Zois Mansion ( sl, Zoisova palača) is a mansion in

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

, the capital of

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

. It stands in the Center District, at Breg, a street on the west (left) bank 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 ...

, between Teutonic Street () to the north and Zois Street () to the south. The mansion served as residence of Baron

Sigmund Zois Sigmund Zois Freiherr von Edelstein, usually referred as Sigmund Zois ( sl, Žiga Zois, formerly Slovenized as ''Cojs'' or ''Cojz''; ) (23 November 1747 – 10 November 1819) was a Carniolan nobleman, natural scientist and patron of the arts. He ...

, a leading figure of Enlightenment 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 ...

of the Austrian monarchy and supporter of the revival of

Slovene culture Among the modes of expression of the culture of Slovenia, a nation-state in Central Europe, are music and dance, literature, visual arts, film, and theatre. A number of festivals take place, showcasing music and literature. Dance Ballet Pi ...

and

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

. The mansion was built between 1765 and 1805, combining until 1770 four older buildings, and then in 1805 another one. The facade was redesigned in the neoclassicist style in 1798. The monumental stone portal dates to 1589 and was made by the manson Abondio di Donino for the building of the town warehouse. It was redesigned in the 18th century, except for the keystone that has been built into facade left of the main entrance. It bears a relief of the coat of arms of the town that has also been ascribed to Donino. Right of the main entrance, there is a bronze bust of

from 1993, work by the sculptor Mirsad Begić. In the mansion's yard stands an old fountain. Zois's tombstone is etched into the wall facing the yard. Between the 1780s and the first decade of the 19th century, the mansion was used as the venue of the Slovene intellectual elite, which included the playwright and historian

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

, poet and journalist

Valentin Vodnik Valentin Vodnik (3 February 1758 – 8 January 1819) was a Carniolan priest, journalist and poet of Slovene descent. He was active in the late Enlightenment period. He is well known for his contributions in writing materials that lifted the p ...

, philologists

Jurij Japelj Jurij Japelj, also known in German as Georg Japel, (11 April 1744 – 11 October 1807) was a Slovene Jesuit priest, translator, and philologist. He was part of the Zois circle, a group of Carniolan scholars and intellectuals that were instrumental ...

and

Blaž Kumerdej Blaž may refer to: * Blaž (given name), a masculine given name * Blaž, Bosnia and Herzegovina Blaž ( sr, Блаж) is a village in the municipality of Višegrad, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated ...

, and linguist

Jernej Kopitar Jernej Kopitar, also known as Bartholomeus Kopitar (21 August 1780 – 11 August 1844), was a Slovene linguist and philologist working in Vienna. He also worked as the Imperial censor for Slovene literature in Vienna. He is perhaps best known ...

References

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*
{{coord, 46, 2, 46.56, N, 14, 30, 17.72, E, type:landmark_region:SI, display=title Houses completed in 1805 Mansions in Ljubljana Center District, Ljubljana

See also

References

External links