Ljubljana

Ljubljana is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It arose as a Roman military camp of the Legio XV Apollinaris in the mid I century BC. C., its character as a city was consolidated with the founding of the Iulia Emona Colony years later. After successive destructions, in the century In the VI the ancestors of the Slovenes settled, and in the XI century they fell under the rule of the Franks. From 1278, after its conquest by Rudolf I of Habsburg, the city passed into the hands of the Habsburgs, a situation that lasted until 1797.

During the Napoleonic period, Ljubljana was the capital of the Illyrian Provinces and between 1816 and 1849 it was the capital of the Kingdom of Illyria. In 1918, after World War I, it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and after World War II it became the capital of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia, forming part of Yugoslavia. In 1991, and after a war, Slovenia became independent from Yugoslavia, since then Ljubljana has been the capital of the country.

Its historical and monumental heritage, as well as various cultural celebrations that take place throughout the year, among which the International Summer Festival stands out, make it a city that receives both national and international tourism. Among its most representative monuments are the Cathedral, the Castle, the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation and the Dragon Bridge, as well as the set of modernist buildings. The architect Jože Plečnik signed many of the most prominent buildings in the city.

Ljubljana has a well-developed road and rail network, as well as an airport with international flights and immersed in expansion works aimed at expanding its operational capacity, currently overwhelmed.

The University of Ljubljana, founded in 1919, is based in the city, and in the 2006-07 academic year it had more than 63,000 students. Its library added nearly 1,169,090 books in 2004. It also has with different international cultural institutes, such as the Instituto Cervantes (Spain), the British Council (United Kingdom) or the Goethe Institute (Germany).

As the state capital, Ljubljana is home to the seats of government (National Assembly and National Council), associated ministries, institutions and bodies, as well as the official residence of the President of Slovenia. The city is a member of UCLG, UCUE, Eurocities, URBACT, Civitas Forum, Les Rencontres, European Cities Marketing and Global Cities Dialogue. In the economic sphere, the city maintains an outstanding position at the national level, it is home to the main stock market in the country, the Banco of Slovenia and numerous national companies.

In 2016 it was awarded the European Green Capital title.

Toponymy

The origin of the city's name, Ljubljana, is unclear. In the Middle Ages, both the river and the city were known by the German name of Laibach. This name was used officially as an endonym until 1918, and it remains prevalent as a German exonym, both in common speech and in official usage. The city is called Lublana in many English documents, Lubiana in Italian, Labacum in Latin, and formerly Aemona.

For most scholars, the problem has been how to connect the Slovene and German names. The origin from the Slavic word ljub "to love, to like" was supported in 2007 as the most probable by the linguist Tijmen Pronk, a specialist in comparative Indo-European linguistics and Slovene dialectology, from the University of Leiden. He supported the thesis that the name of the river derived from the name of the settlement. The linguist Silvo Torkar, specialized in Slovene personal names and place names, defended the thesis that the name of Ljubljana derives from Ljubija, the original name of the Ljubljanica river that crosses, which in turn derives from the Slavic masculine name Ljubovid, "one who looks charming." The name Laibach, he claimed, was actually a hybrid of German and Slovene and derived from the same personal name.

There are theories that the name comes from an ancient Slavic city called Laburus. Other versions claim that the name derives from the Latin word alluvian, referring to a flood in the city. It is also possible that it is derived from the name laubach which means "marsh". Finally, some believe that the name derives from the Slavic word luba, which means "beloved".

Geography

Location

The river Ljubljanica bathes the Slovenian capital

View of Ljubljana with the Kamnik Alps to the background

View of the historical center nevado from the castle hill

The city of Ljubljana is located in central Slovenia, in a flat area irrigated by the Ljublianica River, at an altitude of 298 m above sea level. Its central position with respect to Austria, Hungary, the Venice region (Italy) and Croatia has greatly influenced the history and development of the city. Its municipal limits are bordered by those of Medvode, Kranj, Škofja Loka, Vodice, Mengeš, Trzin, Domžale, Dol pri Ljubljani, Litija, Smartno pri Litiji, Ivančna Gorica, Grosuplje, Škofljica, Ig, Brezovica and Dobrova-Polhov Gradec.

Relief and hydrography

Situated halfway between the Julian Alps and the Karst region, its location in the Ljubljanica river valley means that the Slovenian capital sits on a predominantly flat area, at an altitude of 298 m, although the Castle stands at 366 m while the highest point of the city, the so-called Janški Hrib, reaches 794 m.

In terms of hydrography, Ljubljana is bathed by the Ljubljanica River from west to east, being channeled as it passes through the city. Likewise, it is surrounded, in its northern part, by the Sava River, into which the Ljubljanica flows its waters on the outskirts of the city.

Geology

The city lies on an alluvial plain that dates to the Quaternary Period. The older, nearby mountainous regions date to the Mesozoic (Triassic) or Paleozoic.

Several earthquakes have devastated Ljubljana throughout history, such as the one in 1511 or the one in 1895. In fact, Slovenia sits on a fairly active seismic zone due to its position south of the Eurasian Plate. Thus, the country is at the junction of three major tectonic zones: the Alps to the north, the Dinaric Alps to the south, and the Pannonian Plain to the east. In the past, scientists have been able to identify up to 60 destructive earthquakes. Because of this, a seismic monitoring network is installed throughout the country.

Climate

The city's climate is oceanic.

Precipitations are distributed regularly throughout the year, with minimums between January and April and maximums in September and October. Temperatures are mostly cool, with an annual average of 10 °C, with cold winters, being the The coldest temperature recorded is -28 °C, with frequent frosts, from October to May, and snow. Summer is warm, with maximum temperatures above 20 °C, the highest recorded being 40 °C.

