Ljubljana (also known by other
historical names) is the
capital and largest city 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 is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center.
During antiquity, a Roman city called
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, stood in the area. Ljubljana itself was first mentioned in the first half of the 12th century. Situated at the middle of a trade route between the northern
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
and the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...
region, it was the historical capital of
Carniola, one of the
Slovene-inhabited parts of the
Habsburg monarchy.
It was under
Habsburg rule from the Middle Ages until the dissolution of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Ljubljana became the capital of the
Socialist Republic of Slovenia, part of the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yu ...
. The city retained this status until Slovenia became independent in 1991 and Ljubljana became the capital of the newly formed state.
Name
The origin of the name ''Ljubljana'' is unclear. In the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, both the river and the town were also known by the German name ''Laibach''. This name was in official use as an
endonym until 1918, and it remains frequent as a German exonym, both in common speech and official use. The city is called ''
Lubiana'' in Italian and ''Labacum'' in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
.
The earliest attestation of the German name is from 1144 and the earliest attestation of the Slovenian form is 1146. The
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
form of the latter, Λυπλιανές (''Lyplianes''), is attested in a 10th-century source, the ''Life'' of
Gregentios, which locates it in the country of the
Avars in the 6th century. This part of the ''Life'' is based on a north Italian source written not long after the
conquest of 774.
For most scholars, a problem has been in how to connect the Slovene and the German names. The origin from the
Slavic ''ljub''- "to love, like" was in 2007 supported as the most probable by the linguist
Tijmen Pronk, a specialist in comparative
Indo-European linguistics
Indo-European studies is a field of linguistics and an interdisciplinary field of study dealing with Indo-European languages, both current and extinct. The goal of those engaged in these studies is to amass information about the hypothetical pro ...
and
Slovene dialectology, from the
University of Leiden
Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, as a reward to the city of Le ...
. He supported the thesis that the name of the river derived from that of the settlement. Linguist Silvo Torkar, who specialises in Slovene personal and place names, argued that the name ''Ljubljana'' derives from ''Ljubija'', the original name of the
Ljubljanica River flowing through it, itself derived from the Old Slavic male name ''Ljubovid'', "the one of a lovely appearance". The name ''Laibach'', he claimed, was actually a hybrid of German and Slovene and derived from the same personal name.
Dragon symbol
The city's symbol is the
Ljubljana Dragon. It is depicted on the top of the tower of
Ljubljana Castle
Ljubljana Castle ( sl, Ljubljanski grad, german: Laibacher Schloss) is a castle complex standing on Castle Hill above downtown Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is a key landmark of the town. Originally a medieval fortress, it was probably ...
in the Ljubljana coat of arms and on the Ljubljanica-crossing
Dragon Bridge ().
It represents power, courage, and greatness.
Several explanations describe 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 earth, and it is thought that the myth is tied to the
Ljubljana Marsh
The Ljubljana Marsh ( sl, Ljubljansko barje), located south of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, is the largest marsh in the country. It covers or 0.8% of the Slovene territory. It is administered by the municipalities of Borovnica, Brezovica ...
, the expansive marshy area that periodically threatens Ljubljana with flooding.
[Exhibition catalogue Emona: myth and reality](_blank)
; Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana 2010 According to
Greek legend, the
Argonauts on their return home after having taken the
Golden Fleece
In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece ( el, Χρυσόμαλλον δέρας, ''Chrysómallon déras'') is the fleece of the golden-woolled,, ''Khrusómallos''. winged ram, Chrysomallos, that rescued Phrixus and brought him to Colchis, where ...
found a large lake surrounded by a marsh between the present-day towns of
Vrhnika
Vrhnika (; german: Oberlaibach;''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 120. la, Nauportus) is a town in Slovenia. It is the seat of the Mun ...
and Ljubljana. There
Jason
Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He ...
struck down a monster. This monster evolved into the
dragon that today is present in the city coat of arms and flag.
It is historically more believable that the dragon was adopted from
Saint George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldie ...
, the patron of the Ljubljana Castle chapel built in the 15th century. In the legend of Saint George, the dragon represents the old ancestral
paganism overcome by
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
. According to another explanation, related to the second, the dragon was at first only a decoration above the city coat of arms. In the
Baroque, it became part of the coat of arms, and in the 19th and especially the 20th century, it outstripped the tower and other elements in importance.
History
Prehistory
Around 2000 BC, the Ljubljana Marsh was settled by people living in
pile dwellings
Stilt houses (also called pile dwellings or lake dwellings) are houses raised on stilts (or piles) over the surface of the soil or a body of water. Stilt houses are built primarily as a protection against flooding; they also keep out vermin. The ...
.
Prehistoric pile dwellings and
the oldest wooden wheel in the world are among the most notable archeological findings from the marshland. These lake-dwelling people survived through hunting, fishing and primitive agriculture. To get around the marshes, they used
dugout canoes
A dugout canoe or simply dugout is a boat made from a hollowed tree. Other names for this type of boat are logboat and monoxylon. ''Monoxylon'' (''μονόξυλον'') (pl: ''monoxyla'') is Greek – ''mono-'' (single) + '' ξύλον xylon'' (t ...
made by cutting out the inside of tree trunks. Their archaeological remains, nowadays in the
Municipality of Ig
The Municipality of Ig (; sl, Občina Ig) is a municipality in central Slovenia. Its seat is the settlement of Ig. It was formed in 1995 from parts of the Municipality of Vič–Rudnik, until then one of the five municipalities that formed the ...
, have been designated a
UNESCO World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
since June 2011, in the
common nomination of six Alpine states.
Later, the area remained a transit point, for groups including the
Illyrians
The Illyrians ( grc, Ἰλλυριοί, ''Illyrioi''; la, Illyrii) were a group of Indo-European-speaking peoples who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo-Balkan populations, a ...
, followed by a mixed nation of the
Celts
The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancien ...
and the Illyrians called the
Iapydes
The Iapydes (or Iapodes, Japodes; el, Ἰάποδες) were an ancient people who dwelt north of and inland from the Liburnians, off the Adriatic coast and eastwards of the Istrian peninsula. They occupied the interior of the country between the ...
, and then in the 3rd century BC a Celtic tribe, the
Taurisci
The Taurisci were a federation of Celtic tribes who dwelt in today's Carinthia and northern Slovenia (Carniola) before the coming of the Romans (c. 200 BC). According to Pliny the Elder, they are the same as the people known as the Norici.
Etym ...
.
Antiquity
Around 50 BC, the
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
built a military encampment that later became a permanent settlement called
Iulia Aemona.
This entrenched fort was occupied by the ''
Legio XV Apollinaris
Legio XV Apollinaris ("Apollo's Fifteenth Legion") was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. It was recruited by Octavian in 41/40 BC. The emblem of this legion was probably a picture of Apollo, or of one of his holy animals.
XV ''Apollinaris ...
''.
[ Hildegard Temporini and Wolfgang Haase, ''Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt''. de Gruyter, 1988. ]
Google Books, p.343
In 452, it was destroyed by the
Huns
The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...
under
Attila's orders,
and later by the
Ostrogoths
The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the large Gothic populations who ...
and the
Lombards
The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774.
The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the '' History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...
.
[Daniel Mallinus, ''La Yougoslavie'', Éd. Artis-Historia, Brussels, 1988, D/1988/0832/27, p. 37-39.] Emona housed 5,000 to 6,000 inhabitants and played an important role during battles. Its plastered brick houses, painted in different colours, were connected to a
drainage system.
In the 6th century, the ancestors of the
Slovenes
The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( sl, Slovenci ), are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia, and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovene as their na ...
moved in. In the 9th century, they fell under
Frankish
Frankish may refer to:
* Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture
** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages
* Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany
* East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...
domination, while experiencing frequent
Magyar raids.
Not much is known about the area during the settlement of
Slavs in the period between the downfall of Emona and the Early Middle Ages.
Middle Ages
The parchment sheet ''Nomina defunctorum'' ("Names of the Dead"), most probably written in the second half of 1161, mentions the nobleman Rudolf of Tarcento, a lawyer of the
Patriarchate of Aquileia
The Patriarchate of Aquileia was an episcopal see in northeastern Italy, centred on the ancient city of Aquileia situated at the head of the Adriatic, on what is now the Italian seacoast. For many centuries it played an important part in histor ...
, who had bestowed a canon with 20 farmsteads beside the
castle of Ljubljana (''castrum Leibach'') to the Patriarchate. According to the historian
Peter Štih's deduction, this happened between 1112 and 1125, the earliest mention of Ljubljana.
[ ]
The property changed hands repeatedly until the first half of the 12th century. The territory south of the
Sava
The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally t ...
where Ljubljana developed, gradually became property of the Carinthian Dukes of the
House of Sponheim
The House of Sponheim or Spanheim was a medieval German noble family, which originated in Rhenish Franconia. They were immediate Counts of Sponheim until 1437 and Dukes of Carinthia from 1122 until 1269. Its cadet branches ruled in the Imperial ...
.
Urban settlement started in the second half of the 12th century.
At around 1200,
market rights
A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
were granted to Old Square (),
which at the time was one of Ljubljana's three original districts. The other two districts were an area called "Town" (), built around the predecessor of the present-day
Ljubljana Cathedral
Ljubljana Cathedral ( sl, ljubljanska stolnica), officially named Saint Nicholas's Church (, unofficially also ), also named Saint Nicholas's Cathedral ( sl, stolnica sv. Nikolaja), the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, or simply the Cathedral (), is a ...
at one side of the
Ljubljanica
The Ljubljanica (), known in the Middle Ages as the ''Sava'', is a river in the southern part of the Ljubljana Basin in Slovenia. The capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, lies on the river. The Ljubljanica rises south of the town of Vrhnika and flow ...
River, and New Square () at the other side.
The
Franciscan Bridge, a predecessor of the present-day
Triple Bridge
The Triple Bridge ( sl, Tromostovje, in older sources also ''Tromostje'') is a group of three bridges across the Ljubljanica River. It connects Ljubljana's historical medieval town on one bank and the modern city of Ljubljana, the capital of Slov ...
, and the
Butchers' Bridge connected the walled areas with wooden buildings.
Ljubljana acquired the
town privileges
Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...
at some time between 1220 and 1243. Seven fires erupted during the Middle Ages. Artisans organised themselves into
guilds. The
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...
, the
Conventual Franciscans
The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv) is a male religious fraternity in the Roman Catholic Church that is a branch of the Franciscans. The friars in OFM CONV are also known as Conventual Franciscans, or Minorites.
Dating back to ...
, and the
Franciscans
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
settled there. In 1256, when the Carinthian duke
Ulrich III of Spanheim became lord of Carniola, the provincial capital was moved from
Kamnik
Kamnik (; german: Stein''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, pp. 26–27. or ''Stein in Oberkrain'') is a town in northern Slovenia. It is t ...
to Ljubljana.
In the late 1270s, Ljubljana was conquered by King
Ottokar II of Bohemia
Ottokar II ( cs, Přemysl Otakar II.; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his dea ...
.
[ (includes timeline)] In 1278, after Ottokar's defeat, it became—together with the rest of
Carniola—property of
Rudolph of Habsburg
Rudolf I (1 May 1218 – 15 July 1291) was the first King of Germany from the House of Habsburg. The first of the count-kings of Germany, he reigned from 1273 until his death.
Rudolf's election marked the end of the Great Interregnum which h ...
.
It was administered by the
Counts of Gorizia
The County of Gorizia ( it, Contea di Gorizia, german: Grafschaft Görz, sl, Goriška grofija, fur, Contee di Gurize), from 1365 Princely County of Gorizia, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. Originally mediate ''Vogts'' of the Patriarchs of ...
from 1279 until 1335,
when it became the capital town of Carniola.
Renamed ''Laibach'', it was owned by the
House of Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
until 1797.
In 1327, the Ljubljana's "
Jewish Quarter"—now only "Jewish Street" () remains—was established with a synagogue, and lasted until Emperor
Maximilian I in 1515 succumbed to
medieval antisemitism
Antisemitism in the history of the Jews in the Middle Ages became increasingly prevalent in the Late Middle Ages. Johannes, Fried (2015) p. 287-289 The Middle Ages. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Early instances of pogroms aga ...
and expelled Jews from Ljubljana, for which he demanded a certain payment from the town.
In 1382, in front of
St. Bartholomew's Church in
Šiška, at the time a nearby village, now part of Ljubljana, a peace treaty was signed between the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
and
Leopold III of
Habsburg.
