History and travel information.
Ljubljana, capital city of Slovenia, population (270,000)
Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia may seduce you after your first walk through the old town center, with it’s Renaissance, Baroque and Secession facades, decorated portals and vaulted atriums. It nestles between the castle hills and the rated portals and vaulted atriums. 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 9th century, presentfrom the 16th century), which is currently undergoing total renovation. Ljubljana has been growing fast since the Second World War. Far beyond the last tower blocks rise the hills, which enclose Ljubljana basin from 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 civilizations even in the past. The migration of nations brought its own civilization; various armies advanced and retreated through the “Ljubljana Gate”. This position at
the 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 Laibach, 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 steam boatfrom 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 the Tromostovje (Three Bridges), conceived by architect Jože Plecnik in the thirties, such that remained its former stone bridge, to which he added two foot bridges. 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. Cevljarski Most (Cobblers Bridge) and many other buildings that have given character to the city were erected to Plecnik’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 Ljubljanica, Žale Cemetery, the Garden of All Saints, the adaptation of Križanke for the summer theater, the churches of St. Francis in Šiška and St. Michael on the Marsh and the capital stadium are undoubtedly among his masterpieces. A walk through Plecnik’s Ljubljana is not just a view of the opus of a great artist but also a pilgrimage through all the worthwhile parts of the town. In addition to Jože Plecnik, 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 from of the Palace of Justice - and other Secession building 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 breadthwise along all the main traffic roads running towards the center. A new city business and cultural centers emerged in the seventies and the second business trade center has developed in the region of Ajdovšcina 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 and is still the central point of Ljubljana. There is a fine view from here toward 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 Habsburgs and the Venetian concluded in the distant past in front of St. Bartholomew’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 the old Ljubljana and in the mighty Baroque church of the Holy Trinity (Ursuline Church) on the edge of Congress square named after the Congress of the Holy Alliance in 1821, when there was a meeting in the of the Austrian Emperor, the Russian Czar and the Neapolitan King, and other important persons. The step 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 Plecnik.
Ljubljana also has several noble palaces: the County House, now the University building, the Neo-renaissance government building, Stiški dvorec, the Bishops palace.The historical archives of Slovenia are kept in Gruber palace which wasbuilt by Gabrijel Gruber, who was 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 grafitti. The facade was formely 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 Rivers stands in front of the town hall and nicely rounds off the Baroque appearance of Mestni Trg, the towns 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 the 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 remainders of the cultural past: in front of the entrance to the cultural center, there is a monument of 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 Jakopic stands in front of the gallery which bears his name; and linguist Fran Miklošic 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 30km long circular avenue laid out around Ljubljana, where barbed wire ringed the city during the Second World War. Today, Ljubljana is a University City with 11 faculties and three academies 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 tranquillity and the capital city, which is bubbling, with the spiritual energy of the nation.
. They do have a live demo which is fully functional. Like I said, this is awsone especially if you have a decent traffic count. You could even set the thing to run as a screen saver. Check it out and let us know what you think.