Average Ljubljana climate parameters
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	15.8	22.3	24.3	27.8	32.4	35.6	37.1	40.2	30.3	25.8	20.9	16.7	40.2
Average temperature (°C)	3.4	6.4	11.4	16.1	21.4	24.6	27.3	26.7	21.6	15.9	8.8	3.8	15.6
Average temperature (°C)	0.3	1.9	6.5	10.8	15.8	19.1	21.3	20.6	16.0	11.2	5.6	1.2	10.9
Temp. medium (°C)	-2.5	-2.0	1.7	5.8	10.3	13.7	15.5	15.2	11.5	7.7	2.8	-1.1	6.6
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	-20.3	-23.3	-14.1	-3.2	0.2	3.8	7.4	5.8	3.1	-5.2	-14.5	-14.5	-23.3
Total precipitation (mm)	69	70	88	99	109	144	115	137	147	147	129	107	1362
Precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	11	9	11	14	14	15	12	12	12	13	14	14	153
Hours of sun	71	114	149	178	235	246	293	264	183	120	66	56	1974
Source No. 1: Slovenian Environment Agency (ARSO) (data for 1981–2010)
Source No. 2: Slovenian Environment Agency (ARSO) (some extreme values for 1948-2013)

History

Prehistory

Paleo-Christian remains in the city centre

Around 2000 B.C. C., the Ljubljana marshes were settled by settlers who lived in wooden buildings on stilts. These peoples lived by hunting, fishing and primitive agriculture. They used boats made from tree trunks to navigate the marshes. The area continued to be a crossing point for numerous tribes and peoples, and thus the territory was later colonized by the Veneti, who were succeeded by the Illyrian tribe of the Yapodi and, already in the s. III a. C., the Celtic tribe of the Taurisci.

Old Age

Interior patio of the castle of Ljubljana

In the middle of the s. I a. C., the Romans built a military camp on the site, occupied by the Legio XV Apollinaris and later the permanent settlement of Emona (Colonia Iulia Emona). This had walls and its population reached 5,000 or 6,000. people, many of them merchants, artisans, and war veterans. Their houses were made of brick, and had a heating system and connection to the public sewerage system. The walls and floors of the same were decorated with painting and mosaics.

As was the case in the rest of the Empire, Emona gradually declined, and so the city was destroyed in 452 by the Huns, under the command of Attila, and later by the Ostrogoths and Lombards.

Middle Ages

View of Ljubljana in a 1689 engraving

In the VI century the ancestors of the Slovenes settled, who, in the XI, fell under the rule of the Frankish people, while suffering numerous Magyar assaults.

The name of the city, Luvigana, appears for the first time in a document from 1144. In the XIII, the city was made up of three zones: the Stari trg (old city), the Mestni trg (city square) and the Novi trg (new city). In 1220, Ljubljana obtained city status, as well as the right to mint its own currency.

In 1270, Otakar II of Bohemia conquered Carniola, including Ljubljana, but it passed into the hands of Rudolf I of Habsburg after his victory over Otakar in 1278. The city, renamed Laibach, belonged to the House of Habsburg until 1797. The diocese of the city was established in 1491 and the church of San Nicolás became a cathedral.

Modern Age

In the 15th century, the city became renowned for its art. After the earthquake of 1511, it was rebuilt in the Renaissance style, being fortified with a new wall that surrounded the city. In the 16th century, its population numbered 5,000, of which 70% were Slovene-speaking. In 1550, the first two books written in Slovene were published in Ljubljana: a catechism and an alphabet, followed by a translation from the bible. At the same time, the first secondary school, a library and a printing press were created. In 1597, the Jesuits settled and built a new secondary school that would later become a faculty. In the 17th century, the city adapted its buildings to Baroque architecture as a result of the arrival of foreign architects and sculptors.

Contemporary Age

CenturyXIX

The Napoleonic interval saw Ljubljana become, from 1809 to 1813, the capital of the Illyrian Provinces. In 1815, the city became Austrian again and, from 1816 to 1849, it was part of the Kingdom of Illyria. In 1821, it hosted the Laibach Congress, which would set the European political borders for the following years. The first train, coming from Vienna, arrived in the city in 1849 and in 1857 the line extended to Trieste. Electric public lighting was installed in 1898. In 1895, the city, which had 31,000 inhabitants, was the victim of a major earthquake of magnitude 6.1 on the Richter scale, destroying about 10% of its 1,400 buildings, although the number of casualties was low. During the subsequent reconstruction, various neighborhoods in the city were rebuilt in the Art Nouveau style.

CenturyXX.

In 1918, after the end of World War I and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the region was incorporated into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In 1929, it became the capital of the Yugoslav province of the Banovina del Drava (Dravska banovina). During World War II, the city was occupied by Fascist Italy in 1941 and by Nazi Germany in 1943. The city was surrounded by more than 30 km of barbed wire, as the Slovenian collaborationists (Slovensko Domobranstvo) faced the Yugoslav partisans (Partizani). Since 1985, a commemorative road surrounds the city where that fence was located.

After World War II, the city became the capital of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia, forming part of communist Yugoslavia, a status it would maintain until the country's independence. This took place in 1991 after a brief war, and since then the city has been the capital of Slovenia.

CenturyXXI

Since 2004, Ljubljana, like the rest of the country, is part of the European Union.

Demographics

The city of Ljubljana had a population of 270,828 according to the 2008 population census, of whom 131,151 (48.42%) were male and 139,677 (51.57%) were female. Before 1996, the population of the city The city exceeded 320,000 inhabitants, but this decrease is explained by a territorial reorganization that consisted of the annexation of several peripheral neighborhoods to neighboring municipalities. Since then, the population has remained stable.

Figure of evolution of Ljubljana between 1869 and 2019

Figure of the demographic evolution of Ljubljana between 1999 and 2008
Source:STAT

Calle Čopova

In 1869, the population of Ljubljana was 22,593, and by the mid-1930s it reached 80,000. After continuous growth during the second half of the century XX, from the mid-1990s to 2008, the population was stable at around 270,000.

According to 2002 census data, 39.2% of Ljubljana residents were Catholic; 30.4% were believers who did not belong to any religion or DK/NA; 19.2% were atheists; 5.5% were Orthodox; 5.0% were Muslim; and the remaining 0.7% were Protestants or belonged to other religions.