Early modern
In the 15th century, Ljubljana became recognised for its art, particularly painting and sculpture. The
Roman Rite Catholic Diocese of Ljubljana was established in 1461 and the
Church of St. Nicholas became the diocesan cathedral.
After the
1511 Idrija earthquake
The 1511 Idrija earthquake ( sl, Idrijski potres) occurred on March 26 with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). The epicenter was around the town of Idrija in present-day Slovenia, although some place it some 15-20 kilometers to th ...
,
the city was rebuilt in the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
style and a new wall was built around it.
Wooden buildings were forbidden after a large fire at New Square in 1524.
In the 16th century, the population of Ljubljana numbered 5,000, 70% of whom spoke
Slovene as their
first language
A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...
, with most of the rest using German.
The first
secondary school, public library and printing house opened in Ljubljana. Ljubljana became an important educational centre.
From 1529, Ljubljana had an active
Slovene Protestant community. They were expelled in 1598, marking the beginning of the
Counter-Reformation. Catholic Bishop
Thomas Chrön ordered the public burning of eight cartloads of Protestant books.
[Rajhman, Jože, & Emilijan Cevc. 1990. Tomaž Hren. ''Enciklopedija Slovenije'', vol. 4, pp. 50–51. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga.]
In 1597, the
Jesuits
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders = ...
arrived, followed in 1606 by the
Capuchins
Capuchin can refer to:
*Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from t ...
, seeking to
eradicate Protestantism. Only 5% of all the residents of Ljubljana at the time were Catholic, but eventually they re-Catholicized the town. The Jesuits staged the first theatre productions, fostered the development of
Baroque music, and established Catholic schools. In the middle and the second half of the 17th century, foreign architects built and renovated monasteries, churches, and palaces and introduced
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...
. In 1702, the
Ursulines
The Ursulines, also known as the Order of Saint Ursula (post-nominals: OSU), is an enclosed religious order of consecrated women that branched off from the Angelines, also known as the Company of Saint Ursula, in 1572. Like the Angelines, they ...
settled in the town, and the following year they opened the first public school for girls in the
Slovene Lands
The Slovene lands or Slovenian lands ( sl, Slovenske dežele or in short ) is the historical denomination for the territories in Central and Southern Europe where people primarily spoke Slovene. The Slovene lands were part of the Illyrian provin ...
. Some years later, the construction of the
Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity started.
In 1779,
St. Christopher's Cemetery
Navje Memorial Park ( sl, Spominski park Navje), the redesigned part of the former St. Christopher's Cemetery (), is a memorial park in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is located in the Bežigrad district, just behind the Ljubljana railwa ...
replaced the cemetery at
St. Peter's Church as Ljubljana's main cemetery.
Late modern
From 1809 to 1813, during the "
Napoleonic
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
interlude", Ljubljana (as ''Laybach'') was the capital of the
Illyrian Provinces.
In 1813, the city returned to Austria and from 1815 to 1849 was the administrative centre of the
Kingdom of Illyria in the Austrian Empire.
In 1821, it hosted the
Congress of Laibach
The Congress of Laibach was a conference of the allied sovereigns or their representatives, held in 1821 as part of the Congress System (the forerunner of the Concert of Europe) which was the decided attempt of the five Great Powers to settle inte ...
, which fixed European political borders for that period.
The first train arrived in 1849 from Vienna and in 1857 the line extended to
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...
.
In 1895 Ljubljana, then a city of 31,000, suffered
a serious earthquake measuring 6.1
Richter and 8–9 degrees
MCS.
Some 10% of its 1,400 buildings were destroyed, although casualties were light.
During the subsequent reconstruction, some districts were rebuilt in the
Vienna Secession
The Vienna Secession (german: Wiener Secession; also known as ''the Union of Austrian Artists'', or ''Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs'') is an art movement, closely related to Art Nouveau, that was formed in 1897 by a group of Austr ...
style.
Public
electric lighting arrived in 1898. The rebuilding period between 1896 and 1910 is referred to as the "revival of Ljubljana" because of architectural changes that defined the city and for reform of urban administration, health, education and tourism. The rebuilding and quick modernisation of the city were led by the mayor
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 mos ...
.
In 1918, following the dissolution of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
, the region joined the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
.
In 1929, Ljubljana became the capital of the
Drava Banovina, a
Yugoslav province.
In 1941, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
,
Fascist Italy occupied the city, and then on 3 May 1941 made ''Lubiana'' the capital of Italy's
Province of Ljubljana with former Yugoslav general
Leon Rupnik
Leon Rupnik, also known as Lav Rupnik or Lev Rupnik (August 10, 1880 – September 4, 1946) was a Slovene general in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia who collaborated with the Fascist Italian and Nazi German occupation forces during World War II. Rup ...
as mayor. After the Italian capitulation,
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
with SS-general
Erwin Rösener and
Friedrich Rainer took control in 1943,
but formally the city remained the capital of an Italian province until 9 May 1945. In Ljubljana, the Axis forces established strongholds and command centres of
Quisling
''Quisling'' (, ) is a term used in Scandinavian languages and in English meaning a citizen or politician of an occupied country who collaborates with an enemy occupying force – or more generally as a synonym for ''traitor''. The word ori ...
organisations, the
Anti-Communist Volunteer Militia
The Anti-Communist Volunteer Militia ( it, Milizia Volontaria Anti Comunista, MVAC; sl, prostovoljna protikomunistična milica, also or , pejorative, meaning 'white guard'; sh, script=cyrl, italic=no, Добровољачка антикомун� ...
under Italy and the
Home Guard
Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense.
The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting w ...
under German control. Starting in February 1942,
the city was surrounded by barbed wire, later fortified by
bunkers, to prevent co-operation between the
resistance movements
A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...
that operated inside and outside the fence.
Since 1985, the
commemorative trail has ringed the city where this iron fence once stood.
[ ] Postwar reprisals filled
mass graves
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may Unidentified decedent, not be identified prior to burial. The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of executi ...
.
[Booker, Christopher. 1997. ''A Looking-Glass Tragedy. The Controversy over the Repatriations From Austria In 1945.'' London: Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd., p. 214.][Ferenc, Tone. 1999. "Šentvid." ''Enciklopedija Slovenije'', vol. 13 (Š–T). Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, p. 28.]
After World War II, Ljubljana became the capital of the
Socialist Republic of Slovenia, part of the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yu ...
. It retained this status until Slovene independence in 1991.
Contemporary situation
Ljubljana is the capital of independent
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 ...
, which joined the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
in 2004.
Geography
The city covers . It is situated in the
Ljubljana Basin in
Central Slovenia, between the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...
and the
Karst. Ljubljana is located some south of
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
, east of
Zürich
, neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon
, twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco
Zürich ...
, east of Venice, southwest of
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, west of
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...
and southwest of
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
. Ljubljana has grown considerably in the past 40 years, mainly by merging with nearby settlements.
Geology
The city stretches out on an
alluvial
Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. All ...
plain dating to the
Quaternary era
An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth.
Comp ...
. The mountainous regions nearby are older, dating from the
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretace ...
(
Triassic
The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago (Year#Abbreviations yr and ya, Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 ...
) or
Paleozoic
The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon.
The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838
by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and ' ...
.
Earthquakes have repeatedly devastated Ljubljana, notably in
1511
Year 1511 ( MDXI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* March 26 - The 1511 Idrija earthquake occurs, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (' ...
and
1895
Events
January–March
* January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island.
* January 12 – The National Trust for Places of Histor ...
.
Topography
Ljubljana has an elevation of .
The
city centre, located along the river, sits at .
Ljubljana Castle
Ljubljana Castle ( sl, Ljubljanski grad, german: Laibacher Schloss) is a castle complex standing on Castle Hill above downtown Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is a key landmark of the town. Originally a medieval fortress, it was probably ...
, which sits atop Castle Hill () south of the city centre, has an elevation of . The highest point of the city, called
Grmada, reaches , more than the nearby
Mount Saint Mary
Mount Saint Mary ( sl, Šmarna gora, german: Großkahlenberg''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 115.), originally known as Holm, is an ins ...
() peak, a popular hiking destination.
These are located in the northern part of the city.
Bodies of water
The main watercourses in Ljubljana are the
Ljubljanica
The Ljubljanica (), known in the Middle Ages as the ''Sava'', is a river in the southern part of the Ljubljana Basin in Slovenia. The capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, lies on the river. The Ljubljanica rises south of the town of Vrhnika and flow ...
, the
Sava
The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally t ...
, the
Gradaščica
The Gradaščica is a river in Slovenia. The river is long. It begins in Polhov Gradec at the confluence of Little Creek ( sl, Mala Voda) and Big Božna Creek. Near Vrhovci it is joined by Horjulščica Creek (also known as Horjulka Creek). Not ...
, the
Mali Graben
The Mali Graben ( sl, Mali graben) is a creek and a natural branch of the Gradaščica River in southwest Ljubljana. It flows south of and parallel to the Gradaščica and is the largest affluent of the river Ljubljanica. It is also known as ''Str� ...
, the
Iška
The Iška () is a river of central Slovenia. Part of the river valley—the Iška Gorge or Iška Canyon ( sl, Iški vintgar)—separates Lower Carniola from Inner Carniola. The river is long. After flowing past Strahomer, the river follows an almo ...
and the Iščica rivers. From the
Trnovo District to the
Moste District
The Moste District (; sl, Četrtna skupnost Moste), or simply Moste, is a district () of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It encompasses the east-central part of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is named after the former village of Most ...
, around Castle Hill, the Ljubljanica partly flows through the
Gruber Canal __NOTOC__
Gruber is a German surname from Austria and Bavaria, referring to a person from a geological depression, mine, or pit. It is the most common surname in Austria (see List of most common surnames).
Places
* Gruber Mountains, Antarctic ...
, built according to plans by
Gabriel Gruber
Gabriel Gruber, S.J. (May 6, 1740 – April 7, 1805) was the second Superior General of the Society of Jesus in Russia.
Early years and education
Gabriel Gruber, born in Vienna, became a Jesuit at the young age of 15, in 1755 and did most of h ...
from 1772 until 1780. Next to the eastern border, the rivers Ljubljanica, Sava, and
Kamnik Bistrica
The Kamnik Bistrica ( sl, Kamniška Bistrica, ) is an Alps, Alpine river in northern Slovenia, a left tributary of the Sava River. It springs from the Kamnik Alps (part of the Southern Limestone Alps) near the border with Austria. It is long. The ...
flow together. The confluence is the lowest point of Ljubljana, with an elevation of .
Through its history, Ljubljana has been struck by floods.
The latest
''The Latest'' is the sixteenth studio album by the American hard rock and power pop band Cheap Trick, released on June 23, 2009. The album was produced by Cheap Trick, Julian Raymond, and Howard Willing and was issued on CD, as well as limite ...
was in 2010.
Southern and western parts of the city are more flood-endangered than northern parts.
The Gruber Canal has partly diminished the danger of floods in the
Ljubljana Marsh
The Ljubljana Marsh ( sl, Ljubljansko barje), located south of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, is the largest marsh in the country. It covers or 0.8% of the Slovene territory. It is administered by the municipalities of Borovnica, Brezovica ...
, the largest marsh in Slovenia, south of the city.
The two major ponds in Ljubljana are
Koseze Pond
Koseze Pond ( sl, Koseški bajer), Martinek Pond () or Lake Koseze () is an artificial pond at the edge of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, between Šiška Hill to the west and the neighborhood of Mostec to the east. It is part of the Tivo ...
in the Šiška District and
Tivoli Pond in the southern part of
Tivoli City Park
Tivoli City Park ( sl, Mestni park Tivoli) or simply Tivoli Park () is the largest park in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is located on the western outskirts of the Center District, stretching to the Šiška District to the north, the V ...
. Koseze Pond has rare plant and animal species and is a place of meeting and recreation. Tivoli Pond is a shallow pond with a small volume that was originally used for boating and ice skating, but is now used for fishing.
