Ljubljana

Ljubljana
—  City  —
Top: Skyline of Ljubljana, middle left: University of Ljubljana, middle right: National Assembly Building of the Republic of Slovenia, bottom left: Statue of the Ljubljana Dragon, the symbol of the City, at the Dragon Bridge, bottom right: Triple Bridge

Flag
Coat of arms
Ljubljana
Coordinates:
Country Slovenia
First mention 1112–1125
City rights around 1220
Government
 • deputy mayor Aleš Čerin (Zoran Janković List)
Area
 • Total 163.8 km2 (63.2 sq mi)
Elevation[1] centroid: 295 m (968 ft)
Population (1 January 2011)[2]
 • Total 280.140
 • Density 1,662/km2 (4,304.6/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 1000
Area code(s) 01 (1 if calling from abroad)
Vehicle Registration LJ
Website www.ljubljana.si

Ljubljana (locally: [lʲubˈlʲana] ( listen); German: Laibach, Italian: Lubiana, Latin: Labacum or Aemona)[3] is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city.[4] It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants. Throughout its history, it has been influenced by its geographic position at the crossroads of the Slavic world with the Germanic and Latin cultures.

For centuries, Ljubljana was the capital of the historical region of Carniola,[5] and in the 20th century it became the cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative centre of Slovenia, independent since 1991.[4] Its transport connections, concentration of industry, scientific and research institutions and cultural tradition are contributing factors to its leading position.

Contents

Etymology and symbol

The origin of the city's name is unclear. The most likely scenario is that the city was named after the river Ljubljanica that flows through it. The linguist Silvo Torkar supports the thesis that the name of Ljubljanica derives from the Old Slavic name Ljubovid.[6] Robert Vrčon believes that the name of Ljubljanica developed from the Latin alluviana, itself derived from the word eluvio, meaning an inundation.[7]

In the Middle Ages, both the river and the city were named Laibach. This name, derived from Old German, almost certainly means "a standing water causing floods". It was in official use until 1918.[8]

A common folk etymology has traditionally connected the name to the Slovene word ljubljena 'beloved'. Although this explanation was accepted by early scholars, including the philologist Franc Metelko in his 1825 grammar, it is widely considered a coincidence by modern linguists.[7]

The city's symbol is the Ljubljana Dragon. It symbolises power, courage and greatness. It is depicted on the top of the tower of the Ljubljana Castle in the Ljubljana coat-of-arms and on the Ljubljanica-crossing Dragon Bridge (Zmajski most), often regarded as the most beautiful bridge produced by the Vienna Secession.[9]

There are several explanations on the origin of the Ljubljana Dragon. According to the celebrated Greek legend, the Argonauts on their return home after having taken the Golden Fleece found a large lake surrounded by a marsh between the present-day cities of Vrhnika and Ljubljana. It is there that Jason struck down a monster. This monster has become the dragon that today is present on the city's coat of arms and flag.[10]

It is historically more believable that the dragon was adopted from Saint George, 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.

According to another explanation, related to the second, the dragon was at first only a decoration above the city coat of arms. In 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.

History

Around 2000 BC, the Ljubljana Marshes in the immediate vicinity of Ljubljana were settled by people living in pile dwellings. Their archeological remains, nowadays in the Municipality of Ig, have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site since June 2011, in the common nomination of six Alpine states.[11] These lake-dwelling people lived through hunting, fishing and primitive agriculture. To get around the marshes, they used dugout canoes made by cutting out the inside of tree trunks. Later, the area remained a transit point for numerous tribes and peoples, among them a mixed nation of Celts and Illyrians called the Iapydes and then in the 3rd century BC a Celtic tribe, the Taurisci.[12]

Around 50 BC, the Romans built a military encampment that later became a permanent settlement called Iulia Aemona (Emona).[13] This entrenched fort was occupied by the Legio XV Apollinaris.[14] In 452, it was destroyed by the Huns under Attila's orders,[13] and later by the Ostrogoths and the Lombards.[15] Emona housed 5,000–6,000 inhabitants and played an important role during numerous battles. Its plastered brick houses, painted in different colours, were already connected to a drainage system.[13] In the 6th century, the ancestors of the Slovenes moved in. In the 9th century, the Slovenes fell under Frankish domination, while experiencing frequent Magyar raids.[16]

It was long thought that the first mention of Ljubljana dated to 1144. In 2002, however, an even older mention was found on a parchment sheet named Nomina defunctorum (Names of the Dead), which has been kept by the Udine Cathedral Archive. It dates from 1112 to 1125. It mentions the nobleman Rudolf of Tarcento, a laywer of the Patriarchate of Aquileia, who had bestowed a canon with 20 farmsteads beside the castle of Ljubljana (castrum Leibach) to the Patriarchate.[17][18][19]