Pyramid of the population

From the analysis of the population pyramid, it can be deduced that it is a city with a population in a process of slight aging, since the population under 40 years of age represents 46.41% while the population over that age represents 53.59 %. On the other hand, the population under 20 years of age represents 17.66% of the population while the population over 60 years of age represents 23.06% of the population.

Communications

Road

The A2 motorway connects Ljubljana with the Croatian capital

Ljubljana is located at the center of the Slovenian road network that connects the city with the rest of the country. Until July 2008, a toll booth system was used, but this has been replaced by a system of tags valid for one year or at least six months.

The city, located in central Slovenia, is connected to the southwest with the Italian cities of Trieste and Venice by the A1-E61-E70 motorway. To the northeast, the A1-E57 motorway links the city with Maribor, Graz and Vienna. To the southeast, the A2-E70 motorway connects the city with Zagreb, from where you can go to Lake Balaton in Hungary and to other cities in the former Yugoslavia, such as Belgrade. To the northwest, the A2-E61 motorway connects with the Austrian cities of Klagenfurt and Salzburg, making it a major gateway for tourists from Northern Europe.

The main building of the Ljubljana station

Railway

Ljubljana is the hub of the Slovenian railway network and has, in addition to the main station, eleven other stops in the city. At the national level, it has a connection with the main cities of the country, while at the international level it is part of four lines that connect it with the rest of Central Europe:

• The first connects Germany and Croatia through the Munich-Salzburg-Liubliana-Zagreb axis.
• The second is the Vienna-Graz-Maribor-Liubliana line.
• The third connects Ljubljana with the Italians Venice and Genoa.
• A fourth one unites the Slovenian capital with Budapest in Hungary.

The station was built in 1849 when the railway between Vienna and Trieste reached the city. Renovated in 1980 by Marko Mušič, since 2008 it has been immersed in the works of a multipurpose complex, the Emonika, which will combine office buildings, shopping and leisure centers, a hotel, a congress center, a residential area, as well as the station. railway and a new bus terminal. Its construction is expected to finish in 2010.

Airport

Ljubljana airport (Letališče Ljubljana) is located in the town of Brnik, 26 kilometers north of the Slovenian capital. Due to the incessant increase in passenger traffic with the European Union, the airport is immersed in an expansion plan that is divided into two phases: in the first (2007) the expansion and reform of Terminal 1 was inaugurated, which accommodates to traffic from the non-Schengen area, while the second, started in 2009, will include the construction of the new Terminal 2 that will accommodate Schengen traffic, with a capacity of 2.5 million passengers per year, expected to be completed by 2011.

The airport is home to Adria Airways, Air France, Czech Airlines, Montenegro Airlines, EasyJet, Jat Airways, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Turkish Airlines and Finnair, and among its main destinations are Istanbul, Podgorica, Budapest, Belgrade, Helsinki, London, Prague, Paris, Amsterdam, Athens, Madrid, Brussels, Bucharest, Moscow, Vienna and Warsaw.

According to statistics, in 2004 the airport exceeded the figure of one million passengers per year, increasing in the following years, and thus, in 2008, the figure reached 1,673,050 and 17,188 kg of cargo.

City buses

Ljubljana Urban Bus

Urban transport in Ljubljana is managed by the Ljubljana Passenger Transport company (Ljubljanski Potniški Promet-LPP), owned by the Ljubljana Municipality. It carries out transport in the municipality of Ljubljana itself and in the 15 surrounding municipalities through 23 lines in which 202 buses operate. In 2006 it carried more than 88 million passengers. In the city the buses are popularly called trole, from when Ljubljana had a trolleybus service.

Others

Slovenska basket in Ljubljana: here it is forbidden to bike

The bike is one of the means of transport used in the city

In the city it is also possible to rent bicycles, which makes it easier to visit the city. On the other hand, it is forbidden to ride a bicycle on some main streets, for example on the Slovenska cesta in the city center.

There are also plenty of taxi companies.

Economy

Tourism is one of the most important economic sectors in the city. In the picture, the Grand Hotel Union

The statistical region of Ljubljana (Osrednjeslovenska) produces about 25% of the country's GDP. In 2003, the labor force level was 62%. 64% of workers were in the private sector and 36% in the public sector. In September 2008, the unemployment rate was 4.9% (5.7% a year earlier), while the national average was 6.3%. The GDP per inhabitant of the statistical region of Ljubljana stood at €24,600 in 2007 while the national average was €17,123.

Industry continues to be the most important economic sector in the city, especially in the pharmaceutical, petrochemical and food sectors. Other areas are economic-financial services, transport, construction, commerce and tourism. The public sector provides jobs in education, culture, health and administration.

The Ljubljana Stock Exchange (Ljubljanska borsa), bought in 2008 by the Vienna Stock Exchange, is home to large Slovenian companies. Several have their headquarters in the capital region. This is the case of the supermarket chain Mercator, the oil company Petrol and the telecommunications company Telekom Slovenije. There are more than 15,000 companies in the city, mostly focused on the tertiary sector.

Symbol

The symbol of the city is the Ljubljana dragon. It is depicted on the top of the Ljubljana castle tower, on the Ljubljana coat of arms and on the Dragon Bridge across the Ljubljanica (Zmajski most). It symbolizes power, courage and the greatness.

There are several explanations for the origin of the Ljubljana dragon. According to a Slavic myth, the slaying of a dragon releases the waters and ensures the fertility of the land, and the myth is believed to be linked to the Ljubljana Marshes, the vast swampy area that periodically threatens Ljubljana with flooding. According to the famous Greek legend, the Argonauts, after having found the famous Golden Fleece in Colchis, would have headed north up the Danube River before returning to the Aegean Sea. It is believed that going up the Danube they would have gone towards one of its tributaries, the Sava River, and then to the source of the Ljubljanica River. At this point they disembarked to transport the ship to the western Adriatic Sea to return home. Between the present-day cities of Vrhnika and Ljubljana, the Argonauts found a large lake surrounded by a marsh. It is there that Jason defeated a monster, the Ljubljana dragon, which today is present on the city's coat of arms and flag.