Climate
Ljubljana's climate is
oceanic
Oceanic may refer to:
*Of or relating to the ocean
*Of or relating to Oceania
**Oceanic climate
**Oceanic languages
**Oceanic person or people, also called "Pacific Islander(s)"
Places
* Oceanic, British Columbia, a settlement on Smith Island, ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
: Cfb), bordering on a
humid subtropical climate (
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
: Cfa), with
continental
Continental may refer to:
Places
* Continent, the major landmasses of Earth
* Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US
* Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US
Arts and entertainment
* ''Continental'' ( ...
characteristics such as warm summers and moderately cold winters. July and August are the warmest months with daily high temperatures generally between , and January is the coldest month with temperatures mostly around . The city experiences 90 days of frost per year, and 11 days with temperatures above . Precipitation is relatively evenly distributed throughout the seasons, although winter and spring tend to be somewhat drier than summer and autumn. Yearly precipitation is about , making Ljubljana one of the wettest European capitals. Thunderstorms are common from May to September and can occasionally be heavy. Snow is common from December to February; on average, snow cover is recorded for 48 days a year. The city is known for its fog, appearing on average on 64 days per year, mostly in autumn and winter, and can be particularly persistent in conditions of
temperature inversion
In meteorology, an inversion is a deviation from the normal change of an atmospheric property with altitude. It almost always refers to an inversion of the air temperature lapse rate, in which case it is called a temperature inversion. Nor ...
.
Cityscape
The city's architecture is a mix of styles. Large buildings have appeared around the city's edges, while Ljubljana's historic centre remains intact. Some of the oldest architecture dates to the Roman period, while Ljubljana's downtown got its outline in the Middle Ages. After the
1511 earthquake, it was rebuilt in the
Baroque style
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
following Italian, particularly Venetian, models.
After the earthquake in 1895, it was again rebuilt, this time in the
Vienna Secession
The Vienna Secession (german: Wiener Secession; also known as ''the Union of Austrian Artists'', or ''Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs'') is an art movement, closely related to Art Nouveau, that was formed in 1897 by a group of Austr ...
style, which is juxtaposed against the earlier Baroque style buildings that remain. Large sectors built in the inter-war period often include a personal touch by the architects
Jože Plečnik
Jože Plečnik () (23 January 1872 – 7 January 1957) was a Slovene architect who had a major impact on the modern architecture of Vienna, Prague and of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, most notably by designing the iconic Triple Bridge an ...
and
Ivan Vurnik
Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgari ...
. In the second half of the 20th century, parts of Ljubljana were redesigned by
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 ...
.
Central
The central square in Ljubljana is
Prešeren Square
Prešeren Square ( sl, Prešernov trg) is the central square in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is part of the old town's pedestrian zone and a major meeting point where festivals (like the annual Ljubljana Dragon Carnival), concerts, sports ...
() home to the
Franciscan Church of the Annunciation
The Franciscan Church of the Annunciation ( sl, Frančiškanska cerkev Marijinega oznanjenja or commonly ''Frančiškanska cerkev'') is a Franciscan church located on Prešeren Square in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is the parish church ...
() . Built between 1646 and 1660 (the belltowers followed), it replaced an older Gothic church. It offers an early-Baroque basilica with one nave and two rows of lateral chapels. The Baroque main altar was executed by sculptor Italian
Francesco Robba. Much of the original frescos were ruined by ceiling cracks caused by the
Ljubljana earthquake in 1895. The new frescos were painted by the Slovene
impressionist painter
Matej Sternen.
Ljubljana Castle
Ljubljana Castle ( sl, Ljubljanski grad, german: Laibacher Schloss) is a castle complex standing on Castle Hill above downtown Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is a key landmark of the town. Originally a medieval fortress, it was probably ...
(''Ljubljanski grad'') is a medieval castle with
Romanesque,
Gothic, and
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
architectural elements, located on the summit of Castle Hill, which dominates the city centre. The area surrounding the castle has been continuously inhabited since 1200 BC.
The castle was built in the 12th century and was a residence of the
Margraves, later the
Dukes of Carniola. Its Viewing Tower dates to 1848; it was manned by a guard whose duty it was to fire cannons announcing fire or important visitors or events, a function the castle still holds.
Cultural events and weddings also take place there.
In 2006, a
funicular
A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite e ...
linked the city centre to the castle.
Town Hall (, ), located at
Town Square
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
, is the seat of
city government. The original, Gothic building was completed in 1484. Between 1717 and 1719,
the building underwent a Baroque renovation with a Venetian inspiration by architect Gregor Maček Sr. Near Town Hall, at
Town Square
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
, stands a replica of the Baroque
Robba Fountain. The original was moved into the
National Gallery
The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director ...
in 2006. The fountain is decorated with an obelisk; at the foot are three figures in white marble symbolising the three chief rivers of Carniola. It is work of Francesco Robba, who designed other Baroque statues there.
Ljubljana Cathedral
Ljubljana Cathedral ( sl, ljubljanska stolnica), officially named Saint Nicholas's Church (, unofficially also ), also named Saint Nicholas's Cathedral ( sl, stolnica sv. Nikolaja), the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, or simply the Cathedral (), is a ...
(), or St. Nicholas's Cathedral (), serves the
Archdiocese of Ljubljana
The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ljubljana ( sl, Nadškofija Ljubljana, la, Archidioecesis Labacensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Slovenia.[Saints Cyril and Methodius
Cyril (born Constantine, 826–869) and Methodius (815–885) were two brothers and Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs, they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs".
They are credited wi ...]
).
The Diocese was set up in 1461.
Between 1701 and 1706, Jesuit architect
Andrea Pozzo designed the Baroque church with two side chapels shaped in the form of a
Latin cross
A Latin cross or ''crux immissa'' is a type of cross in which the vertical beam sticks above the crossbeam, with the three upper arms either equally long or with the vertical topmost arm shorter than the two horizontal arms, and always with a mu ...
.
The dome was built in the centre in 1841.
The interior is decorated with Baroque frescos painted by
Giulio Quaglio between 1703–1706 and 1721–1723.
Nebotičnik (pronounced , "Skyscraper") is a thirteen-story building that rises to a height of . It combines elements of
Neoclassical and
Art-Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the United ...
architecture. Predominantly a place of business, Nebotičnik is home to shops on the ground floor and first story, and offices are located on floors two to five. The sixth to ninth floors are private residences. The top three floors host a café, bar and observation deck.
Ljubljana.si – Skyscraper
'. Retrieved 3 December 2007. It was designed by Slovenian architect
Vladimir Šubic. The building opened on 21 February 1933.
Government Communication Office – Ljubljana's Neboticnik Is 70 Years Old
'. Retrieved 3 December 2007. It was once the tallest residential building in Europe.
File:Ljubljana Prešeren Square.jpg, Prešeren Square in downtown Ljubljana
File:Río Ljubljanica, Liubliana, Eslovenia, 2017-04-14, DD 06.jpg, Ljubljanica River, downtown Ljubljana
File:Ljubljana BW 2014-10-09 11-34-41.jpg, Town Hall
File:Robbafountain.jpg,
Town Square
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
File:Ljubljana BW 2014-10-09 12-19-48.jpg,
Prešeren Square
Prešeren Square ( sl, Prešernov trg) is the central square in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is part of the old town's pedestrian zone and a major meeting point where festivals (like the annual Ljubljana Dragon Carnival), concerts, sports ...
File:Ljubljana BW 2014-10-09 13-57-30.jpg, Slovenian Philharmonic Building
File:Neboticnik Tower 1.jpg, Nebotičnik
Public green spaces
Tivoli City Park
Tivoli City Park ( sl, Mestni park Tivoli) or simply Tivoli Park () is the largest park in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is located on the western outskirts of the Center District, stretching to the Šiška District to the north, the V ...
() is the largest park.
It was designed in 1813 by French engineer Jean Blanchard and now covers approximately .
The park was laid out during the
French imperial administration of Ljubljana in 1813 and named after the
Parisian Jardins de Tivoli.
Between 1921 and 1939, it was renovated by
Slovene architect
Jože Plečnik
Jože Plečnik () (23 January 1872 – 7 January 1957) was a Slovene architect who had a major impact on the modern architecture of Vienna, Prague and of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, most notably by designing the iconic Triple Bridge an ...
, who unveiled his statue of Napoleon in 1929 in Republic Square and designed a broad central promenade, called the
Jakopič Promenade () after the leading Slovene
impressionist painter
Rihard Jakopič
Rihard Jakopič (12 April 1869 – 21 April 1943) was a Slovene painter. He was the leading Slovene Impressionist painter, patron of arts and theoretician. Together with Matej Sternen, Matija Jama and Ivan Grohar, he is considered the pio ...
.
Within the park, there are trees, flower gardens, several statues, and fountains.
Several notable buildings stand in the park, among them
Tivoli Castle
Tivoli Castle ( sl, Grad Tivoli), originally called Podturn Manor (german: Schloss Unterthurn,Costa, Ethbin Heinrich. 1848. ''Reiseerinnerungen aus Krain''. Ljubljana: Eger, p. 39. sl, Grad Pod turnom), is a mansion in Ljubljana, the capital of ...
, the
National Museum of Contemporary History
Cekin Mansion ( sl, Cekinov grad, german: Leopoldsruhe''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 113.) is a mansion on the northern edge of Tiv ...
and the
Tivoli Sports Hall.
Tivoli–Rožnik Hill–Šiška Hill Landscape Park is located in the western part of the city.
The
Ljubljana Botanical Garden () covers next to the junction of the
Gruber Canal __NOTOC__
Gruber is a German surname from Austria and Bavaria, referring to a person from a geological depression, mine, or pit. It is the most common surname in Austria (see List of most common surnames).
Places
* Gruber Mountains, Antarctic ...
and the Ljubljanica, south of the Old Town. It is the central Slovenian
botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
and the oldest cultural, scientific, and educational organisation in the country. It started operating under the leadership of
Franc Hladnik in 1810. Of over 4,500 plant
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
and
subspecies, roughly a third is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to Slovenia, whereas the rest originate from other European places and other continents. The institution is a member of the international network
Botanic Gardens Conservation International
Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is a plant conservation charity based in Kew, Surrey, England. It is a membership organisation, working with 800 botanic gardens in 118 countries, whose combined work forms the world's largest pla ...
and cooperates with more than 270 botanical gardens all across the world.
In 2014, Ljubljana won the
European Green Capital Award
The European Green Capital Award is an award for a European city based on its environmental record. The award was launched on 22 May 2008 and the first award was given to Stockholm for the year 2010. The European Commission has long recognised ...
for 2016 for their environmental achievements.
Bridges, streets and squares
Ljubljana's best-known bridges, listed from northern to southern ones, include the
Dragon Bridge (), the
Butchers' Bridge (), the
Triple Bridge
The Triple Bridge ( sl, Tromostovje, in older sources also ''Tromostje'') is a group of three bridges across the Ljubljanica River. It connects Ljubljana's historical medieval town on one bank and the modern city of Ljubljana, the capital of Slov ...
(), the
Fish Footbridge ( sl, Ribja brv), the
Cobblers' Bridge
The Cobblers' Bridge or the Shoemakers' Bridge ( sl, Čevljarski most or ) is a pedestrian bridge crossing the river Ljubljanica in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It connects two major areas of medieval Ljubljana. It is decorated by two kinds ...
( sl, Šuštarski most), the
Hradecky Bridge
The Hradecky Bridge ( sl, Hradeckega most) is one of the first hinged bridges in the world, the first and only preserved cast iron bridge in Slovenia, and one of its most highly valued technical achievements. It spans the Ljubljanica River in Lj ...
( sl, Hradeckega most), and the
Trnovo Bridge (). The last mentioned crosses the
Gradaščica
The Gradaščica is a river in Slovenia. The river is long. It begins in Polhov Gradec at the confluence of Little Creek ( sl, Mala Voda) and Big Božna Creek. Near Vrhovci it is joined by Horjulščica Creek (also known as Horjulka Creek). Not ...
, whereas all other bridges cross the
Ljubljanica River.
The Dragon Bridge
The 1901
Dragon Bridge, decorated with dragon statues on pedestals at four corners of the bridge
[Dragon Bridge](_blank)
''Eccenet.org'' has become a symbol of the city
and is regarded as one of the most beautiful examples of a bridge made in
Vienna Secession
The Vienna Secession (german: Wiener Secession; also known as ''the Union of Austrian Artists'', or ''Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs'') is an art movement, closely related to Art Nouveau, that was formed in 1897 by a group of Austr ...
style.
[Ljubljana – A lively city, safe under the wings of a dragon](_blank)
''International Associations of Business Communicators (IABC)'' It has a span of
and its arch was at the time the third largest in Europe.
It is protected as a technical monument.
The Butchers' Bridge
Decorated with mythological bronze sculptures, created by
Jakov Brdar
Jakov Brdar (born 22 April 1949) is a Slovene sculptor of Bosnian descent. He is the author of many public statues and sculptures in Ljubljana. In 1998, he received the Prešeren Fund Award for the sculpture group ''Pridiga ptičem'' (Sermon t ...
