The Capital of Slovenia Ljubljana is a lovely Central European city with a population of less than trees or a green. And yet Ljubljana has 300,000. A traveller taking a walk everything a modern European capital through its picturesque old city centre should have. Even more, it sees its at the foot of a castle-topped hill can smallness as a big advantage – both hardly believe that it is the capital for those living in the city and those Above: Ljubljana Castle, originally a of Slovenia. Its streets are not visiting. They all feel safe and cosy in medieval castle dating back to the crowded, it is not noisy, and wherever Ljubljana and together they create an 9th century, and the city centre below. you turn there is a park, a bunch of ambience of relaxed friendliness. Ljubljana is a riverside city so living there means crossing bridges all the time. The city centre alone has more than ten bridges and some of them are true architectural gems – a kind of squares above water. The history of Ljubljana’s bridges goes back to the time when the Roman city of Emona stood on the site of the present Ljubljana. In the middle ages, when the city expanded from the shelter of the castle hill to the other side of the river, it had two bridges full of little shops that attracted the townspeople. Today’s Ljubljana bridges, densely scattered along the old city centre, are picturesque promenades above the river and one of the reasons why the locals have developed the habit of coming to the city centre not only for shopping and running errands, but simply for a leisurely walk. Right: The unusual Triple Bridge, one of the architect Jože Plečnik’s most recognizable works in Ljubljana. The fact that Ljubljana takes the breath away from visitors and makes the city’s streets, parks, bridges and a beautiful setting for the everyday embankments, made in the spirit of life of its residents is to a large extent his symbolism-packed architectura Left: Architect Jože Plečnik’s desk. owing to the architect Jože Plečnik perennis, eternal architecture for (1872-1957), who rose to fame in future generations, resulted in a Above: The staircase of Plečnik’s National Vienna and Prague and, back in his unique fusion of the old and the new, and University Library. Clad in black home city, created one of the 20th the urban and the natural. The whole marble, it symbolizes the ascent from century’s most prominent total works he created reflects two thousand the darkness of ignorance to the light of of art, the so called Plečnik’s years of the city’s history while knowledge. Ljubljana. His interventions in offering good living here and now. Ljubljana is an unusually green city, full of trees, greens and famous Jakopič Promenade, now a parks. When the architect Plečnik large outdoor gallery, he connected took on the landscaping of its river the park to the city centre and embankments in the first half of the brought closer to the residents the Above: Tivoli park’s Jakopič Promenade, last century, he even found a way to endless kilometres of walking paths landscaped by the architect Jože Plečnik. plant trees on bridges. He also made through Tivoli and up Rožnik, one an intervention in the city’s largest of the city’s three forested hills. In Right: Library under Trees, operating in park, the even then over a hundred Ljubljana one really doesn’t have to go several of Ljubljana’s parks during the year old Tivoli. By landscaping the far to enjoy a relaxing walk in nature. warm months. Ljubljanians love to socialize. While Above: Chef Janez Bratovž, whose running errands in the city centre, they love a glass of premium wine Ljubljana restaurant has been placed they meet for coffee, have a quick from one of the several wine regions on the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best chat, and off they go again. In the of Slovenia. They also have a thing Restaurants list. afternoons they like to bask in the about getting together for a drink sun and chat over a glass of beer, after Saturday morning shopping at Left: Riverfront bars and restaurants with preferably somewhere by the river the central market, when the usually views of the river and the city, densely in the old city centre. They like to vibrant embankments along scattered along the Cankarjevo nabrežje eat well and with good food, either Ljubljana’s green river attract huge embankment. traditional Slovenian or international, crowds from all over the city. Ljubljana is a pretty city so it is not in the streets and at countless social strange that Ljubljanians care about events held in the city. The desire what they wear. For several years for beauty is also reflected in Above: Fashion designers Urška and now Ljubljana has had a number of the interior decoration of Ljubljana’s Tomaž