Historically it is more credible that the dragon was adopted from Saint George, the patron saint of the Ljubljana castle chapel built in the XV. In the legend of Saint George, the dragon represents the ancient ancestral paganism superseded by Christianity. According to another explanation, the dragon was originally just a decoration on the city's coat of arms. In the Baroque it became part of the shield, and in the XIX century and especially in the XX century, it surpassed the tower and other important elements.

The dragon is also the symbol of the nearby Austrian city of Klagenfurt, which was for centuries the great spiritual center of Slovenia.

Politics and Administration

The city is the capital of Slovenia, and therefore the country's administrative bodies are located there, such as the Parliament (formed by the National Assembly and the National Council) and the various government ministries. Locally, Ljubljana is the center of the Osrednjeslovenska statistical region as well as the Archdiocese of Ljubljana.

Municipal government

Consistorial House of Ljubljana

Municipal elections take place every four years. Between 2002 and 2006, the mayor was Danica Šimsič. Since the municipal elections on October 22, 2006, the mayor has been Zoran Janković, a leading businessman in Slovenia, having won 62.99% of the vote. The majority in the city council has 23 seats out of 45. Among other powers, the city council prepares the municipal budgets and is also advised by different commissions active in the fields of health, sports, finance, education, protection of the environment and tourism. The electoral zone of Ljubljana is made up of 17 districts, which have local authorities that work with the municipality in order to transmit the requests of their inhabitants and prepare activities in these districts.

Administrative division

Districts of Ljubljana

Ljubljana is made up of 17 districts, which are listed below. Before, it consisted of five municipalities (Bežigrad, Center, Moste-Polje, Šiška and Vic-Rudnik) that still today correspond to the main electoral constituencies of the city.

Public services

Education

Former building of the University of Ljubljana

The city of Ljubljana had, in 2005, 95 kindergartens, attended by 10,857 children, 55 primary schools, with 20,802 students, and 32 secondary schools (Gimnazija), with 25 797 students. The Workers' Academy (Academia operasorum Labacensis) opened in 1693 and closed in 1801 as a forerunner of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti -SAZU). This, founded in 1938, has as its objective the development of science and the arts, as well as being a meeting place for the main Slovenian scientists and artists.

The city is home to the University of Ljubljana, the largest in the country. Founded in 1919, in 2008 it was made up of 22 faculties, three academies and a college. In addition, it has the National and University Library which, in 2004, had a total of 1,169,090 books. It offers studies on numerous subjects such as medicine, applied sciences, arts, law and administration. The university has about 64,000 students and 4,000 teachers, making up one seventh of the city's population, which gives it a young character. Its rector is Andreja Kocijančič.

Numerous cultural institutes from other countries are based in the Slovenian capital, such as the Instituto Cervantes (Spain), the British Council (United Kingdom) or the Goethe Institute (Germany).

Health and science

In 2005 Ljubljana had seven medical centers serving 1,897 people. The city's central hospital, and the largest in the country, is the Ljubljana University Medical Center (Univerzitetni klinični center Ljubljana). Founded in 1949, in 2006 it had 2,390 beds and more than 7,446 employees, making it one of the largest hospitals in Central Europe.

In terms of scientific institutions, the Jožef Stefan Institute and the Ljubljana Institute of Oncology are present in the city. The first is the largest research institute in the country, and some of the fields of study for its nearly 800 employees are physics, chemistry, molecular biology or biotechnology. Founded in 1949 for nuclear energy research, its current mission is the dissemination of knowledge through education, research or high-tech development at the highest international level. Throughout its history, the Institute has been a co-founder from important institutions such as the University of Nova Gorica, the Jožef Stefan International Graduate School and the Ljubljana Technology Park.

The Institute of Oncology, established in 1937 (under its current name since 1946), has more than 800 employees and sees more than 500 patients daily, occupying a leading position among dedicated cancer centers in Europe.

Security

The police jurisdiction (Policija) of Ljubljana covers an area of 3,807 square kilometres, which is 18.8% of the national territory. There are 17 police posts employing 1,380 people, of which 1,191 are police officers and 189 civilians. With around 45,000 criminal acts in 2007, the Ljubljana police district is home to more than 50% of the country's crimes. Slovenia and in particular Ljubljana have a reputation for being calm and safe.

Heritage

Despite the appearance of large buildings, especially on the outskirts of the city, the historic center of Ljubljana, heavily influenced by Austrian fashion, in the style of the cities of Graz and Salzburg, remains intact.

The old city is made up of two neighbourhoods: the town hall (which houses the main architectural works) and the Caballeros de la Cruz neighbourhood, where the Ursuline church, the building of the Philharmonic Society and Cankar House.

After the earthquake of 1511, Ljubljana was rebuilt according to the models of a Renaissance city, and after the earthquake of 1895, the city was again planned, this time following the patterns of the art nouveau style. The city's architecture is a mix of styles. Large sections built after World War II often include a personal touch from the Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik.

Ljubljana Castle

View of the castle of Ljubljana

Ljubljana Castle (Ljubljanski grad) is a medieval castle located on the top of the hill overlooking the city center. The area surrounding the current castle has been inhabited since 1200 B.C. C., and it is likely that the top of the hill was a fortress of the Roman army after fortifications were built on it by Celts and Illyrians.

First mentioned in 1144 as the seat of the Duchy of Carinthia, the castle is destroyed when the duchy passes into the hands of the Habsburgs in 1335. Between 1485 and 1495 the current castle is built and the towers erected. Its goal was to defend the empire from the Ottoman invasion and also from peasant revolts. In the 17th and XVIII, the castle becomes an arsenal and a military hospital. It was damaged during the Napoleonic period and, once returned to the Austrian Empire, it became a prison until 1905, resuming its role during World War II. The main tower of the castle dates from 1848 and a guard lived there whose mission it was to fire cannons to warn the city in case of fire or to announce important events and visits.