, from Ancient Greek mythology and Biblical stories, the Butchers' Bridge connects the
Ljubljana Open Market area and the restaurants-filled
Petkovšek Embankment (). It is also known as the
love padlocks-decorated bridge in Ljubljana.
The Triple Bridge
The
Triple Bridge
The Triple Bridge ( sl, Tromostovje, in older sources also ''Tromostje'') is a group of three bridges across the Ljubljanica River. It connects Ljubljana's historical medieval town on one bank and the modern city of Ljubljana, the capital of Slov ...
is decorated with stone
balusters and stone lamps on all of the three bridges and leads to the terraces looking on the river and poplar trees. It occupies a central point on the east–west axis, connecting the
Tivoli City Park
Tivoli City Park ( sl, Mestni park Tivoli) or simply Tivoli Park () is the largest park in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is located on the western outskirts of the Center District, stretching to the Šiška District to the north, the V ...
with
Rožnik Hill, on one side, and the
Ljubljana Castle
Ljubljana Castle ( sl, Ljubljanski grad, german: Laibacher Schloss) is a castle complex standing on Castle Hill above downtown Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is a key landmark of the town. Originally a medieval fortress, it was probably ...
on the other, and the north–south axis through the city, represented by the river. It was enlarged in order to prevent the historically single bridge from being a
bottleneck
Bottleneck literally refers to the narrowed portion (neck) of a bottle near its opening, which limit the rate of outflow, and may describe any object of a similar shape. The literal neck of a bottle was originally used to play what is now known as ...
by adding two side
pedestrian bridges to the middle one.
The Fish Footbridge
The Fish Footbridge offers a view of the neighbouring Triple Bridge to the north and the Cobbler's Bridge to the South. It is a transparent glass-made bridge, illuminated at night by in-built LEDs. From 1991 to 2014 the bridge was a wooden one and decorated with flowers, while since its reconstruction in 2014, it is made of glass. It was planned already in 1895 by
Max Fabiani
Maximilian Fabiani, commonly known as Max Fabiani ( it, Massimo, sl, Maks) (29 April 1865 – 12 August 1962) was a cosmopolitan trilingual architect and town planner of mixed Italian-Austrian ancestry, born in the village of Kobdilj near Š ...
to build a bridge on the location, in 1913
Alfred Keller
Alfred Keller (19 September 1882 – 11 February 1974) was a general in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany during the Second World War who commanded the ''Luftflotte 1''. His career in the Imperial German Armed Forces began in 1897; he served a ...
planned a staircase, later
Jože Plečnik
Jože Plečnik () (23 January 1872 – 7 January 1957) was a Slovene architect who had a major impact on the modern architecture of Vienna, Prague and of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, most notably by designing the iconic Triple Bridge an ...
incorporated both into his own plans which, however, were not realised.
The Cobbler's Bridge
The 1930 'Cobblers' Bridge' (, from German – Shoemaker) is another
Plečnik's creation, connecting two major areas of medieval Ljubljana. It is decorated by two kinds of pillars, the
Corinthian pillars which delineate the shape of the bridge itself and the
Ionic pillars as lamp-bearers.
The Trnovo Bridge
The Trnovo Bridge is the most prominent object of Plečnik's renovation of the banks of the Gradaščica. It is located in the front of the
Trnovo Church to the south of the city centre. It connects the neighbourhoods of
Krakovo and
Trnovo, the oldest Ljubljana suburbs, known for their market gardens and cultural events. It was built between 1929 and 1932. It is distinguished by its width and two rows of
birches that it bears, because it was meant to serve as a public space in front of the church. Each corner of the bridge is capped with a small pyramid, a signature motif of Plečnik's, whereas the mid-span features a pair of
Art-Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the United ...
male sculptures. There is also a statue of
Saint John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
on the bridge, the patron of the Trnovo Church. It was designed by .
The Hradecky Bridge
]
The
Hradecky Bridge
The Hradecky Bridge ( sl, Hradeckega most) is one of the first hinged bridges in the world, the first and only preserved cast iron bridge in Slovenia, and one of its most highly valued technical achievements. It spans the Ljubljanica River in Lj ...
is one of the first
Hinged bridge, hinged bridges in the world,
the first
and the only preserved
cast iron
Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...
bridge in Slovenia, and one of its most highly valued technical achievements.
It has been situated on an extension of
Hren Street (), between the
Krakovo Embankment () and the
Gruden Embankment
Gruden is a surname, and may refer to:
* Igo Gruden (1893–1948), Slovene poet
* Jay Gruden (born 1967), American football coach
* Jon Gruden (born 1963), American football coach
* John Gruden (born 1970), American hockey player
* Mirko Gruden ( ...
(), connecting the
Trnovo District and the
Prule neighbourhood in the
Center District.
The Hradecky Bridge was manufactured according to the plans of the senior engineer
Johann Hermann
Johann, or Jean-Frederic, Hermann, or Herrmann, (31 December 1738 in Barr, Alsace – 4 October 1800 in Strasbourg) was a French physician and naturalist.
In 1769 he was appointed professor of medicine at the School of Public Health of Strasbo ...
from Vienna in the
Auersperg iron foundry in
Dvor near Žužemberk,
and installed in Ljubljana in 1867, at the location of today's
Cobblers' Bridge
The Cobblers' Bridge or the Shoemakers' Bridge ( sl, Čevljarski most or ) is a pedestrian bridge crossing the river Ljubljanica in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It connects two major areas of medieval Ljubljana. It is decorated by two kinds ...
.
Streets and squares
Having already existed in the 18th century, Ljubljana's central square,
Prešeren Square
Prešeren Square ( sl, Prešernov trg) is the central square in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is part of the old town's pedestrian zone and a major meeting point where festivals (like the annual Ljubljana Dragon Carnival), concerts, sports ...
's modern appearance has developed since the end of the 19th century. After the 1895 earthquake,
Max Fabiani
Maximilian Fabiani, commonly known as Max Fabiani ( it, Massimo, sl, Maks) (29 April 1865 – 12 August 1962) was a cosmopolitan trilingual architect and town planner of mixed Italian-Austrian ancestry, born in the village of Kobdilj near Š ...
designed the square as the hub of four streets and four banks, and in the 1980s
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 ...
proposed the circular design and the granite block pavement. A statue of the Slovene
national poet
A national poet or national bard is a poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of a particular national culture. The national poet as culture hero is a long-standing symbo ...
France Prešeren
France Prešeren () (2 or 3 December 1800 – 8 February 1849) was a 19th-century Romantic Slovene poet whose poems have been translated into many languages. with a
muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
stands in the middle of the square. The
Prešeren Monument was created by
Ivan Zajec in 1905, whereas the pedestal was designed by Max Fabiani. The square and surroundings have been closed to traffic since 1 September 2007.
Only a tourist train leaves Prešeren Square every day, transporting tourists to
Ljubljana Castle
Ljubljana Castle ( sl, Ljubljanski grad, german: Laibacher Schloss) is a castle complex standing on Castle Hill above downtown Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is a key landmark of the town. Originally a medieval fortress, it was probably ...
.
Republic Square, originally named Revolution Square, is the largest square in Ljubljana.
It was designed in the second half of the 20th century by Edvard Ravnikar.
On 26 June 1991, the independence of Slovenia was declared here.
The
National Assembly Building stands at its northern side, and
Cankar Hall
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 ...
, the largest Slovenian cultural and congress centre, at the southern side.
At its eastern side stands the two-storey building of
Maximarket, also the work of Ravnikar. It houses one of the oldest department stores in Ljubljana and a cafe, which is a popular meeting place and a place for political talks and negotiations.
Congress Square
Congress Square ( sl, Kongresni trg) is one of the central squares in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
History
The square was built in 1821 at the site of the ruins of a medieval Capuchin monastery, which had been abolished during the reign ...
() is one of the important centres of the city. It was built in 1821 for ceremonial purposes such as
Congress of Ljubljana after which it was named. Since then it has been a centre for political ceremonies, demonstrations, and protests, such as the ceremony for the creation of the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 ...
, ceremony of the liberation of
Belgrade, and protests against
Yugoslav authority in 1988. The square also houses several important buildings, such as the
University of Ljubljana Palace,
Philharmonic Hall,
Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity, and the
Slovene Society Building. Star Park () is located in the centre of the square. In 2010 and 2011, the square was renovated and is now mostly closed to road traffic on ground area, however, there are five floors for commercial purposes and a parking lot located underground.
Čop Street () is a major thoroughfare in the centre of Ljubljana. The street is named after
Matija Čop
Matija Čop (; 26 January 1797 – 6 July 1835), also known in German as Matthias Tschop, was a Slovene linguist, polyglot, literary historian and critic.
Biography
Čop was born in the small northern Carniolan town of Žirovnica, in what ...
, an early 19th-century literary figure and close friend of the Slovene
Romantic poet
Romantic poetry is the poetry of the Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. It involved a reaction against prevailing Enlightenment ideas of the 18t ...
France Prešeren
France Prešeren () (2 or 3 December 1800 – 8 February 1849) was a 19th-century Romantic Slovene poet whose poems have been translated into many languages. . It leads from the
Main Post Office () at
Slovene Street () downward to Prešeren Square and is lined with bars and stores, including the oldest
McDonald's restaurant
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger st ...
in Slovenia. It is a pedestrian zone and regarded as the capital's central
promenade
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cl ...
.
Culture
Accent
The Ljubljana accent and/or dialect ( sl, ljubljanščina ) is considered a border dialect, since Ljubljana is situated where the
Upper dialect and
Lower Carniolan dialect group
The Lower Carniolan dialect group (''dolenjska narečna skupina''Smole, Vera. 1998. "Slovenska narečja." ''Enciklopedija Slovenije'' vol. 12, pp. 1–5. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, p. 2.) is a group of closely related dialects of Slovene. The ...
meet. Historically,
the Ljubljana dialect in the past displayed features more similar with the Lower Carniolan dialect group, but it gradually grew closer to the Upper dialect group, as a direct consequence of mass migration from Upper Carniola into Ljubljana in the 19th and 20th century. Ljubljana as a city grew mostly to the north, and gradually incorporated many villages that were historically part of
Upper Carniola
Upper Carniola ( sl, Gorenjska; it, Alta Carniola; german: Oberkrain) is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The centre of the region is Kranj, while other urban centers include Jeseni ...
and so its dialect shifted away and closer to the
Upper dialects. The Ljubljana dialect has also been used as a literary means in novels, such as in the novel ''Nekdo drug'' by
Branko Gradišnik,
or in poems, such as ''Pika Nogavička'' (Slovene for
Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking ( sv, Pippi Långstrump) is the fictional main character in an eponymous series of children's books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. Pippi was named by Lindgren's daughter Karin, who asked her mother for a get-well story w ...
) by
Andrej Rozman - Roza.
The central position of Ljubljana and its dialect had crucial impact
on the development of the Slovenian language. It was the speech of 16th century Ljubljana that
Primož Trubar
Primož Trubar or Primus Truber () (1508 – 28 June 1586) was a Slovene Protestant Reformer of the Lutheran tradition, mostly known as the author of the first Slovene language printed book, the founder and the first superintendent of the Pro ...
a Slovenian
Protestant Reformer
Protestant Reformers were those theologians whose careers, works and actions brought about the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century.
In the context of the Reformation, Martin Luther was the first reformer (sharing his views publicly in 15 ...
took as a foundation of what later became standard
Slovenian language, with a small addition of his native speech, the
Lower Carniolan dialect
This article uses Logar transcription.
The Lower Carniolan dialect ( , ) is a major Slovene dialect in the Lower Carniolan dialect group. It is one of the two central Slovene dialects and was the original foundation for standard Slovene alo ...
.
While in Ljubljana, he lived in a house, on today's Ribji trg, in the oldest part of the city. Living in Ljubljana had a profound impact on his work; he considered Ljubljana the capital of all
Slovenes
The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( sl, Slovenci ), are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia, and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovene as their na ...
, not only because of its central position in the heart of the
Slovene lands
The Slovene lands or Slovenian lands ( sl, Slovenske dežele or in short ) is the historical denomination for the territories in Central and Southern Europe where people primarily spoke Slovene. The Slovene lands were part of the Illyrian provin ...