When exactly Ljubljana acquired its town rights is not known,[20] but it was no later than 1220.[21] In the 13th century, the town was composed of three districts: Old Square (Stari trg), New Square (Novi trg) and "Town" (Mesto) (around the Romanesque church of Saint Nicholas).[20] The first-mentioned is thought to have obtained the right to hold a market at around 1200, which does not necessarily mean that it is the oldest district among the three.[20] The lords of Ljubljana Castle at the time were from the Spanheim family, whereas the surrounding agrarian estate belonged to different noblemen, even counts.[18][20]

In 1270, Carniola and in particular Ljubljana was conquered by King Ottokar II of Bohemia.[16] When he was in turn defeated by Rudolph of Habsburg,[15] the latter took the town in 1278.[16] Due to Rudolf's pledge, Ljubljana was under the administration of the Counts of Gorizia from 1279 till 1335, when it came under Habsburg rule again.[20] Renamed Laibach, it would belong to the House of Habsburg until 1797.[15] The Diocese of Ljubljana was established in 1461 and the Church of St. Nicholas became a cathedral.[16]

In the 15th century, Ljubljana became recognised for its art. After an earthquake in 1511, it was rebuilt in Renaissance style and a new wall was built around it.[22] In the 16th century, the population numbered 5,000, 70% of whom spoke Slovene as their first language, with most of the rest using German.[22] Soon after the first book written in Slovene was published in Germany (Primož Trubar's Catechism, Tübingen 1550) the pedagogue Adam Bohorič had his three Slovene-language books, "Elementale Labacense oder Abecedarium der lateinischen, deutschen und slowenischen Sprache", his "Nomenclatura trium linguarum" and his "Otroshia tabla", printed in the Carniolan capital by Hans Mannel (Slovene: Janž Mandelc). By that time, the Protestant Reformation had gained ground in the town. Several important Lutheran preachers lived and worked in Ljubljana, including Primož Trubar, Adam Bohorič and Jurij Dalmatin, whose Slovene bible, however, was printed in German Wittenberg. Around the same time, the first secondary school, public library and printing house opened in Ljubljana.[22] In 1597, the Jesuits arrived in the city and established a new secondary school that later became a college. Baroque architecture appeared at the end of the 17th century as foreign architects and sculptors came in.[22]

The Napoleonic interlude saw Ljubljana as "Laybach" become, from 1809 to 1813, the capital of the Illyrian Provinces.[15][23] In 1815, the city became Austrian again and from 1816 to 1849 was the administrative centre of the Kingdom of Illyria in the Austrian Empire. In 1821 it hosted the Congress of Laibach, which fixed European political borders for years to come.[24] The first train arrived in 1849 from Vienna and in 1857 the line was extended to Trieste.[23]

In 1895, Ljubljana, then a city of 31,000, suffered a serious earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale. Some 10% of its 1,400 buildings were destroyed, although casualties were light. During the reconstruction that followed, a number of quarters were rebuilt in Vienna Secession style.[23] Public electric lighting appeared in the city in 1898. The rebuilding and subsequent quick modernization of the city were led by the mayor Ivan Hribar.[23]

In 1918, following the end of World War I and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, the region joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.[15][25] In 1929, Ljubljana became the capital of Drava Banovina, a Yugoslav province.[26] In 1941, during World War II, Fascist Italy occupied the city, and on 3 May 1941 made "Lubiana" the capital of an Italian "Provincia di Lubiana" with the former Yugoslav general Leon Rupnik as mayor. After the Italian capitulation, Nazi Germany with SS-general Erwin Rösener and Friedrich Rainer took control in 1943[25] but formally the city remained the capital of an Italian province until 9 May 1945. In Ljubljana, the occupying forces established strongholds and command centres of Quisling organisations, the Anti-Communist Volunteer Militia under Italy and the Home Guard under German occupation. The city was surrounded by over 30 kilometres (19 mi) of barbed wire to prevent co-operation between the underground resistance movement (Liberation Front of the Slovenian People) within the city and the Yugoslav Partisans (Partizani) who operated outside the fence. Since 1985, a commemorative path has ringed the city where this iron fence once stood.[27]

After World War II, Ljubljana became the capital of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia, part of Communist Yugoslavia, a status it retained until 1991, when Slovenia became independent. Ljubljana remained the capital of Slovenia, which entered the European Union in 2004.[25]

Ljubljana has been struck through its history not only by earthquakes but also by floods, the latest taking place in 2010.[28] Southern and western parts of the city are more flood-endangered than northern parts.[29]