In 1905, the city of Ljubljana bought the castle, undergoing a series of renovations in the 1960s. Since its completion, the castle has been a tourist attraction and a venue for various cultural events. Since 2007, the castle a funicular connects the city center with the castle.

Cathedral of Saint Nicholas

The Cathedral of St. Nicholas

The Catholic Cathedral of Saint Nicholas (Stolnica svetega Nikolaja) is the only cathedral in the city. Easily identifiable thanks to its green dome and twin towers, it is located on Vodnik Square, near the Triple Bridge (Tromostovje).

Previously, the place was occupied by a Romanesque church with three naves whose first mentions date back to 1262. In 1361, a fire caused its destruction and it was rebuilt following the patterns of the Gothic style. In 1461 the Archdiocese of Ljubljana was established. A new fire, presumably caused by the Ottomans, destroyed the building again in 1469.

Finally, between 1701 and 1706, the Jesuit architect Andrea Pozzo designed a new Baroque-style church with two side chapels, in the shape of a Latin cross. The dome was built in the center of the church in 1841. The interior it is decorated with Baroque frescoes painted by Giulio Quaglio between 1703-1706 and 1721-1723.

Franciscan Church of the Annunciation

Church of Annunciation

The Franciscan Church of the Annunciation (Frančiškanska cerkev Marijinega oznanjenja or commonly Frančiškanska cerkev) is a Franciscan church located on Prešeren Square, along the Ljubljanica River.

It was built between 1646 and 1660, replacing the old church in the same place. Its structure is in the form of an early Baroque basilica, with a central nave and two rows of side chapels. The main altar is the work of sculptor Francesco Robba, from the mid-18th century century. Much of the original frescoes, the work of Matevž Langus, were destroyed by cracks in the ceiling caused by the 1895 earthquake. The new frescoes were painted between 1935 and 1936 by the Slovenian painter Matej Sternen.

Next to the church is the Franciscan monastery, dating from the 13th century, famous for its library, which contains more than 70,000 books, many of them incunabula and medieval manuscripts. Founded in 1233, the monastery was initially located on the square, only to move to its present location during the reforms at the end of the 17th century.

Church of Saint Peter

The Catholic Church of Saint Peter (Cerkev Sv. Petra or Šentpetrska cerkev) is one of the oldest churches in the city, having been known to exist since 1262.

The preserved building was built between 1729 and 1733, when the old church was torn down and replaced by the Italian architect Giovanni Fusconi in a mix of Baroque and late Neoclassical styles.

After the earthquake of 1895, the church was restored in neo-baroque style. This renovation was criticized for its supposed low quality, and was followed by another, carried out between 1938 and 1940. The façade was completely remodeled by the Slovenian architect Ivan Vurnik, while his wife Elena Vurnik contributed to the new interior decoration and the mosaics. The ceiling frescoes are the work of the painter Francisco Jelovšek, while the altar paintings are by his contemporary Valentin Metzinger.

Dragon Bridge

Dragon Bridge

The Dragon Bridge (Zmajski most), over the Ljubljanica River, was built to replace the old wooden bridge from 1819, popularly known as the Butchers' Bridge (Mesarski most).

Built between 1900 and 1901, when the city still belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and originally called the Jubilee Bridge (Jubilejni most), it is considered one of the best works of the Secession architectural style of Vienna, being also the first reinforced concrete bridge in Ljubljana and one of the first in Europe. Its designer was Josef Melan, a famous engineer specializing in reinforced concrete bridges, and its modernist appearance is due to the architect Jurij Zaninovic, the which designed the decoration, the balustrade and the dragon statues. The lamps on the balustrade, which were powered by gas, are part of the original decoration.

Some locals have nicknamed it mother-in-law, in reference to the dragons found in its four corners.

Other monuments

Emona Ruins

Remains of the Roman wall of Emona on Mirje Street

Some remains of the ancient Roman city are still visible, such as elements of the forum, the north gate of the city, a necropolis (in which a bronze statue was found), several houses (in the Jakopič garden), part of the wall, as well as a primitive Christian temple from the IV and V.

Civil monuments

Modernist facade of the house Urbanc

Within the variety of styles that dot the city center, the first chronologically is the Baroque; to him belong the town hall (Mestna hiša), built at the end of the XV century but did not acquire its current appearance until 1717-19, the Schweiger house (Schweigerjeva hiša), built between 1748 and 1749 based on the designs of Candide Zulliani and in which the decorated window frames and the entrance portal, among others, the Gruber Palace (Gruberjeva palača), built between 1773 and 1781, according to sketches by Daniel Gruber, to be the School of Hydraulics and Mechanics, currently houses the National Archive of Slovenia (Narodni Arhiv Slovenije), the Lontovž building, built between 1786 and 1790 by Jozef Schemerl and former seat of the Provincial Assembly of Carniola, currently houses the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, the mansion Cekin, built between 1752 and 1755 commissioned by Count Leopold Lamberg, is located in Tivoli Park and currently houses the Museum Museum of Contemporary History (Muzej novejše zgodovine Slovenije), dedicated to the recent history of Slovenia, and the Stična mansion, built between 1628 and 1630 to house the abbots of the Cistercian monastery of Stična.

In the 18th and XIX the Kazina building was built, built between 1836 and 1839 in neoclassical style, the old building of the University (Univerza v Ljubljani), located on the site of the former Provincial Mansion where, in 1821, one of the congresses of the Holy Alliance took place and destroyed by the earthquake of 1895, was built in 1902 in neo-Renaissance style, and since 1919 it housed the University, the Philharmonic building (Slovenska filharmonija), the Zois Palace (Zoisova palača), built at the end of the 18th century under the influence of Neoclassicism, is known for having been the home of Baron Žiga Zois (1747-1819), the Opera House, the National Gallery as well as the Kresija and Filip Palaces, built in neo-Baroque style after the 1895 earthquake along the Ljubljanica river.