, but also because it always had an essentially Slovene character. Most of its inhabitants spoke Slovene as their mother tongue, unlike other cites in today's
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 is estimated that in Trubar's time around 70% of Ljubljana's 4000 inhabitants attended mass in Slovene.
Trubar considered Ljubljana's speech most suitable, since it sounded much more noble, than his own simple dialect of his hometown
Rašica. Trubar's choice was later adopted also by other Protestant writers in the 16th century, and ultimately led to a formation of a more standard language.
In literary fiction
Ljubljana appears in the 2005 ''
The Historian'', written by
Elisabeth Kostova, and is called by its Roman name (Emona).
Ljubljana is also the setting of
Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho de Souza (, ; born 24 August 1947) is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2002. His novel ''The Alchemist'' became an international best-seller and he has published 28 more book ...
's 1998 novel ''
Veronika Decides to Die''.
During 2010, Ljubljana was designated as the
World Book Capital
The World Book Capital (WBC) is an initiative of UNESCO which recognises cities for promoting books and fostering reading for a year starting on April 23rd, World Book and Copyright Day. Cities designated as UNESCO World Book Capital carry out act ...
by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
.
Festivals
Each year, over 10,000 cultural events take place in the city, including ten international theatre, music, and art festivals.
The
Ljubljana Festival is one of the two oldest festivals in former Yugoslavia (the
Dubrovnik Summer Festival
The Dubrovnik Summer Festival ( hr, Dubrovačke ljetne igre; is an annually-held summer festival instituted in 1950 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. It is held every year between 10 July and 25 August.
On more than 70 open-air venues of Renaissance-Baroq ...
was established in 1950, and the Ljubljana Festival one in 1953). Guests have included
Dubravka Tomšič,
Marjana Lipovšek
Marjana Lipovšek (born 3 December 1946) is a Slovenian opera and concert singer (mezzo-soprano). The daughter of composer Marijan Lipovšek, she was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia. She retired in 2017 and now lives in her family house in Ljubljana. ...
,
Tomaž Pandur,
Katia Ricciarelli
Catiuscia Maria Stella Ricciarelli (born 16 January 1946), known as Katia Ricciarelli (), is an Italian soprano and actress.
Biography
Born in Rovigo, Veneto, to a very poor family, she struggled during her younger years when she studied music ...
,
Grace Bumbry
Grace Melzia Bumbry (born January 4, 1937), an American opera singer, is considered one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of her generation, as well as a major soprano earlier in her career. She is a member of a pioneering generation of African-Ameri ...
,
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name:
* Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor
** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England
** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to t ...
,
Mstislav Rostropovich,
José Carreras, Slid Hampton,
Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Mehta's father was the fou ...
,
Vadim Repin
Vadim Viktorovich Repin (russian: Вадим Викторович Репин, ; born 31 August 1971) is a Russian and Belgian violinist who lives in Vienna. , Valerij Gergijev,
Sir Andrew Davis
Sir Andrew Frank Davis (born 2 February 1944) is an English conductor. He is conductor laureate of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Early life and education
Born in Ashridge ...
, Danjulo Išizaka, Midori, Jurij Bašmet,
Ennio Morricone, and
Manhattan Transfer. Orchestras have included the
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
,
Israel Philharmonic,
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestras of the
Bolshoi Theatre from
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
,
La Scala from
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, and
Mariinsky Theatre
The Mariinsky Theatre ( rus, Мариинский театр, Mariinskiy teatr, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music th ...
from
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. In recent years there have been 80 kinds of events and some 80,000 visitors from Slovenia and abroad. Other cultural venues include
Križanke,
Cankar Hall
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 ...
and the
Exhibition and Convention Centre. During Book Week, starting each year on
World Book Day
World Book Day, also known as World Book and Copyright Day or International Day of the Book, is an annual event organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to promote reading, publishing, and co ...
, events and book sales take place at
Congress Square
Congress Square ( sl, Kongresni trg) is one of the central squares in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
History
The square was built in 1821 at the site of the ruins of a medieval Capuchin monastery, which had been abolished during the reign ...
. A
flea market is held every Sunday in the old city.
On the evening of
International Workers' Day, a celebration with a
bonfire takes place on
Rožnik Hill.
Museums and art galleries
Ljubljana has numerous
art galleries
An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...
and museums. The first purpose-built art gallery in Ljubljana was the
Jakopič Pavilion, which was in the first half of the 20th century the central exhibition venue of Slovene artists. In the early 1960s, it was succeeded by
Ljubljana City Art Gallery, which has presented a number of modern Slovene and foreign artists. In 2010, there were 14 museums and 56 art galleries in Ljubljana.
There is for example an architecture museum,
a railway museum, a school museum, a sports museum, a museum of modern art, a museum of contemporary art, a
brewery museum, the
Slovenian Museum of Natural History
The Slovenian Museum of Natural History ( sl, Prirodoslovni muzej Slovenije, la, Museum Historiae Naturalis Sloveniae) is a Slovenian national museum with natural history, scientific, and educational contents. It is the oldest cultural and scient ...
and the Slovene Ethnographic Museum.
The
National Gallery
The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director ...
(), founded in 1918,
and the
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...
() exhibit the
most influential Slovenian artists. In 2006, the museums received 264,470 visitors, the galleries 403,890 and the theatres 396,440.
The
Metelkova Museum of Contemporary Art
Metelkova (full name in sl, Avtonomni kulturni center Metelkova mesto, "Metelkova City Autonomous Cultural Centre", referred to by the acronym AKC) is an autonomous social and cultural centre in the city centre of Ljubljana, Slovenia's capital ci ...
(), opened in 2011, hosts simultaneous exhibitions, a research library, archives, and a bookshop.
Entertainment and performing arts
Cankar Hall
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 ...
is the largest Slovenian cultural and congress center with multiple halls and a large foyer in which art film festivals, artistic performances, book fairs, and other cultural events are held.
Cinema
The cinema in Ljubljana appeared for the first time at the turn of the 20th century, and quickly gained popularity among the residents. After World War II, the
Cinema Company Ljubljana, later named ''Ljubljana Cinematographers'', was established and managed a number of already functioning movie theatres in Ljubljana, including the only Yugoslav children's theatre. Cinema festivals took place in the 1960s, and a
cinematheque
A cinematheque is an archive of films and film-related objects with an exhibition venue. Similarly to a book library (bibliothèque in French), a cinematheque is responsible for preserving and making available to the public film heritage. Typica ...
opened its doors in 1963. With the advent of television, video, and recently the Internet, most cinema theatres in Ljubljana closed, and the cinema mainly moved to
Kolosej, a
multiplex
Multiplex may refer to:
* Multiplex (automobile), a former American car make
* Multiplex (comics), a DC comic book supervillain
* Multiplex (company), a global contracting and development company
* Multiplex (assay), a biological assay which measu ...
in the
BTC City
BTC City () is a shopping mall, sports, entertainment and business area in Ljubljana, Slovenia, with more than 500 shops. It is one of the largest shopping and entertainment complexes in Europe.
History
In 1954, a company named Centralna skladi� ...
. It features twelve screens, including an
IMAX 3D screen. The remaining theatres are
Kino Komuna,
Kinodvor, where art movies are accompanied by events, and the
Slovenian Cinematheque. The
Slovenian Cinematheque hosts the international
Ljubljana LGBT Film Festival which showcases
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term ...
-themed films. Founded in 1984, it is the oldest film festival of its sort in Europe.
Classical music, opera and ballet
The
Slovenian Philharmonics is the central music institution in Ljubljana and Slovenia. It holds
classical music concerts of domestic and foreign performers as well as educates youth. It was established in 1701 as part of
Academia operosorum Labacensis and is among the oldest such institutions in Europe. The
Slovene National Opera and Ballet Theatre also resides in Ljubljana, presenting a wide variety of domestic and foreign, modern and classic, opera, ballet and concert works. It serves as the national opera and ballet house. Music festivals are held in Ljubljana, chiefly in
European classical music and jazz, for instance the
Ljubljana Summer Festival (), and
Trnfest.
Theatre
In addition to the main houses, with the
SNT Drama Ljubljana as the most important among them, a number of small producers are active in Ljubljana, involved primarily in
physical theatre
Physical theatre is a genre of theatrical performance that encompasses storytelling primarily through physical movement. Although several performance theatre disciplines are often described as "physical theatre," the genre's characteristic aspe ...
(e.g.
Betontanc),
street theatre (e.g.
Ana Monró Theatre),
theatresports
Theatresports is a form of improvisational theatre, which uses the format of a competition for dramatic effect. Opposing teams can perform scenes based on audience suggestions, with ratings by the audience or by a panel of judges. Developed by di ...
championship
Impro League, and
improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted: created spontaneously by the performers. In its purest form, the dialogue, a ...
(e.g.
IGLU Theatre). A popular form is
puppetry, mainly performed in the
Ljubljana Puppet Theatre. Theatre has a rich tradition in Ljubljana, starting with the 1867 first ever Slovene-language drama performance.
Modern dance
The
modern dance
Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...
was presented in Ljubljana for the first time at the end of the 19th century and developed rapidly since the end of the 1920s. Since the 1930s when in Ljubljana was founded a
Mary Wigman
Mary Wigman (born Karoline Sophie Marie Wiegmann; 13 November 1886 – 18 September 1973) was a German dancer and choreographer, notable as the pioneer of expressionist dance, dance therapy, and movement training without pointe shoes. She is con ...
dance school, the first one for modern dance in Slovenia, the field has been intimately linked to the development in Europe and the United States.
Ljubljana Dance Theatre is today the only venue in Ljubljana dedicated to
contemporary dance. Despite this, there's a vivid happening in the field.
Folk dance
Several
folk dance groups are active in Ljubljana.
Jazz
In July 2015, over four days, the 56th Ljubljana Jazz Festival took place. A member of the European Jazz Network, the festival presented 19 concerts featuring artists from 19 countries, including a celebration of the 75th birthday of
James "Blood" Ulmer
James "Blood" Ulmer (born February 8, 1940) is an American jazz, free funk and blues guitarist and singer. Ulmer plays a Gibson Byrdland guitar. His guitar sound has been described as "jagged" and "stinging". His singing has been called "ragg ...
.
Popular urban culture and alternative scene
In the 1980s with the emergence of
subcultures
A subculture is a group of people within a culture that differentiates itself from the parent culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures develop their own norms and values regarding cultural, pol ...
in Ljubljana, an alternative culture begun to develop in Ljubljana organised around two student organisations. This caused an influx of young people to the city centre, caused political and social changes, and led to the establishment of alternative art centres.
; Metelkova and Rog
A Ljubljana equivalent of Copenhagen's
Freetown Christiania, a self-proclaimed autonomous
Metelkova neighbourhood, was set up in a former Austro-Hungarian barracks that were built in 1882.
In 1993, the seven buildings and of space were turned into art galleries, artist studios, and seven nightclubs, including two LGBTQ+ venues, playing host to music from hardcore to jazz to dub to techno. Celica Hostel is adjacent to Metelkova
with rooms artistically decorated by Metelkova artists. A new part of the Museum of Modern Art is the nearby Museum of Contemporary Art.
Another alternative culture centre is located in the former
Rog factory. Both
Metelkova and the
Rog factory complex are near the city centre.
; Šiška Cultural Quarter
Šiška Cultural Quarter hosts art groups and cultural organisations dedicated to contemporary and avant-garde arts.
Kino Šiška Centre for Urban Culture is there, a venue offering concerts of indie, punk, and rock bands as well as exhibitions take place. Museum of Transitory Art (MoTA) is a museum without a permanent collection or a fixed space. Its programs are realised in temporary physical and virtual spaces dedicated to advancing the research, production and presentation of transitory, experimental, and live art forms. Yearly MoTA organises Sonica Festival. Ljudmila (since 1994), which strives to connect research practices, technologies, science, and art.
Sports
Clubs
A tension between German and Slovene residents dominated the development of sport of Ljubljana in the 19th century. The first sport club in Ljubljana was the
South Sokol Gymnastic Club (), established in 1863 and succeeded in 1868 by the
Ljubljana Sokol
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 are ...
(). It was the parent club of all Slovene
Sokol
The Sokol movement (, ''falcon'') is an all-age gymnastics organization first founded in Prague in the Czech region of Austria-Hungary in 1862 by Miroslav Tyrš and Jindřich Fügner. It was based upon the principle of " a strong mind in a ...
clubs as well as an encouragement for the establishment of the
Croatian Sokol club in Zagreb. Members were also active in culture and politics, striving for greater integration of the Slovenes from different Crown lands of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
and for their cultural, political, and economic independence.
