The Government Building and President's Office ( sl, Vladna in predsedniška palača), also simply the Government Building () or the President's Office (), is a building 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 ...

, that houses the Office of the President of Slovenia, the

Secretary-General of the Government of Slovenia The Government of the Republic of Slovenia ( sl, Vlada Republike Slovenije) exercises executive authority in Slovenia pursuant to the Constitution and the laws of Slovenia. It is also the highest administrative authority in Slovenia. The governmen ...

, and the Protocol of Slovenia. It stands at the corner of Prešeren Street (),

Erjavec Street Erjavec is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Karl Erjavec (born 1960), Slovenian lawyer and politician *Mladen Erjavec Mladen Erjavec (born 8 April 1970) is a Croatian former professional basketball player, and now a coach. Er ...

(), and Gregorčič Street () in the Center District, next to the

Cankar Centre The Cankar Centre or Cankar Hall ( sl, Cankarjev dom) is the largest Slovenian convention, congress and culture center. The building was designed by the architect Edvard Ravnikar and was built at the southern edge of Republic Square in Ljubljana b ...

. It is used for state and ceremonial functions, as well as for receptions and meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries and heads of state. Occasionally, exhibits take place there.

History

The project documentation for the building was prepared by the engineer Rudolf Bauer based on work by the architect Emil von Förster. The first excavations took place in October 1886; foundations were laid in spring 1897. The usage permit was issued on 11 November 1898. The building was at first used as the headquarters of the provincial Carniolan authorities. After World War II, it housed the

Mayors of Ljubljana In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

, the

Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...

and, since 1975, the

Executive Council of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

. Since 1993 it has housed the Office of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, the Office of the Prime Minister of Slovenia and the Secretary-General of the Government of Slovenia. That year it was protected as a cultural monument.

Architecture

The three-storey building was built in the

Neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

style and has an atrial ground plan. There are two courtyards and the great hall, called Crystal Hall, which is now used for receptions, but was originally a chapel. The front façade, turned towards Prešeren Street, has three entrances. On the sides of the main entrance, which is in the middle, stand the allegorical statues of power and law, created by the Viennese architect

Josef Beyer Josef may refer to *Josef (given name) *Josef (surname) * ''Josef'' (film), a 2011 Croatian war film *Musik Josef Musik Josef is a Japanese manufacturer of musical instruments. It was founded by Yukio Nakamura, and is the only company in Japan spe ...

. There are also two minor entrances at the front, one to each side of the main entrance. These entrances open to a busy city avenue and do not make an impression typical of a protocol building. In addition, there are entrances from Erjavec Street and Gregorčič Street. The corners of the building are emphasised by towers. The interior was decorated in the interwar period (20th century) by

Gojmir Anton Kos Gojmir Anton Kos (January 24, 1896 – May 22, 1970) was a Slovene academy-trained painter, photographer, and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana. Gojmir was born in the town of Gorizia (then part of Austria-Hungary, now in Ital ...

with scenes from the

history of Slovenia The history of Slovenia chronicles the period of the Slovenian territory from the 5th century BC to the present. In the Early Bronze Age, Proto- Illyrian tribes settled an area stretching from present-day Albania to the city of Trieste. The Slov ...

References

External links

*
Virtual Panorama
President of the Republic of Slovenia. Accessed 14 February 2012. {{Ljubljana Presidential residences Official residences in Slovenia Cultural venues in Ljubljana Palaces in Ljubljana Renaissance Revival architecture in Ljubljana Center District, Ljubljana Houses completed in 1899 Palaces in Slovenia