For its part, modernism is highlighted in many houses, such as the Hribar house (Hribarjeva hiša), built between 1902 and 1903 by Maks Fabiani and characterized by its wavy façade, the Krisper house (Krisperjeva hiša), built in 1900-01 by the same architect, who included floral motifs in the decoration of the façade, the Bamberg house (Bambergova hiša), built between 1906 and 1907 also by Maks Fabiani, its façade is characterized by vertical stripes of gray concrete, the Urbanc house, finished in 1903 by Graz-Friedrich Sigismundt and inspired by the department stores of the time, It presents a decoration based on plant motifs, glass engravings or designer lamps, influenced by Belgian and French art nouveau and the Hauptmann house (Hauptmannova hiša), built in 1873 but rebuilt in 1904 in in the style of the Viennese Secession, it presents a façade decorated with ceramic tiles in shades of green, blue and red. you.

Other modernist buildings are the building of the People's Bank for Bank Loans (Stavba Ljudske posojilnice), designed by Josip Vancaš in 1907, characterized by its façade decorated with ceramic tiles, the Union Hotel, built by the same architect between 1905 and 1907, has two wings joined by a turret culminating in a dome and a façade decorated with plant motifs, the Business Cooperative Bank building (Stavba Zadružne gospodarske banke), built in 1921 by Ivan Vurnik, is considered one of the best examples of Slovene architecture, featuring a façade decorated with red, blue and white geometric ornaments along with elements of Slovene iconography, the Building of the Municipal Savings Bank (Mestna hranilnica), built between 1903 and 1904 by Josip Vancaš, presents a façade in which the petal-shaped projection made of wrought iron and glass and The statues allegorical figures of Commerce and Production and the Mladika building, a work by Fabiani completed in 1907, whose façade contrasts red brick with white color, and is currently the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Already in the XX century the small skyscraper (Mali nebotičnik) was built, designed in 1931, which presents a curved façade and semicircular balconies, the Nebotičnik or skyscraper, built in 1933 based on American models and which at the time was the tallest in the Balkans and the ninth in Europe, The Parliament building (Državni zbor Republike Slovenije), built between 1954 and 1959 to house the then People's Assembly, is inspired by classical antiquity and its interior paintings and frescoes as well as the entrance portal stand out flanked by statues of workers, the Metalka building, built in 1963 based on the model of the Seagram building in New York, and the Kozolec building, built between 1955 and 1957, its author was based on Le Corbusier's Housing Unit, and is characterized by its large balcony on pillars and the horizontal division of the façade by means of b falcons.

Religious monuments

Facade of the church of the Ursulins

In addition to the cathedral, the Church of Saint Peter and the Franciscan Church, other temples from the Baroque period are: the Church of Saint Florian (Cerkev sv. Florijana) which, built after 1672, it owes its appearance to Jože Plečnik who rebuilt it in 1933-34; the church of St. James (Cerkev sv. Jakoba), built by the Jesuits between 1613 and 1615, was renovated in 1701 with, among other things, statues by Francesco Robba. The chapel of Saint Francis Xavier (Kapela sv. Frančiška Ksaverija), inspired by Venetian models and profusely decorated, was added between 1667 and 1670; The Church of Our Lady of Mercy (Cerkev Marije pomočnice or Križevniška cerkev) was originally built by the Knights of the Teutonic Order in the XIII. The modern church was built by the Venetian Domenico Rossi between 1714 and 1715; and the Church of the Ursulines (Cerkev sv. trojice), built between 1718 and 1726, one of the most unusual Baroque monuments in the city due to its undulating façade inspired by models by Francesco Borromini.

Initially erected in 1753, the modern Church of St. John the Baptist (Cerkev Janeza Krstnika), in the Trnovo district, was built between 1854 and 1857, assuming its neo-Romanesque appearance after the earthquake of 1895. Finally, already in the XX century, the churches of the Incarnation of Christ ( Cerkev Kristusovega učlovečenja), from 1980-85 whose most striking features are the clarity of its spaces (partially dug into the ground), its wooden furniture and its undulating roof partly planted with grass, and the Orthodox Church (Pravoslavna cerkev) of Saints Cyril and Methodius, built in 1936 and adorned with five domes, which are topped with a golden cross.

Bridges

Until the arrival of the railway, the Ljubljanica River, also called the River of Seven Names, was the main route for the transport of goods to and from Ljubljana. The main pier was located in the present-day area of Breg. The city has had bridges to cross it since ancient times, probably since Roman times. In medieval times it had two wooden bridges, and at the end of the century XVIII the danger of flooding was reduced thanks to the construction, in 1783, of the Gruber canal (Grubarjev prekop), thanks to which a good number of new bridges were built, some of them works by the architect Jože Plečnik.

Among all of them, those of Šempeter (Šempetrski most), of the Dragons (Zmajski most), of the Shoemakers (Čevljarski most) stand out), built between 1931 and 1932, Šentjakob (Šentjakobski most), built in 1915 replacing an earlier wooden one, Prule (Prulski most), Trnovo (Trnovski most ) and the Triple Bridge (Tromostovje), whose final result is due to the construction, by Jože Plečnik, of two bridges on the sides of one that had already existed since 1842, and It is considered one of the architectural jewels of the city.

Fonts

Source of Plaza Nueva with the castle at the bottom

The city has a set of fountains, some of them in the Baroque style, scattered throughout different parts of the city. Of all of them, the Robba Fountain (Robbov vodnjak) and the Hercules Fountain (Herkulov vodnjak) stand out.

The first, also known as the fountain of the Three Rivers of Carniola, is located in the Municipal Square (Mestni Trg), near the town hall and was made between 1743 and 1751 by the Italian sculptor Francesco Robba. Baroque in style, it is inspired by the fountain in Piazza Navona in Rome. It has an obelisk at whose feet are three white marble figures that symbolize the three rivers of Carniola: the Sava, the Ljubljanica and the Krka.