In 1885, German residents established the first sports club in the territory of nowadays Slovenia, (''Ljubljana Cycling Club''). In 1887, Slovene cyclists established the
Slovene Cyclists Club (). In 1893 followed the first Slovene
Alpine club
The first alpine club, the Alpine Club, based in the United Kingdom, was founded in London in 1857 as a gentlemen's club. It was once described as:
:"a club of English gentlemen devoted to mountaineering, first of all in the Alps, members of whi ...
, named
Slovene Alpine Club (), later succeeded by the
Alpine Association of Slovenia (). Several of its branches operate in Ljubljana, the largest of them being the
Ljubljana Matica Alpine Club (). In 1900, the sports club (English: ''Ljubljana Sports Club'') was established by the city's German residents and functioned until 1909. In 1906, Slovenes organised themselves in its Slovene counterpart, the Ljubljana Sports Club (). Its members were primarily interested in
rowing
Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...
, but also swimming and football. In 1911, the first Slovenian football club,
Ilirija, started operating in the city. Winter sports already started to develop in the area of the nowadays Ljubljana before World War II.
In 1929, the first
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
club in Slovenia (then Yugoslavia),
SK Ilirija, was established.
Nowadays, the city's
football teams which play in the
Slovenian PrvaLiga
The Slovenian PrvaLiga ( sl, Prva slovenska nogometna liga, ), currently named Prva liga Telemach due to sponsorship reasons, also known by the abbreviation 1. SNL, is the top level of the Slovenian football league system. Contested by ten club ...
are
NK Olimpija Ljubljana
Nogometni klub Olimpija Ljubljana (; en, Olimpija Ljubljana Football Club), commonly referred to as Olimpija Ljubljana or simply Olimpija, is a professional football club, based in the city of Ljubljana, Slovenia. The club competes in the Slo ...
and
NK Bravo
Nogometni klub Bravo (English: Bravo Football Club), commonly referred simply as Bravo, is a Slovenian football club from Ljubljana, which plays in the Slovenian PrvaLiga. The club was founded in 2006.
Current squad
''As of 22 December 2022''
...
.
ND Ilirija 1911
Nogometno društvo Ilirija 1911 is a Slovenian football club from Ljubljana which competes in the Slovenian Second League. The club was founded in June 1911 and is the oldest still active football club in the country.
History
SK Ilirija (1911� ...
currently competes in
Slovenian Second League
The Slovenian Second Football League ( sl, Druga slovenska nogometna liga or commonly 2. SNL) is the second highest football league in Slovenia. The league was formed in 1991 and is operated by the Football Association of Slovenia.
Format and rul ...
. Ljubljana's
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
clubs are
HK Slavija
Hokejski klub Slavija ( en, Slavija Hockey Club), commonly referred to as HK Slavija or simply Slavija, was an ice hockey club from Ljubljana, Slovenia. Slavija was founded in 1964 and folded in 2018 due to financial problems. The team played thei ...
and
HK Olimpija. They both compete in the
Slovenian Hockey League. The basketball teams are
KD Slovan
Košarkarsko društvo Slovan, commonly referred to as KD Slovan or simply Slovan, is a basketball team from Ljubljana, Slovenia.
History
The origins of the club are dating back to 1951, when Stane Urek suggested a formation of a basketball club ...
,
KD Ilirija and
KK Cedevita Olimpija
Košarkarski klub Cedevita Olimpija ( en, Cedevita Olimpija Basketball Club), commonly referred to as KK Cedevita Olimpija or simply Olimpija, is a men's professional basketball club based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The club competes in the ABA Le ...
. The latter, which has a green dragon as its mascot, hosts its matches at the 12,480-seat
Arena Stožice
The Stožice Arena ( sl, Arena Stožice) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was designed by Slovenian Sadar Vuga d.o.o. architects and is the biggest indoor arena in the country. It lies in the Bežigrad district ...
.
Ježica is women's basketball that competes in
Slovenian League. Handball is popular in female section.
RK Krim
Rokometni klub Krim ( en, Krim Handball Club), commonly referred to as RK Krim or simply Krim, currently named Krim Mercator due to sponsorship reasons, is a women's handball club from Ljubljana, Slovenia. Krim was founded in 1984 and has won the ...
is one of the best women handball teams in Europe. They won the
EHF Champions League
The Men's EHF Champions League is the most important club handball competition for men's teams in Europe and involves the leading teams from the top European nations. The competition is organised every year by EHF. The official name for the men ...
twice, in 2001 and 2003.
RD Slovan is male handball club from Ljubljana that currently competes in
Slovenian First League.
AMTK Ljubljana AMTK may refer to one of the following:
*'' America's Most Talented Kid'', a former U.S. talent/reality TV series
*Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of ...
is the most successful
speedway
Speedway may refer to:
Racing Race tracks
*Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta
*Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana
Types of races and race cours ...
club in Slovenia. The Ljubljana Sports Club has been succeeded by the
Livada Canoe and Kayak Club Livada may refer to:
*Several places in Bulgaria:
**Livada, Burgas, a village in Kameno Municipality, Burgas Province
*Several places in Greece:
**Livada, Crete, a village in Chania regional unit in Crete
**Livada, Tinos, a village on the island of ...
.
Mass sport activities
Each year since 1957, on 8–10 May, the recreational ''
Walk Along the Wire'' has taken place to mark the liberation of Ljubljana on 9 May 1945. At the same occasion, a triples competition is run on the trail, and a few days later, a student run from Prešeren Square to Ljubljana Castle is held. The last Sunday in October, the
Ljubljana Marathon and a few minor competition runs take place on the city streets. The event attracts several thousand runners each year.
Sport venues
The
Stožice Stadium
Stožice Stadium ( sl, Stadion Stožice) is a multi-purpose stadium located in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was designed by Slovenian Sadar + Vuga architects and is the biggest football stadium in the country. It is one of two main stadiu ...
, opened since August 2010 and located in
Stožice Sports Park in the
Bežigrad District
The Bežigrad District ( sl, Četrtna skupnost Bežigrad), or simply Bežigrad (), is a district () of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It encompasses the northern part of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, between the southern rail line to th ...
, is the biggest football stadium in the country and the home of the NK Olimpija Ljubljana. It is one of the two main venues of the
Slovenia national football team
The Slovenia national football team ( sl, Slovenska nogometna reprezentanca) represents Slovenia in men's international football and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia, the governing body for football in Slovenia. The squad ...
. The park also has an indoor arena, used for indoor sports such as basketball,
handball and
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...
and is the home venue of
KK Olimpija
Košarkarski klub Olimpija ( en, Olimpija Basketball Club) was a men's professional basketball club based in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Olimpija has won 23 National League championships, including eight consecutive titles between 1992 and 1999. They ...
,
RK Krim
Rokometni klub Krim ( en, Krim Handball Club), commonly referred to as RK Krim or simply Krim, currently named Krim Mercator due to sponsorship reasons, is a women's handball club from Ljubljana, Slovenia. Krim was founded in 1984 and has won the ...
and
ACH Volley Bled among others. Beside football, the stadium is designed to host cultural events as well. Another stadium in the Bežigrad district,
Bežigrad Stadium
Bežigrad Stadium ( sl, Bežigrajski stadion, stadion Bežigrad, stadion za Bežigradom), also known as Bežigrad Central Stadium ( sl, Centralni stadion Bežigrad), is a multi-purpose stadium in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It is the oldest stadium in ...
, is closed since 2008 and is deteriorating. It was built according to the plans of
Jože Plečnik
Jože Plečnik () (23 January 1872 – 7 January 1957) was a Slovene architect who had a major impact on the modern architecture of Vienna, Prague and of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, most notably by designing the iconic Triple Bridge an ...
and was the home of the
NK Olimpija Ljubljana
Nogometni klub Olimpija Ljubljana (; en, Olimpija Ljubljana Football Club), commonly referred to as Olimpija Ljubljana or simply Olimpija, is a professional football club, based in the city of Ljubljana, Slovenia. The club competes in the Slo ...
, dissolved in 2004.
Joc Pečečnik, a Slovenian multimillionaire, plans to renovate it.
Šiška Sports Park is located in
Spodnja Šiška
Spodnja Šiška (; german: Unterschischka''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 112.) is a formerly independent settlement in the northwest ...
, part of the
Šiška District
The Šiška District (; sl, Četrtna skupnost Šiška), or simply Šiška (), is the most populous district () of the City Municipality of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is named after the former villages of Spodnja Šiška and Zgornja ...
. It has a football stadium with five courts, an athletic hall, outdoor athletic areas, tennis courts, a
Boules
''Boules'' () is a collective name for a wide range of games similar to bowls and bocce (In French: jeu or jeux, in Croatian: boćanje and in Italian: gioco or giochi) in which the objective is to throw or roll heavy balls (called in France, ...
court, and a
sand volleyball
Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two or more players on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side of the ...
court. The majority of competitions are in
athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competi ...
. Another sports park in Spodnja Šiška is
Ilirija Sports Park
Nogometno društvo Ilirija 1911 is a Slovenian football club from Ljubljana which competes in the Slovenian Second League. The club was founded in June 1911 and is the oldest still active football club in the country.
History
SK Ilirija (1911� ...
, known primarily for its stadium with a speedway track. At the northern end of Tivoli Park stands the
Ilirija Swimming Pool Complex, which was built as part of a swimming and athletics venue following plans by Bloudek in the 1930s and has been nearly abandoned since then, but there are plans to renovate it.
A number of sport venues are located in Tivoli Park. An outdoor swimming pool in Tivoli, constructed by Bloudek in 1929, was the first
Olympic-size swimming pool
An Olympic-size swimming pool conforms to regulated dimensions that are large enough for international competition. This type of swimming pool is used in the Olympic Games, where the race course is in length, typically referred to as "long cour ...
in Yugoslavia. The
Tivoli Recreational Centre
Tivoli may refer to:
* Tivoli, Lazio, a town in Lazio, Italy, known for historic sites; the inspiration for other places named Tivoli
Buildings
* Tivoli (Baltimore, Maryland), a mansion built about 1855
* Tivoli Building (Cheyenne, Wyoming), ...
in Tivoli is Ljubljana's largest recreational centre and has three swimming pools, saunas, a Boules court, a health club, and other facilities. There are two skating rinks, a basketball court, a winter ice rink, and ten tennis courts in its outdoor area. The
Tivoli Hall
Tivoli may refer to:
* Tivoli, Lazio, a town in Lazio, Italy, known for historic sites; the inspiration for other places named Tivoli
Buildings
* Tivoli (Baltimore, Maryland), a mansion built about 1855
* Tivoli Building (Cheyenne, Wyoming) ...
consists of two halls. The smaller one accepts 4,050 spectators and is used for basketball matches. The larger one can accommodate 6,000 spectators and is primarily used for hockey, but also for basketball matches. The halls are also used for concerts and other cultural events. The
Slovenian Olympic Committee
Slovenian Olympic Committee ( sl, Olimpijski komite Slovenije, OKS) ensures the participation of Slovenian athletes at the Olympic Games, the Mediterranean Games, and the European Youth Olympic Festival. Members of the Committee are 39 Sports Fed ...
has its office in the building.
The
Tacen Whitewater Course
The Tacen Whitewater Course is a venue for canoe and kayak slalom competition in Tacen, Slovenia, a suburb of Ljubljana. Located on the Sava River, eight kilometers northwest of the city center, it is known locally as Kayak Canoe Club Tacen ( sl, ...
, located on a course on the Sava, northwest of the city centre, hosts a major international canoe/kayak slalom competition almost every year, examples being the
ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships
The ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships are an international event in canoeing organized by the International Canoe Federation. The World Championships have taken place every year in non- Summer Olympic years since 2002. From 1949 to 1999, they ...
in
1955,
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
, and
2010.
Since the 1940s,
a
ski slope
A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or parti ...
has been in use in
Gunclje,
in the northwestern part of the city. It is long and has two ski lifts, its maximum incline is 60° and the difference in height from the top to the bottom is .
Five
ski jumping hills stand near the ski slope.
Several Slovenian Olympic and World Cup medalists trained and competed there.
In addition, the Arena Triglav complex of six jumping hills is located in the
Šiška District
The Šiška District (; sl, Četrtna skupnost Šiška), or simply Šiška (), is the most populous district () of the City Municipality of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is named after the former villages of Spodnja Šiška and Zgornja ...
