The Cankar Centre or Cankar Hall ( sl, Cankarjev dom) is the largest

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

n convention, congress and culture center. The building was designed by the architect

Edvard Ravnikar Edvard Ravnikar (4 December 1907 – 23 August 1993) was a Slovenian architect. Ravnikar was born in Novo Mesto and was a student of architect Jože Plečnik. Later, he led the new generation of Slovene architects, notable for developing t ...

and was built at the southern edge of Republic Square in

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

between 1977 and 1982. Construction was funded entirely by the

Socialist Republic of Slovenia The Socialist Republic of Slovenia ( sl, Socialistična republika Slovenija, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Slovenija, Социјалистичка Република Словенија), commonly referred to as Sociali ...

Origin of the name

The center is named after the

Slovene writer Slovene literature is the literature written in Slovene. It spans across all literary genres with historically the Slovene historical fiction as the most widespread Slovene fiction genre. The Romantic 19th-century epic poetry written by the le ...

and

social-democratic Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...

politician

Ivan Cankar Ivan Cankar (, ) (10 May 1876 – 11 December 1918) was a Slovene writer, playwright, essayist, poet, and political activist. Together with Oton Župančič, Dragotin Kette, and Josip Murn, he is considered as the beginner of modernism in Slo ...

(1876–1918).

Interior

The centre has four halls named after Slovene artists: Gallus Hall (named after the late-

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

composer

Jacobus Gallus Jacobus Gallus (a.k.a. Jacob(us) Handl, Jacob(us) Händl, Jacob(us) Gallus; sl, Jakob Petelin Kranjski; between 15 April and 31 July 155018 July 1591) was a late-Renaissance composer of presumed Slovene ethnicity.Skei/Pokorn, Grove online Born ...

), Linhart Hall (named after the

Enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

erudite and playwright

Anton Tomaž Linhart Anton Tomaž Linhart (December 11, 1756 – July 14, 1795) was a Carniolan playwright and historian, best known as the author of the first comedy and theatrical play in general in Slovene, ''Županova Micka'' (Micka, the Mayor's Daughter). He is ...

), Kosovel Hall (named after the

Expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

poet

Srečko Kosovel Srečko Kosovel () (18 March 1904 – 26 May 1926) was a Slovenian poet, now considered one of central Europe's major modernist poets.

), and Štih Hall (named after the literary critic Bojan Štih). The Cankar Centre also has a large foyer where events are held (artistic performances, dances, book fairs, etc.). In front of the building stands a monument to Ivan Cankar, designed in 1982 by the sculptor

Slavko Tihec Slavko () is a Slavic masculine given name. Notable holders of the name include: Arts * Slavko Avsenik, Slovenian musician * Slavko Avsenik, Jr., Slovenian musician * Slavko Brankov, Croatian actor * Slavko Brill, Croatian Jewish sculptor * Slavko ...

. In September 2011 the renovation of the first lobby was held, increasing the height of the ceiling, replacing the carpet with bamboo parquet and refurbished lighting; The recast was received by critics of the Association of Architects of Ljubljana, the Association of Architects of Slovenia, the Chamber of Architecture and Space of Slovenia, the Architecture and Design Museum, the Dessa Galleries and the Ferry Institute for the purpose of encroaching on the architectural image Space.

History

The ground floor of the centre, like most of the present-day square, was owned by the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

until 1960, when it was nationalized by the

People's Republic of Slovenia The Socialist Republic of Slovenia ( sl, Socialistična republika Slovenija, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Slovenija, Социјалистичка Република Словенија), commonly referred to as Sociali ...

. During the building of the Cankar Centre, remnants of the ancient Roman town of

Emona Emona (early gkm, Ἤμονα) or Aemona (short for ) was a Roman castrum, located in the area where the navigable Ljubljanica river came closest to Castle Hill,

were found; the Roman wall was dynamited to make way for construction. Most of the finds have been transferred to the

National Museum of Slovenia The National Museum of Slovenia ( sl, Narodni muzej Slovenije) is located in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is located in the Center district of the city near Tivoli City Park. Along with the Slovenian Museum of Natural History, located i ...

, which stands on the opposite side of the square.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Republic Square (Ljubljana) Cultural venues in Ljubljana Buildings and structures in Ljubljana Event venues established in 1982 Convention centers in Slovenia Ivan Cankar Edvard Ravnikar Center District, Ljubljana 1982 establishments in Yugoslavia

Origin of the name

Interior

History

See also

References

External links