The Fountain of Hercules is located in the widest part of the Old Square (Stari trg). This is a modern interpretation of the original Baroque font torn down at the end of the 18th century. It is adorned with a statue of Hercules, a copy of the original kept in the town hall. Designed by Marko Mušič in collaboration with Julijan Renko and Boris Udovič, it was erected in 1991, on the eve of Slovenian independence.

Parks and gardens

The snowy Tivoli park

The city has several green spaces, both in the old area and in the surroundings. Thus, there is the Miklošič park (Miklošičev park), created in 1902 in the art nouveau style, the zoo, located on the Rožnik hill and where you can see numerous animal species from all continents, The botanical garden, created in 1810, being the oldest cultural and scientific institution in the city, includes a collection of more than 4,500 species of plants, both native and from other continents, the Arboretum, which occupies some 80 hectares between meadows, lakes and forests, and has more than 4,500 crop nurseries, the Argentina park (Argentinski park), located in the center of the city, and the most famous of all, the Tivoli park.

The Tivoli is the largest in Ljubljana and is located on the outskirts of the central district. It has long walks, gardens, statues, fountains, a pond, a small botanical garden and a greenhouse. It was created in 1813 during the Napoleonic administration and in 1920 it was renovated by Jože Plečnik, who built the Jakopič promenade (Jakopičevo sprehajališče). Several important buildings are located in it, such as the Tivoli castle (home of the International Center for Graphic Arts), the Cekin mansion (home of the National Museum of Contemporary History) or the Hala Tivoli.

Places

View of Prešeren Square from the Castle

The squares have played an important role in the history of Ljubljana and a walk through some of them shows all the artistic styles present in the city. Thus, the medieval and baroque periods are reflected in the Municipal (Mestni trg), Old (Stari trg) and Upper (Gornji trg) squares., the Art Nouveau period in the Slovenian Square (Slovenski trg), and the work of Jože Plečnik is seen in the Vodnik (Vodnikov trg), French Revolution ( Francoske Revolucije Trg) and Levstik (Levstikov trg).

The political, cultural and business center of present-day Ljubljana is Republic Square (Trg republike), whose function was formerly performed by Congress Square (Kongresni trg), in which are the buildings of the University, the Philharmonic and the church of the Ursulines. The current vital center of the city is Prešeren Square (Prešernov trg), where the Franciscan Church, the monument to the poet France Prešeren, numerous modernist buildings as well as the Central Pharmacy building are located.

Culture

Museums

Front view of the National Museum

The city has numerous art galleries and museums. Thus, in 2005, there were 15 museums and 41 art galleries. Among the museums are the National Museum, the Slovenian Museum of Natural History, the Slovenian Ethnographic Museum, the National Museum of Contemporary History, the Museum of Sports, the Railway Museum, the Museum of Ljubljana or the Museum of Architecture. Among the galleries, the Metelkova Center for Alternative Culture, the International Center for Graphic Arts, the Museum of Modern Art and the National Gallery stand out. In 2005, the museums received 264,470 visitors and galleries 403,890.

National Museum

Main building of the National Gallery

The National Museum of Slovenia (Narodni muzej Slovenije), housed in a 19th century Neo-Renaissance palace XIX, dates back to 1821, with the foundation of the Provincial Museum of Carniola. Its collection presents the history of the Slovenes, brings together a selection of pieces ranging from Prehistory to the Middle Ages and modern times, as well as a set of Latin inscriptions from Roman times and even a mummy from Ancient Egypt. One of the most prominent pieces is a 47,000-year-old Neanderthal flute from the Divje Babe excavation.

National Gallery

The National Gallery (Narodna galerija), founded in 1918, is housed in a Neo-Renaissance building built in 1896 to the design of František Edmund Škabrout, and houses an art collection that spans from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century century. In recent times it has been the object of two modifications; in 1993 a post-modernist style annex was added, and in 2001 a glass extension was added connecting the new annex to the main building.

Museum of Modern Art

The Ljubljana Museum of Modern Art (Moderna galerija Ljubljana) was built between 1940 and 1951 by Edvard Ravnikar, a follower of Jože Plečnik, whose influence can be seen, for example, in the stone blocks that protrude from the façade or the artificial stone borders around the windows. Inside, it houses a collection of works by Slovenian artists from the XX century, and is one of the venues for the International Biennale of Ljubljana of Graphic Arts.

Metelkova Alternative Culture Centre

The Metelkova Center for Alternative Culture is located in a former Austro-Hungarian military complex, built at the end of the 19th century, which currently houses several museums and institutions. Its origin dates back to 1993, when the complex was occupied by volunteers to prevent its demolition, and the decision was then made to dedicate it to cultural purposes. Metelkova has become a major center of alternative culture and a venue for concerts, conferences and other events featuring artists from around the world.

Metelkova street, in addition to the Center, houses numerous clubs and concert halls in which various types of music are played, mainly alternative rock. In the 1980s, Ljubljana became the center of the Neue Slowenische Kunst, which includes, among others, the musical group Laibach and the painters of the IRWIN collective. The philosopher Slavoj Žižek is also associated with him.

Cultural spaces

Opera

Ljubljana Opera House

The Ljubljana Opera House (SNG Opera in balet Ljubljana), formerly the home of the Provincial Theater (Deželno gledališče), was built between 1890 and 1892 in neo-Renaissance style and, before the German Theater was built, it gave performances in both German and Slovene. The characteristic appearance of the building lies in the facade adorned with Ionic columns and allegorical sculptures, the work of Alojzij Gangl, representing Tragedy, Comedy, Poetry, Glory and Genius.

Drama Theatre

Facade of Drama Theatre

The Drama Theater (SNG Drama Ljubljana) was built between 1909 and 1911 by the pro-German citizens of the city, organized in the German Theater Society in Ljubljana (Deutscher Theaterverein in Laibach), after a design by Alexander Graf. It features a highly decorated interior, neoclassical lobby and art nouveau ornaments on the exterior. After World War I it was taken over by the Slovenian National Drama Theater in Ljubljana.