. A ski jumping hill, built in 1954 to plans by
Stanko Bloudek
Stanko Bloudek (11 February 1890 – 26 November 1959) was a Slovenian aeroplane and automobile designer, a sportsman and a sport inventor, designer, builder and educator.
Biography
Stanko Bloudek was born on 11 February 1890 as son of a Czech ...
, was located in Šiška near
Vodnik Street () until 1976. International competitions for the
Kongsberg Cup were held there, attended by thousands of spectators. The ice rinks in Ljubljana include
Koseze Pond
Koseze Pond ( sl, Koseški bajer), Martinek Pond () or Lake Koseze () is an artificial pond at the edge of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, between Šiška Hill to the west and the neighborhood of Mostec to the east. It is part of the Tivo ...
and Tivoli Hall. In addition, in the 19th century and the early 20th century,
Tivoli Pond and a marshy meadow in
Trnovo, named Kern, were used for ice skating.
Economy
Industry is the most important employer, notably in the
pharmaceuticals,
petrochemicals and
food processing.
Other fields include banking, finance, transport, construction, skilled trades and services and tourism. The public sector provides jobs in education, culture,
health care and local administration.
The
Ljubljana Stock Exchange
Ljubljana Stock Exchange or LJSE ( sl, Ljubljanska borza ) is a stock exchange located in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It is Slovenia's only stock exchange. The exchange trades shares of Slovenian companies, as well as bonds and commercial papers. The on ...
(), purchased in 2008 by the
Vienna Stock Exchange
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
,
deals with large Slovenian companies. Some of these have their headquarters in the capital: for example, the
retail chain
A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate the retail and dining markets and many service categories, in many pa ...
Mercator __NOTOC__
Mercator (Latin for "merchant") may refer to:
People
* Marius Mercator (c. 390–451), a Catholic ecclesiastical writer
* Arnold Mercator, a 16th-century cartographer
* Gerardus Mercator, a 16th-century cartographer
** Mercator 1569 ...
, the
oil company
The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry or the oil patch, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. The largest ...
Petrol d.d. and the telecommunications concern
Telekom Slovenije.
Over 15,000 enterprises operate in the city, most of them in the
tertiary sector
The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...
.
Numerous companies and over 450 shops are located in the
BTC City
BTC City () is a shopping mall, sports, entertainment and business area in Ljubljana, Slovenia, with more than 500 shops. It is one of the largest shopping and entertainment complexes in Europe.
History
In 1954, a company named Centralna skladi� ...
, the largest business, shopping, recreational, entertainment and cultural centre in Slovenia. It is visited each year by 21 million people. It occupies an area of in the
Moste District
The Moste District (; sl, Četrtna skupnost Moste), or simply Moste, is a district () of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It encompasses the east-central part of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is named after the former village of Most ...
in the eastern part of Ljubljana.
About 74% of Ljubljana households use
district heating
District heating (also known as heat networks or teleheating) is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location through a system of insulated pipes for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heating a ...
from the
Ljubljana Power Station.
Government
The city of Ljubljana is governed by the
City Municipality of Ljubljana
The City Municipality of Ljubljana (), also the City of Ljubljana ( sl, Mestna občina Ljubljana, acronym MOL) is one of twelve city and metropolitan municipalities in Slovenia. Its seat is Ljubljana, the largest and capital city of Slovenia. , i ...
( sl, Mestna občina Ljubljana; MOL), which is led by the city council. The president of the city council is called the mayor. Members of the city council and the mayor are elected in the local election, held every four years. Among other roles, the city council drafts the municipal budget, and is assisted by various boards active in the fields of health, sports, finances, education,
environmental protection
Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair dam ...
and tourism.
The municipality is subdivided into 17 districts represented by district councils. They work with the municipality council to make known residents' suggestions and prepare activities in their territories.
Between 2002 and 2006,
Danica Simšič was mayor of the municipality. Since the municipal elections of 22 October 2006 until his confirmation as a deputy in the
National Assembly of Slovenian in December 2011,
Zoran Janković, previously the managing director of the
Mercator retail chain, was the mayor of Ljubljana. In 2006, he won 62.99% of the popular vote.
On 10 October 2010, Janković was re-elected for another four-year term with 64.79% of the vote. From 2006 until October 2010, the majority on the city council (the
Zoran Janković List) held 23 of 45 seats.
On 10 October 2010, Janković's list won 25 out of 45 seats in the city council. From December 2011 onwards, when Janković's list won the
early parliamentary election, the deputy mayor
Aleš Čerin was decided by him to lead the municipality. Čerin did not hold the post of mayor.
After Janković had failed to be elected as the Prime Minister in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
, he participated at the mayoral by-election on 25 March 2012 and was elected for the third time with 61% of the vote. He retook the leadership of the city council on 11 April 2012.
Public order in Ljubljana is enforced by the
Ljubljana Police Directorate
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 are ...
().
There are five areal police stations and four sectoral police stations in Ljubljana.
Public order and municipal traffic regulations are also supervised by the
city traffic wardens (). Ljubljana has a quiet and secure reputation.
Demographics
In 1869, Ljubljana had about 22,600 inhabitants,
a figure that grew to almost 60,000 by 1931.
At the 2002 census, 39% of Ljubljana inhabitants were
Catholic
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 ...
; 30% had no religion, an unknown religion or did not reply; 19% atheist; 6%
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...
; 5%
Muslim; and the remaining 0.7% Protestant or another religion.
Approximately 91% of the population speaks Slovene as their primary native language. The second most-spoken language is
Bosnian, with
Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia an ...
being the third most-spoken language.
Education
Primary education
In Ljubljana today there are over 50 public elementary schools with over 20,000 pupils.
This also includes an
international
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
elementary school for foreign pupils. There are two private elementary schools: a
Waldorf elementary school and a
Catholic
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 ...
elementary school. In addition, there are several elementary music schools.
Historically the first school in Ljubljana belonged to
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...
and was established in the 13th century. It originally accepted only boys; girls were accepted from the beginning of the 16th century.
Parochial schools
A parochial school is a private primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathematics and language arts. The wor ...
are attested in the 13th century, at
St. Peter's Church and at Saint Nicholas's Church, the later Ljubljana Cathedral. Since 1291, there were also trade-oriented private schools in Ljubljana. In the beginning of the 17th century, there were six schools in Ljubljana and later three. A girls' school was established by
Poor Clares
The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...
, followed in 1703 by the
Ursulines
The Ursulines, also known as the Order of Saint Ursula (post-nominals: OSU), is an enclosed religious order of consecrated women that branched off from the Angelines, also known as the Company of Saint Ursula, in 1572. Like the Angelines, they ...
. Their school was for about 170 years the only public girls' school in
Carniola. These schools were mainly private or established by the city.
In 1775, the Austrian Empress
Maria Theresa proclaimed
elementary education
Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or fir ...
obligatory and Ljubljana got its
normal school
A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...
, intended as a learning place for teachers. In 1805, the first state
music school
A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...
was established in Ljubljana. In the time of
Illyrian Provinces, "''école primaire''", a unified four-year elementary school program with a greater emphasis on Slovene, was introduced. The first public schools, unrelated to religious education, appeared in 1868.
Secondary education
In Ljubljana there are ten public and three private
grammar schools
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school, ...
. The public schools divide into general
gymnasiums and
classical gymnasiums, the latter offering Latin and Greek as foreign languages. Some general schools offer internationally oriented European departments, and some offer sport departments, allowing students to more easily adjust their sport and school obligations. All state schools are free, but the number of students they can accept is limited. The private secondary schools include a Catholic grammar school and a Waldorf grammar school. There are also professional grammar schools in Ljubljana, offering economical, technical, or artistic subjects (visual arts, music). All grammar schools last four years and conclude with the ''
matura
or its translated terms (''Mature'', ''Matur'', , , , , , ) is a Latin name for the secondary school exit exam or "maturity diploma" in various European countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, C ...
'' exam.
Historically, upon a proposal by
Primož Trubar
Primož Trubar or Primus Truber () (1508 – 28 June 1586) was a Slovene Protestant Reformer of the Lutheran tradition, mostly known as the author of the first Slovene language printed book, the founder and the first superintendent of the Pro ...
, the
Carniolan Estates' School (1563–1598) was established in 1563 in the period of
Slovene Reformation
Slovene or Slovenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Slovenia, a country in Central Europe
* Slovene language, a South Slavic language mainly spoken in Slovenia
* Slovenes, an ethno-linguistic group mainly living in Slovenia
* Sl ...
. Its teaching languages were mainly
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
and
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
, but also
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
and
Slovene, and it was open for both sexes and all social strata. In 1597,
Jesuits
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders = ...
established the
Jesuit College (1597–1773), intended to transmit general education. In 1773, secondary education came under the control of the state. A number of reforms were implemented in the 19th century; there was more emphasis on general knowledge and religious education was removed from state secondary schools. In 1910, there were 29 secondary schools in Ljubljana, among them classical and real gymnasiums and
Realschules (technical secondary schools).
Tertiary education
In 2011, the University had 23 faculties and three academies, located around Ljubljana. They offer Slovene-language courses in medicine,
applied sciences, arts, law, administration, natural sciences, and other subjects.
The university has more than 63,000 students and some 4,000 teaching faculty.
Students make up one-seventh of Ljubljana's population, giving the city a youthful character.
Historically, higher schools offering the study of general medicine, surgery, architecture, law and theology, started to operate in Ljubljana under the
French annexation of Slovene territory, in 1810–1811. The Austro-Hungarian Empire never allowed Slovenes to establish their own university in Ljubljana, and the
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana ( sl, Univerza v Ljubljani, , la, Universitas Labacensis), often referred to as UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 39,000 enrolled students.
History Beginnings
Although certain ...
, Slovenia's most important university, was founded in 1919, after Slovenes joined the first Yugoslavia.
When it was founded, the university comprised five faculties: law, philosophy, technology, theology and medicine. From the beginning, the seat of the university has been at
Congress Square
Congress Square ( sl, Kongresni trg) is one of the central squares in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
History
The square was built in 1821 at the site of the ruins of a medieval Capuchin monastery, which had been abolished during the reign ...
in a building that served as the State Mansion of Carniola from 1902 to 1918.
Libraries
; National and University Library of Slovenia
The
National and University Library of Slovenia
The National and University Library ( sl, Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica, ), established in 1774, is one of the most important national educational and cultural institutions of Slovenia. It is located in the centre of Ljubljana, between Aue ...
is the Slovene
national
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
and
university library
An academic library is a library that is attached to a higher education institution and serves two complementary purposes: to support the curriculum and the research of the university faculty and students. It is unknown how many academic librar ...
. In 2011, it held about 1,307,000 books, 8,700 manuscripts, and numerous other textual, visual and multimedia resources, altogether 2,657,000 volumes.
; Central Technological Library
The second largest university library in Ljubljana is the
Central Technological Library, the national library and information hub for natural sciences and technology.
; Municipal Library and other libraries
The Municipal
City Library of Ljubljana, established in 2008, is the central regional library and the largest Slovenian general public library. In 2011, it held 1,657,000 volumes, among these 1,432,000 books and a multitude of other resources in 36 branches. Altogether, there are 5 general public libraries and over 140 specialised libraries in Ljubljana.
Besides the two largest university libraries there are libraries at individual faculties, departments and institutes of the
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana ( sl, Univerza v Ljubljani, , la, Universitas Labacensis), often referred to as UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 39,000 enrolled students.
History Beginnings
Although certain ...
. The largest among them are the
Central Humanist Library in the field of
humanities
Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...
, the
Central Social Sciences Library, the
Central Economic Library in the field of
economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...
, the
Central Medical Library in the field of
medical sciences
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...
, and the
Libraries of the Biotechnical Faculty
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...
in the field of
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
and
biotechnology
Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...
.
; History
The first libraries in Ljubljana were located in
monasteries
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
. The first public library was the
Carniolan Estates' Library, established in 1569 by Primož Trubar. In the 17th century, the
Jesuit Library collected numerous works, particularly about mathematics. In 1707, the
Seminary Library was established; it is the first and oldest public scientific library in Slovenia. Around 1774, after the dissolution of Jesuits, the
Lyceum Library was formed from the remains of the Jesuit Library as well as several monastery libraries.
Science
The first society of the leading scientists and public workers in Carniola was the
Dismas Fraternity
The Penitent Thief, also known as the Good Thief, Wise Thief, Grateful Thief, or Thief on the Cross, is one of two unnamed thieves in Luke's account of the crucifixion of Jesus in the New Testament. The Gospel of Luke describes him asking Jesus ...
