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Prešeren Square () is the central square in
Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...
, the capital of
Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
. It is part of the old town's
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 restricted to use by people on foot or ...
and a major meeting point where festivals (like the annual Ljubljana Dragon Carnival), concerts, sports, political events, and protests take place. It was redesigned according to plans 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 ...
from a funnel-shaped to a circular form in 1987–88 and renovated in 2007.


Location

Lying in front of the medieval town's entrance, the square is a funnel-shaped hub of streets that run from it into different directions. To the south, across the Triple Bridge (), it is connected to Stritar Street (), which leads through a symbolic town gate formed by the Kresija Palace and Philip Mansion towards the city's town hall at the foothills of the Castle Hill. To the northwest, it is connected to Čop Street (), which leads towards the Central Post Office and the Nama department store. To the north, Miklosich Street () runs past a number of notable
Secessionist Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...
buildings beginning with the Urbanc House, towards the Ljubljana railway station. Between Čop Street and Miklosich Street stand Ljubljana–Center Franciscan Monastery and the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation. To the west, Wolf Street () leads past the Mayer department store presently housing an office of Bank Austria and an outdoor cafe, towards
Congress Square Congress Square () is one of the central squares in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. In the late 1930s, the square was renovated by the prominent Slovene architect Jože Plečnik. Since August 2021, it has been inscribed as part of Plečnik ...
(). On the southwest, the Hribar Embankment leads upstream the Ljubljanica past Mansion Square () towards Zois Mansion and St. James's Bridge. To the east, past the Central Pharmacy building, the picturesque Trubar Street () leads towards the Dragon Bridge. Parallel to the Ljubljanica River, the Petkovšek Embankment runs towards St. Peter's Church.


History

Prešeren Square gained its current appearance in the 17th century, when the baroque-style Franciscan Church of the Annunciation was built and was first known as ''St. Mary's Square'' after the church. In the 19th century, the crossroad was changed into a square and paved. After the
1895 Ljubljana earthquake An earthquake struck Ljubljana, the capital and largest city of Carniola, a crown land of Austria-Hungary and the capital of modern-day Slovenia, on Easter Sunday, 14 April 1895. It was the most, and the last, destructive earthquake in ...
, architect
Max Fabiani Maximilian Fabiani, commonly known as Max Fabiani (, ) (29 April 1865 – 12 August 1962) was an Italians, Italian architect, born in the village of Kobdilj near Štanjel on the Karst Plateau, County of Gorizia and Gradisca, in present-day Sl ...
designed the square as the hub of four streets. In place of the medieval houses which were damaged by the earthquake, a number of palaces were built around it. Between Wolf Street and Čop Street stands the Hauptmann House, built in 1873 and renovated in 1904 in the Secessionist style by the architect Ciril Metod Koch. The other palaces include the Frisch House, the Seunig House and the Urbanc House, as well as the Mayer department store, built thirty years later. Since 3 September 2007, Prešeren Square has been closed for motorised traffic, except for a local tourist bus.


Design

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 ...
proposed the circular design and the granite block pavement, with a circle and radiant lines of Macedonian Sivec marble. There was also a proposal by Ravnikar to put a fountain to the square, but was not accepted by residents of the city. The core city center 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 restricted to use by people on foot or ...
around Prešeren Square.


Monuments


Prešeren Monument

At the eastern side of the square, a
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 metalloid ...
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 symbol, to be distinguished ...
France Prešeren France Prešeren () (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 Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...
was erected in front of the Central Pharmacy in 1905. The sculpture, designed by Ivan Zajec, stands on a pedestal designed by the architect
Max Fabiani Maximilian Fabiani, commonly known as Max Fabiani (, ) (29 April 1865 – 12 August 1962) was an Italians, Italian architect, born in the village of Kobdilj near Štanjel on the Karst Plateau, County of Gorizia and Gradisca, in present-day Sl ...
. Later, three
birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...
es were planted behind Prešeren Monument, indicating the energy centre of Ljubljana. Poplars were added in the 1930s next to the Triple Bridge, according to the plan by the architect
Jože Plečnik Jože Plečnik () (23 January 1872 – 7 January 1957) was a Slovenian 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 a ...
. In June 1991, Prešeren Square and the Prešeren Monument were declared a cultural monument of national significance. In October 2005, the Prešeren Monument was renovated.


Scale model of Ljubljana

In 1991, a bronze
scale model A scale model is a physical model that is geometrically similar to an object (known as the ''prototype''). Scale models are generally smaller than large prototypes such as vehicles, buildings, or people; but may be larger than small protot ...
of Ljubljana was set at the upper end of the square as a gift by the city's Urban Planning Institute. It has a form of a square. It was created by a number of experts, whereas the banks around it, its pedestal, location, and coordination of work were taken care of by the architect Jadranka Grmek. In 2009, a white semi-circular bank was added to the model of Ljubljana.


Depictions

Prešeren Square was depicted on numerous postcards particularly at the turn of the 19th and the 20th centuries. Some of them present it at special occasions, like after the
1895 Ljubljana earthquake An earthquake struck Ljubljana, the capital and largest city of Carniola, a crown land of Austria-Hungary and the capital of modern-day Slovenia, on Easter Sunday, 14 April 1895. It was the most, and the last, destructive earthquake in ...
or at unveiling of the Prešeren Monument, whereas others present it as it was at an ordinary occasion. Since June 2008, a model of the square is displayed at
Mini-Europe Mini-Europe is a miniature park located in the Bruparck entertainment park, at the foot of the Atomium, in Brussels, Belgium. Mini-Europe has reproductions of monuments in the European Union and other countries within the continent of Europe on ...
in
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
on an area of .


Gallery


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Preseren Square Squares in Ljubljana Center District, Ljubljana
Square In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...
Max Fabiani buildings Edvard Ravnikar Art Nouveau architecture in Ljubljana