Slovenian Philharmonic

Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra Building

The Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra (Slovenska filharmonija) dates back to 1701 when the Academia Philharmonicorum was created. This was succeeded in 1794 by the Philharmonic Society, predecessor of the current Philharmonic, whose members included composers such as Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms, as well as the violinist Niccolò Paganini.

The Philharmonic building was built in 1891 on the foundations of the old Estate Theater (Stanovsko gledališče), built in 1763 for the visit of Emperor Joseph II to the city, and destroyed in 1887. Designed by Adolf Wagner in the Neo-Renaissance style, it features the characteristic rounded corners of theaters of the time.

Cultural and Congress Centre

The Cultural and Congress Center (Cankarjev dom), built between 1982 and 1983 to designs by Edvard Ravnikar, is the largest cultural institution in Slovenia. It has numerous rooms that are used for concerts, theater, movies and conferences. With some of its rooms underground, the visible part consists of three wings, its façade covered with white stone decorated with folds on the sides.

Exhibition and Congress Centre

The Exhibition and Congress Center (Gospodarsko razstavišče) is a complex built between 1954 and 1958 according to a design by Branko Simčič. Among its buildings is Hall A, with its characteristic curved roof, and the Jurček Pavilion, shaped like a mushroom.

Festivities and events

Throughout the year, numerous cultural and festive events take place in the Slovenian capital. Chronologically, at the end of May the Druga Godba International Festival of Alternative and Ethnic Music takes place. Between June and July the International Jazz Festival is held, which presents some of the most important international jazz figures, and which in 2009 celebrates its 50th edition, and the International Theater Festival on Calle Ana Desetnica, in which, for twelve years, artists, clowns and musicians have presented their performances through the streets and squares of the old town.

Also in the summer months the International Summer Festival (Ljubljanski poletni festival) takes place, whose origin dates back to 1953, with musical, theatrical and dance performances by national and international artists who each year they attract 80,000 visitors to the city, and the Summer in the Old Town, with live acts through the streets and squares of the city.

In September and October of every odd year, the International Biennial of Graphic Arts is organized, one of the largest in the world and one of the most prestigious of this nature, whose origins date back to 1955. In October (every year par) takes place Bio, with international exhibitions of industrial design, and the International Festival of Contemporary Art "City of Women" (Mesto žensk), dedicated to contemporary women's artistic creations that are prepared each year on a particular theme. At the end of the month, the Ljubljana International Marathon is held.

In November, the Ljubljana International Film Festival (LIFFe) is held, which in 2009 celebrated its twenty-year anniversary since its first edition, and in December, on the occasion of Christmas, concerts and children's activities take place, among other things. In addition, every Sunday there is a flea market in the old part of the city, where you can find antiques, works of art and all kinds of trinkets.

Ljubljana was chosen by UNESCO as "World Book Capital" in 2010.

Media

Press written

In Ljubljana you can find the main general information newspapers, such as Delo, Dnevnik, Večer, Slovenia Times and Zurnal, economic newspapers such as Podjetnik or Economist and sports newspapers such as Ekipa. There are Indireck, the online newspaper Ljubljanske Novice, the religious Druzina and the economic Finance.

Radio

The Slovenian capital has several radio stations. For general information, there is a presence of the main national channels: Radio Slovenija A1 and Radio Kaos. Regarding music or cultural stations, Ljubljana has Radio Slovenija Ars, Radio Slovenija Val202, Radio 1, Radio Antena, Radio Center, Radio Ekspres, Radio Salomon, Radio Student and Radio Veseljak.

Television

In Ljubljana, as in the rest of the country, the public Slovene Radio Television (Radiotelevizija Slovenija) is present, offering three channels: TV SLO 1, TV SLO 2 and TV SLO 3. Regarding private television, it has, among others, Pop TV and Kanal A.

Sports

Sports entities

The Tivoli Pavilion, where some of the city clubs play

In soccer, the city has Interblock Ljubljana, winner of two Slovenian Cups, and Olimpija Ljubljana, winner of four leagues and four Slovenian Cups, both in the Slovenian PrvaLiga. In basketball, Ljubljana is represented by KD Slovan, ŽKD Ježica Ljubljana and KK Union Olimpija, the most successful in the city, with twenty basketball leagues (six of them during the former Yugoslavia), fifteen Slovenian Cups, three Slovenian Super Cups and a third place in the 1997 Euroleague.

As for ice hockey, Ljubljana's clubs are HD HS Olimpija, ŠD Alfa, HK Slavija and HDD Olimpija Ljubljana. They all compete in the Slovenian ice hockey league and some of they too in the Austrian league.

As for skiing, the closest slopes are located 30 km to the northwest, near Kamnik. The Krvavec resort has ten chairlifts for 35 km of slopes.

Sports facilities

Ljubljana Marathon attracts thousands of runners every year

The Tivoli Arena was built between 1963 and 1965, and is located in the center of the city, on the periphery of Tivoli Park. After its renovation, completed in 2000, the large hall has a capacity of 6,000 spectators, while the small hall, completed in 1995, has 4,050 seats.

The Central Stadium (Osrednji stadion) was built for the Orel Society between 1925 and 1941 to designs by Jože Plečnik. Its style is reflected, for example, in the balustrades or in the entrance vaults supported on Doric pseudo-columns. Frequently used in football matches or for concerts, it was closed in 2008 for a reform. In March The winning project was approved in 2009, the work of the Berlin architecture studio GMP.

Sports events

On the last Sunday of October, the Ljubljana International Marathon (Ljubljanski marathon) takes place through the streets of the city, attracting several thousand runners every year since 1996., and since 1957, between May 8 and 10, the traditional march along the Path of Memory and Comradeship (Pot spominov in tovarištva) has been held, commemorating the liberation of Ljubljana on May 9. May 1945.

The town of Tacen, located along the Sava River, eight kilometers northwest of Ljubljana, hosts an international kayak competition almost every year, dating back to 1939, taking part, for example, in the World Cup Slalom and the 1991 and 2010 World Championships. Between October 22 and 27, 1970, the city hosted the XVII World Gymnastics Championships.

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