(Latin: ), formed in Ljubljana in 1688. In 1693, the ''
Academia Operosorum Labacensium'' was founded and lasted with an interruption until the end of the 18th century. The next academy in Ljubljana, the
Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts ( sl, Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti (SAZU)) is the national academy of Slovenia, which encompasses science and the arts and brings together the top Slovene researchers and artists as members ...
, was not established until 1938.
Transport
Air transport
Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport
Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport ( sl, Letališče Jožeta Pučnika Ljubljana) , also known by its previous name ''Brnik Airport'' ( sl, Letališče Brnik), is the international airport serving Ljubljana and the largest airport in Slovenia. It is ...
(
ICAO code LJLJ; IATA code LJU), located northwest of the city, has flights to numerous European destinations. Among the companies that fly from there are
Air France
Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global a ...
,
Air Serbia
Air Serbia (stylised as ''AirSERBIA''; sr, / ) is the flag carrier of Serbia. The company's headquarters is located in Belgrade, Serbia, and its main hub is Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. The airline was known as Jat Airways until it was ...
,
Brussels Airlines,
easyJet
EasyJet plc (styled as easyJet) is a British multinational low-cost airline group headquartered at London Luton Airport. It operates domestic and international scheduled services on 927 routes in more than 34 countries via its affiliate airli ...
,
Finnair
Finnair ( fi, Finnair Oyj, sv, Finnair Abp) is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters in Vantaa on the grounds of Helsinki Airport, its hub. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both domestic and international ...
,
Lufthansa,
Swiss,
Wizz Air
Wizz Air, legally incorporated as Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. ( hu, Wizz Air Hungary Légiközlekedési Zrt.) is a Hungarian ultra-low-cost carrier with its head office in Budapest, Hungary. The airline serves many cities across Europe, as well as s ...
,
Transavia
Transavia Airlines C.V., trading as Transavia and formerly branded as ''transavia.com'', is a Dutch low-cost airline and a wholly owned subsidiary of KLM and therefore part of the Air France–KLM group. Its main base is Amsterdam Airport Schi ...
and
Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines ( Turkish: ''Türk Hava Yolları'') is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey. , it operates scheduled services to 340 destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, making it the largest mainline carrier in the ...
. The destinations are mainly European.
This airport has superseded the
original Ljubljana airport, in operation from 1933 until 1963.
It was located in the Municipality of Polje (nowadays the
Moste District
The Moste District (; sl, Četrtna skupnost Moste), or simply Moste, is a district () of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It encompasses the east-central part of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is named after the former village of Most ...
), on a plain between Ljubljanica and Sava next to the railroad in Moste.
There was a military airport in Šiška from 1918 until 1929.
Rail transport
In the
Ljubljana Rail Hub, the
Pan-European railway corridors V (the fastest link between the North Adriatic, and Central and Eastern Europe) and
X (linking Central Europe with the Balkans) and the
main
Main may refer to:
Geography
* Main River (disambiguation)
**Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany
* Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province
*"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries
...
European lines (E 65, E 69, E 70) intersect. All international transit trains in Slovenia drive through the Ljubljana hub, and all international passenger trains stop there.
The area of Ljubljana has six passenger
stations and nine stops. For passengers, the
Slovenian Railways
Slovenian Railways ( sl, Slovenske železnice, ''SŽ'') is the state railway company of Slovenia, created in 1991.
Slovenia is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Slovenia is 79.
History
What is n ...
company offers the possibility to buy a daily or monthly city pass that can be used to travel between them. The
Ljubljana railway station
The Ljubljana railway station ( sl, Železniška postaja Ljubljana) is the principal railway station in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It was completed on 18 April 1848, a year before the South railway, connecting Vienna and Trieste, reached ...
is the central station of the hub. The
Ljubljana Moste Railway Station is the largest Slovenian railway dispatch. The
Ljubljana Zalog Railway Station is the central Slovenian
rail yard
A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock or u ...
.
There are a number of
industrial rails in Ljubljana. At the end of 2006,
the
Ljubljana Castle funicular started to operate. The rail goes from
Krek Square
Krek may refer to:
* Krek (film), a 1968 animated film
* ''Krek'' (album), a 2005 album by Khold
* Janez Evangelist Krek (1865–1917), Slovenian politician, priest, journalist, and author
* Miha Krek (1897–1969), Slovenian lawyer and politic ...
(''Krekov trg'') near the
Ljubljana Central Market
The Ljubljana Central Market ( sl, Osrednja ljubljanska tržnica) is a market in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The riverside market building, sometimes referred to as Plečnik's Market ( sl, Plečnikova tržnica), was designed by Jože Plečnik between 193 ...
to
Ljubljana Castle
Ljubljana Castle ( sl, Ljubljanski grad, german: Laibacher Schloss) is a castle complex standing on Castle Hill above downtown Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is a key landmark of the town. Originally a medieval fortress, it was probably ...
. It is especially popular among tourists. The full trip lasts 60 seconds.
Roads
Ljubljana is located where Slovenia's two main freeways intersect, connecting the freeway route from east to west, in line with
Pan-European Corridor V
Pan-European can refer to:
* Pan-European identity
* Pan-European corridors
** Pan-European Corridor X
** Pan-European Corridor Xa
* Pan European Game Information
* Pan-European Institute
* Pan-European nationalism
* Pan-European Oil Pipelin ...
, and the freeway in the north–south direction, in line with
Pan-European Corridor X.
The city is linked to the southwest by
A1-E70 to the Italian cities of
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...
and
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
and the Croatian port of
Rijeka.
[Michelin, ''Slovénie, Croatie, Bosnie-Herzégovine, Serbie, Monténégro, Macédoine'', Cartes et guides n°736, Michelin, Zellik, Belgium, 2007, ] To the north,
A1-E57 leads to
Maribor,
Graz and
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
. To the east,
A2-E70 links it with the Croatian capital
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...
, from where one can go to
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
or important cities of the former Yugoslavia, such as
Belgrade.
To the northwest,
A2-E61 goes to the Austrian towns of
Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...
and
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label= Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
, making it an important entry point for
northern European
The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54°N, or may be based on other geographical factors ...
tourists.
A
toll sticker system has been in use on the
Ljubljana Ring Road
The Ljubljana Ring Road ( sl, Ljubljansko vozlišče, ) is a motorway ring road around the city of Ljubljana. The ring road forms the main hub of the Slovenian motorway network and connects to the A1 and A2 motorways. It was built from 1979 till ...
since 1 July 2008. The centre of the city is more difficult to access especially in the peak hours due to long arteries with traffic lights and a large number of daily commuters. The core city centre has been closed for motor traffic since September 2007 (except for residents with permissions), creating a
pedestrian zone
Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...
around
Prešeren Square
Prešeren Square ( sl, Prešernov trg) is the central square in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is part of the old town's pedestrian zone and a major meeting point where festivals (like the annual Ljubljana Dragon Carnival), concerts, sports ...
.
Public transport
The historical
Ljubljana tram system was completed in 1901 and was replaced by buses in 1928,
which were in turn abolished and replaced by trams in 1931
with its final length of in 1940. In 1959, it was abolished in favor of automobiles;
the tracks were dismantled and tram cars were transferred to
Osijek and
Subotica. Reintroduction of an actual tram system to Ljubljana has been proposed repeatedly in the 2000s.
There are numerous taxi companies in the city.
The
Ljubljana Bus Station
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 are ...
, the Ljubljana central bus hub, is located next to the Ljubljana railway station. The city bus network, run by the
Ljubljana Passenger Transport
The Ljubljana Passenger Transport ( sl, Ljubljanski potniški promet), also known by the acronym LPP, is a public transport company (company with limited liability) embedded in the company Public Holding Ljubljana ( sl, Javni holding Ljubljana). ...
(''LPP'') company, is Ljubljana's most widely used means of
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...
. The fleet is relatively modern. The number of dedicated bus lanes is limited, which can cause problems in peak hours when traffic becomes congested.
Bus rides may be paid with the
Urbana payment card (also used for the funicular) or with a
mobile phone
A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whi ...
. Sometimes the buses are called ''trole'' (referring to
trolley poles), harking back to the 1951–1971 days when Ljubljana had
trolleybus
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...
(''trolejbus'') service.
There were five
trolleybus lines in Ljubljana, until 1958 alongside the tram.
Another means of public road transport in the city centre is the Cavalier (), an electric
shuttle bus
A shuttle bus is a bus that travels a shorter route in comparison to most bus routes. Typically, shuttle buses travel in both directions between two points. Shuttle buses are designed to transport large groups of people who are all travellin ...
vehicle operated by LPP since May 2009. There are three such vehicles in Ljubljana. The ride is free and there are no stations because it can be stopped anywhere. It can carry up to five passengers; most of them are elderly people and tourists. The Cavalier drives in the
car-free zone
Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...
in the Ljubljana downtown. The first line links
Čop Street,
Wolf Street
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...
and the
Hribar Embankment Hribar is a Slovene surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Ivan Hribar (1851–1941), Slovenian banker, politician, diplomat and journalist
*Spomenka Hribar (born 1941), Slovenian philosopher and writer
*Tine Hribar
Tine Hribar (bor ...
, whereas the second links
Town Square
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
,
Upper Square, and
Old Square. There is also a
trackless train
A trackless train — or tram ( U.S. English), road train, land train, or parking lot train is a road-going articulated vehicle used for the transport of passengers, comprising a driving vehicle pulling one or more carriages connected by dra ...
(tractor with wagons decorated to look like a train) for tourists in Ljubljana, linking
Cyril and Methodius Square in the city centre with Ljubljana Castle.
Bicycles
There is a considerable amount of
bicycle traffic in Ljubljana, especially in the warmer months of the year. It is also possible to rent a bike. Since May 2011, the
BicikeLJ
Bicikelj is a public bicycle rental program in the city of Ljubljana, Slovenia that was started in 2011. It is offered as public service by the City Municipality of Ljubljana and operated under concession by Europlakat. The system was provided by ...
, a self-service
bicycle rental system offers the residents and visitors of Ljubljana 600 bicycles and more than 600 parking spots at 60 stations in the wider city centre area. The daily number of rentals is around 2,500. There was an option to rent a bike even before the establishment of BicikeLJ.
There are still some conditions for cyclists in Ljubljana that have been criticised, including cycle lanes in poor condition and constructed in a way that motorised traffic is privileged. There are also many one-way streets which therefore cannot be used as alternate routes so it is difficult to legally travel by bicycle through the city centre. Through years, some prohibitions have been partially abolished by marking
cycle lanes on the pavement. Nevertheless, the situation has been steadily improving; in 2015, Ljubljana placed 13th in a ranking of the world's most bicycle-friendly cities. In 2016, Ljubljana was 8th on the Copenhagenize list.
Water transport
The river transport on the Ljubljanica and the Sava was the main means of cargo transport to and from the city until the mid-19th century, when railroads were built. Today, the Ljubljanica is used by a number of tourist boats, with wharves under the
Butchers' Bridge, at
Fish Square, at
Court Square, at
Breg, at the
Poljane Embankment, and elsewhere.
Healthcare
Ljubljana has a rich history of discoveries in medicine and innovations in medical technology. The majority of
secondary and
tertiary care
Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profess ...
in Slovenia takes place in Ljubljana. The
Ljubljana University Medical Centre is the largest hospital centre in Slovenia. The
Faculty of Medicine (University of Ljubljana) and the
Ljubljana Institute of Oncology are other two central medical institutions in Slovenia. The
Ljubljana Community Health Centre is the largest
health centre
A healthcare center, health center, or community health center is one of a network of clinics staffed by a group of general practitioners and nurses providing healthcare services to people in a certain area. Typical services covered are family pr ...
in Slovenia. It has seven units at 11 locations. Since 1986, Ljubljana is part of the
WHO European Healthy Cities Network.
International relations
Twin towns and sister cities
Ljubljana is
twinned with:
See also
*
List of people from Ljubljana
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*Velušček, Anton (ed.) (2009)
''Stare Gmajne Pile-Dwelling Settlement and its Era''(bilingual English and Slovenian edition). Založba ZRC. .
External links
City of Ljubljana official siteOfficial Ljubljana tourism siteat Burger.si
Ljubljana on Google Maps
{{Authority control
Articles containing video clips
Capitals in Europe
Cities and towns in Lower Carniola
Populated places in the City Municipality of Ljubljana
Populated places on the Sava