Draž, who started to make their successful fashion designers whose places to eat and drink, which try to distinctively styled unique handmade recognizable style has brought them attract their nicely dressed guests knitwear as a hobby. renown at home and abroad and with all kinds of stylistic solutions convinced even the most finicky that make coffee smell nicer and food Right: The interior of one of Ljubljana’s Ljubljanians to show off their creations taste better. cafés Within a few minutes easy walking distance of the vibrant city centre embankments it is possible to descend all the way to Ljubljana’s green river, the Ljubljanica. There are no restaurants and bars there, but the embankment is lively nevertheless. Its stone terraces, renovated to designs by the architect Jože Plečnik, who saw the connection between the city and the river as an important element of the residents’ quality of life, attract walkers at all seasons of the year. During the warm months they are a popular gathering place for youngsters and people in love. The water running past there towards the city centre carries along with it peace, joy and vital energy. Right: Stone terraces along the Trnovski pristan embankment, a small tile in the mosaic of Plečnik’s Ljubljana. Above: Architects Vasa J. Perović and Over the last two decades, since old buildings and restoring cultural Matija Bevk, winners of one of the two becoming the capital of an monuments. At the same time it prestigious biennial awards for excellence independent state, Ljubljana has has been trying to assign important in architecture handed out by the Mies been well aware of the importance of construction projects to architects van der Rohe Foundation on behalf of the efforts towards beautifying the city whose work reflects sensitivity to European Union. and preserving its rich architectural the urban context, a feel for creating heritage. The city government has lasting beauty, a keen sense of Left: Stožice Sports Park Stadium, built been systematically supporting material, and an eye for detail. May in 2010 to designs by the architects Jurij city beautification projects, Ljubljana be a beautiful city also in the Sadar and Boštjan Vuga. landscaping public spaces, renovating future. Due to its geographical position at the crossroads of the Germanic, poet France Prešeren (1800-1849), Mediterranean and South Slavic who was not appreciated in his time, Above: Monument to the poet France worlds, Ljubljana has always been at yet his poems can compare with Prešeren in Ljubljana’s central square, the confluence of different the great works of Romantic poetry. named after him. cultures. Throughout its history it Another fondly remembered resident has been home to sensitive individuals of Ljubljana is the Venetian sculptor Right: Francesco Robba’s Fountain able to assimilate and absorb different Francesco Robba (1698-1757), who of Three Carniolan Rivers, displayed influences and create works of art spent most of his life in Ljubljana and in the atrium of the National Gallery. reflecting the European zeitgeist left behind some of the city’s most Its replica stands in front of the Town of their time. One of them was the beautiful monuments of Baroque art. Hall. Ljubljana is making a name for itself as an attractive conference praising Ljubljana’s charming old city destination. Its many new and centre, which they experience as an renovated venues host scientific and elegant lounge, they also point out Above: Preparation of an event in one of business events attracting experts the broad scope of the city’s offerings, the halls of Ljubljana Castle. from around the world. Participants people’s friendliness, safety, and the and organizers agree that Ljubljana proximity and diversity of the sights Left: Grand Hotel Union’s Union Hall, is easy to get around and that its of Slovenia, which provide attractive considered to be one of the most beautiful key locations are within easy walking settings for team-building activities conference halls in Ljubljana. distance from one another. Apart from and incentive trips. Ljubljana has a vibrant cultural life. Its audiences can be seen as very renowned international artists, but Above: Dancers and choreographers Mojca discerning, in terms of both the also international audiences. A large Uršič and Mitja Popovski, co-creators of quality and the diversity and quantity number of prestigious cultural events a large number of dance shows as part of events. The city’s small size just are moving from institutional venues of various festivals held in the streets of doesn’t count in this case. Ljubljana to the city’s picturesque streets, Ljubljana. is particularly renowned for its music, squares and bridges, where they can performing arts and film festivals.