The Cobblers' Bridge or the Shoemakers' Bridge ( sl, Čevljarski most or ) is a pedestrian bridge crossing the river Ljubljanica 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 ...

, the capital of

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 ...

. It connects two major areas of medieval Ljubljana. It is decorated by two kinds of pillars, the

Corinthian pillar The Corinthian order (Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order ...

s which delineate the shape of the bridge itself and the

Ionic pillars Ionic or Ionian may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Ionic meter, a poetic metre in ancient Greek and Latin poetry * Ionian mode, a musical mode or a diatonic scale Places and peoples * Ionian, of or from Ionia, an ancient region in western A ...

as lamp-bearers. Built upon the plans by the architect Jože Plečnik, it was inscribed in August 2021 as part of Plečnik's legacy on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

History

It is one of the oldest bridges crossing the river in Ljubljana and dates back to at least the 13th century. In the Middle Ages, it was known as the Upper Bridge (). It started as a wooden bridge with a butchers shop on it, but the stench from the meat was so strong that the

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

at the time paid to have them relocated. Shoemakers were the new occupiers of their booths, so the bridge gained its present name. The bridge has been reconstructed on numerous occasions throughout its long history due to floods or fires, and in 1867 a cast-iron bridge, named Hradecky Bridge after a former mayor of Ljubljana, was built and later relocated. The current stone bridge was designed in 1931 by the architect Jože Plečnik. In 2010, a monument of

Ivan Hribar Ivan Hribar (19 September 1851 – 18 April 1941) was a Slovene and Yugoslav banker, politician, diplomat and journalist. During the start of the 20th century, he was one of the leaders of the National Progressive Party, and one of the most ...

, mayor of Ljubljana between 1895 and 1907, was unveiled next to the bridge. The current stone bridge was built in 1931.

References

Bridges in Ljubljana Pedestrian bridges in Slovenia Bridges completed in 1931 Stone bridges Jože Plečnik buildings Bridges over the Ljubljanica Center District, Ljubljana Art Nouveau architecture in Ljubljana Art Nouveau bridges 20th-century architecture in Slovenia {{Slovenia-bridge-struct-stub