acropolis. The National and University Library, the open market by the Ljubljanica, Žale cemetery, the Garden of All Saints, the adaptation of Križanke for the summer theater, the churches of St. Francis in Šiska and St. Michael on the Marsh and the central stadium are undoubtedly among his masterpieces. A walk through Plečnik's Ljubljana is not just a view of the opus of a great artist but also a pilgrimage through all the worth while parts of the town. In addition to Jože Plečnik, of Modern architects mention should be made also of Max Fabiani, who conceived one of the most beautiful Secession parks in the city center Slovene park in front of the Palace of Justice and other Secession buildings at the sides of the park put up after the earthquake at the end of the last century.
In the thirties, Ljubljana gained its first skyscraper, which has been overtaken by some later buildings, though Ljubljana has not experienced any excessive growth in height. The city extended broadthwise along all the main traffic roads running towards the center. A new city business and cultural center emerged in the seventies and a second business trade center has developed in the region of Ajdovščina square, to the plans of the architect Janez Lajovic and his associates.
The former main post office mid-way between Tivoli park and the town hall is still the central point of Ljubljana. There is a fine view from here towards Tivoli castle, where there is now an international graphic arts center. There are several other castles in addition to this one and the castle on the hill: Cekin and Fužine castle housing two of the numerous museums, and a number of others, such as Rakovnik and Kodeljevo, which need restoration and to be given an appropriate content.
Ljubljana has more churches than castles. The Baroque church of St. Peter near the University Clinical Center is the oldest Ljubljana parish church; the new church of the Incarnation of Christ, in Dravlje, by the old church of St. Rok, is the most modern. Peace between the Hamburgs and the Venetian Republic was concluded in the distant past in front of St. Batholomew's old church in Šiška. The cathedral church of St. Nicholas, restored in Baroque, has a beautiful Pieta from the fifteenth century (replaced by a copy) in a niche in the exterior wall and in the interior, there is a real exhibition of the Ljubljana sculptors' workshop, which is continued in the church of St. James in old Ljubljana and in the mighty Baroque church of the Holy Trinity (Ursulinc church) on the edge of Congress square, named after the Congress of the Holy Alliance in 1821, when there was meeting in the city of the Austrian Emperor, the Russian Czar and the Neapolitan King, and other important persons. The steps of the Franciscan church which looks over Tromostovje is a popular place for youth to sit. Trnovo church is in the immediate vicinity of the architectural museum set up in the house of architect Jože Plečnik.
Ljubljana also has several noble palaces: the County House, now the University building, the Neo-renaissance government building, Stiski dvorec, the Bishop's palace. The historical archives of Slovenia are kept in Gruber palace, which was built by Gabrijel Gruber, who also helped in producing plans for the drainage of Ljubljana Marsh and for the channel which was named after him. The town hall under the hill in the old town has a mighty facade and a courtyard decorated with graffiti. The facade was formerly ornamented with statues of Adam and Eve. They are now moved to the Cultural and Information Center in Križanke which, in addition to the Tourist Information Center, provides useful information. Robba's Fountain of the Three Carniolian Rivets stands in front of the town hall and nicely rounds off the Baroque appearance of Mestni trg, the town square.
Cultural life in Ljubljana is so plentiful that the city gained the title of Cultural Capital of Europe in May 1997. Events and exhibitions enliven city life throughout the year; most of them are in Križanke especially during the summer festival and in Cankarjev dom. Present culture is interwoven with reminders of the cultural past: in front of the entrance to the cultural center, there is a monument to the greatest Slovene writer, Ivan Cankar; a monument to the "father of the nation", the poet Dr. France Prešeren, stands in Prešeren square in front of the Franciscan church; a sculpture of Valentin Vodnik faces away from the open market; a bust of painter Rihard Jakopič stands in front of the gallery which bears his name; and linguist Fran Miklošič has been given his place in Slovene park.
Ljubljana citizens used to enjoy coffee houses "Kavarne". These have recently been transformed and have lost their former charm. They are also in strong competition with the small coffee bars which have sprouted like mushrooms after rain and are most numerous in the old town, where there are many small galleries and private shops, too. The old town is liveliest in summer, with numerous events in the atriums and squares.
The main city park, Tivoli, is the green lungs of the city; there are several sports courts and Tivoli sports hall. Rožnik and ŠiŠenski hrib are large green areas available for sports and walking enthusiasts, and the green belts along the Ljubljanica and the Sava rivers in the north part of Ljubljana could be considered nature reserves. There is a more than 30 kilometers long circular avenue laid out around Ljubljana, where barbed wire ringed the city during the second world war.
There was a time when the city was called "white" Ljubljana. Today, this whiteness is turning gray from exhaust fumes. It is lauded in song as a long village, which it is no longer. Today, it is a University city with eleven faculties and three academies and with the ambition of becoming a tourist and congress city at the European crossroads. Nevertheless, the traveler will find in it a unique combination of tranquility and a capital city which is bubbling with the spiritual energy of the nation.
