The Prešeren Monument in Ljubljana ( sl, Prešernov spomenik), also Prešeren Statue in Ljubljana, is a late

Historicist Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying their history, that is, by studying the process by which they came about. The term is widely u ...

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...

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.

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

, the capital of Slovenia. It stands in the eastern side of

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, spo ...

, in front of the Central Pharmacy Building in

, the capital of Slovenia. It is among the best-known Slovenian monuments.

Statue

The statue that stands on a pedestal includes a sculpture of the poet, facing the window where his adored

Julija Primic Julija () or Jūlija is a feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: *Julija Beniuseviciute (1845–1921), Lithuanian/Samogitian writer (pen name Žemaitė) *Julija Matej (born 1925), Serbian athlete *Julija Portjanko (born 1983), ...

used to live, and a sculpture of 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 ...

above him sitting on a rock and holding a

laurel branch A laurel wreath is a round wreath made of connected branches and leaves of the bay laurel (), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen, or later from spineless butcher's broom (''Ruscus hypoglossum'') or cherry laurel (''Prunus laurocerasus''). It is a sy ...

in her hand. The poet is dressed in the outfit of the period and holds a book symbolising his ''

Poems Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings ...

'' (). The sculpture of Prešeren is high, and the entire monument is high. There is a small statue on the building that Prešeren faces, as well.

Pedestal

Baptism on the Savica - Farewell - Ivan_Zajec

The pedestal of Prešeren's statue is made of Pohorje tonalite and has three steps. Above it, there is a cut rock block with the inscription "Prešeren". The lighter base of the muse is made of Tyrolian granite. It was made by the stonemason Alojzij Vodnik per a design 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 ...

, who based his work on a concept by Ivan Zajec. A letter about the erection of the monument and some coins have been built into the pedestal. There are two bronze reliefs on the lower part of the pedestal, depicting scenes from Prešeren's ''

''. The right one, titled ''Farewell'' () or ''Črtomir and Bogomila'' (), depicts a scene from the poem ''

The Baptism on the Savica ''The Baptism on the Savica'' ( sl, Krst pri Savici) is a long two-part epic- lyric poem written by the Slovene Romantic poet France Prešeren. According to the literary historian Marko Juvan, the work may be considered the Slovene national ep ...

''. The left one, titled ''Fisherman'' (), depicts a scene from the poem ''

Fisherman A fisher or fisherman is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishers may be professional or rec ...

''. The reliefs on the pedestal were created by Zajec in 1901. They have a

Classicist Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Cla ...

composition, a Realist cadre, an impressionist final touch, and emphasise Prešeren's

Romantic poetry 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 ...

with its content. The upper part of the pedestal is decorated with a stylised lime tree, reminding of the poet's homeland's symbol.

History

Creation and unveiling

The idea for the Prešeren monument was first proposed by a group of grammar school students in 1889. In 1891, it was supported by 52 Slovene scholars, and finally, in 1898, by Ljubljana mayor Ivan Hribar. He also organised a board for this purpose. Hribar announced a competition in 1899. Seven sculptors submitted their proposals in time, among them Franc Berneker, , , Alojzij Progar, and finally Ivan Zajec, who won it. He received the commission on 18 October 1900. Zajec started his work in the studio of

Hans Makart Hans Makart (28 May 1840 – 3 October 1884) was a 19th-century Austrian academic history painter, designer, and decorator. Makart was a prolific painter whose ideas significantly influenced the development of visual art in Austria-Hungary, Ger ...

in Vienna. The model for Prešeren was Prešeren's portrait by Goldenstein, and he depicted the suit of Prešeren after a model from 1830–1840, borrowed in a Vienna museum. The model for the muse was Olimpia Pozatti, a dancer from

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 pr ...

. The monument of Prešeren was cast in foundry in Vienna (Kaiserlich Königliche Kunst-Erzgießerei) in September 1903, and the muse was cast in the beginning of 1904. The costs for the entire monument were around 71,000

kronen Kronen Brauerei, also known as Private Brewery Dortmund Kronen, was one of the oldest breweries in Westphalia and has its headquarters at the Old Market in Dortmund. The company was able to look back on more than 550 years of brewing traditi ...

, largely raised by Slovene women and various societies. The monument was ceremonially unveiled on 10 September 1905. Over 20,000 people were present. The ceremonial speech was read by

Ivan Tavčar Ivan Tavčar () (28 August 1851 – 19 February 1923) was a Slovenian writer, lawyer, and politician. Biography Tavčar was born into the poor peasant family of Janez and Neža née Perko in the Carniolan village of Poljane near Škofja Loka ...

. A biography of Prešeren with some of his poems was published by on the occasion.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Preseren Monument, Ljubljana Monuments and memorials in Ljubljana 1905 sculptures

Monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

Center District, Ljubljana Art Nouveau sculptures and memorials Art Nouveau architecture in Ljubljana Max Fabiani buildings Statues of writers Sculptures of men