Geography and climate

The city, with an area of 163.8 square kilometres (63.2 sq mi), is situated in central Slovenia in the Ljubljana Basin between the Alps and the Karst. Ljubljana is located some 140 kilometres (87 mi) west of Zagreb, 520 kilometres (320 mi) northwest of Belgrade, 250 kilometres (160 mi) east of Venice, 350 kilometres (220 mi) southwest of Vienna and 400 kilometres (250 mi) southwest of Budapest.[30] The extent of Ljubljana has changed considerably in the past 30 years, mainly because some of the nearby settlements have merged with Ljubljana.[31]

Topography and hydrography

The elevation of the centroid of Ljubljana is 295 metres (968 ft)[1] The city centre is located along the river Ljubljanica at an elevation of 298 metres (978 ft).[32] The Ljubljana Castle, which sits atop Castle Hill (Grajski grič) south of the city centre, is at 366 metres (1,201 ft) elevation and the city's highest point, called Janče Hill (Janški hrib), reaches 794 metres (2,605 ft).[33] The main watercourses in Ljubljana are the Ljubljanica, the Sava, the Gradaščica, the Mali graben, the Iška and the Iščica. Next to the eastern border of the city, the Ljubljanica, Sava, and Kamniška Bistrica rivers flow together.[34][35] At the confluence is the lowest point of Ljubljana, with an elevation of 261 metres (856 ft).[32]

Geology

The city stretches out on an alluvial plain dating to the Quaternary era. The nearby, older mountainous regions date back to the Mesozoic (Triassic) or Paleozoic.[36]

A number of earthquakes have devastated Ljubljana, including in 1511 and 1895.[24] Slovenia is in a rather active seismic zone because of its position to the south of the Eurasian Plate.[37] Thus the country is at the junction of three important tectonic zones: the Alps to the north, the Dinaric Alps to the south and the Pannonian Basin to the east.[37] Scientists have been able to identify 60 destructive earthquakes in the past. Additionally, a network of seismic stations is active throughout the country.[37]

Climate

Ljubljana's climate is Oceanic (Köppen climate classification "Cfb"), bordering on a Humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen climate classification Cfa),[38] with continental characteristics such as warm summers and moderately cold winters. July and August are the warmest months with daily highs generally between 25 and 30 °C (77 and 86 °F), and January is the coldest month with the temperatures mostly oscillating around 0 °C (32 °F). The city experiences 90 days of frost per year, and 11 days with temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F). The 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 1,400 mm (55 in), making Ljubljana one of the wettest European capitals. Thunderstorms are very common from May to September and can occasionally be quite heavy. Snow is common from December to February; on average, there are 48 days with snow cover recorded each winter season. The city is known for its fog, which is recorded on average on 64 days per year, mostly in autumn and winter, and can be particularly persistent in conditions of temperature inversion.[39] In summer the weather in the city is under the influence of Mediterranean air currents, so the summers are sunny and warm.

Climate data for Ljubljana
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 14
(57)		 19
(66)		 23
(73)		 30
(86)		 31
(88)		 38
(100)		 39
(102)		 35
(95)		 31
(88)		 29
(84)		 20
(68)		 16
(61)		 39
(102)
Average high °C (°F) 2
(36)		 5
(41)		 10
(50)		 15
(59)		 20
(68)		 24
(75)		 27
(81)		 26
(79)		 22
(72)		 15
(59)		 8
(46)		 4
(39)		 15
(59)
Average low °C (°F) −4
(25)		 −4
(25)		 0
(32)		 4
(39)		 9
(48)		 12
(54)		 14
(57)		 14
(57)		 11
(52)		 6
(43)		 2
(36)		 −1
(30)		 5
(41)
Record low °C (°F) −27
(−17)		 −28
(−18)		 −16
(3)		 −5
(23)		 −3
(27)		 4
(39)		 7
(45)		 4
(39)		 1
(34)		 −2
(28)		 −11
(12)		 −15
(5)		 −28
(−18)
Precipitation mm (inches) 88
(3.46)		 89
(3.5)		 76
(2.99)		 98
(3.86)		 121
(4.76)		 133
(5.24)		 113
(4.45)		 127
(5)		 142
(5.59)		 151
(5.94)		 131
(5.16)		 114
(4.49)		 1,383
(54.45)
Avg. precipitation days 6.6 4.4 6.3 9.3 9.0 10.0 9.0 7.8 9.5 9.5 11.6 9.1 102.1
Source no. 1: BBC Weather
Source no. 2: www.arso.gov.si

Architecture

Despite the appearance of large buildings, especially at the city's edge, Ljubljana's historic centre remains intact; there, Baroque and Vienna Secession styles mix. The city is strongly influenced by the Austrian fashion, in particular in the style of Graz and Salzburg.

After the 1511 earthquake, Ljubljana was rebuilt in a Baroque style following the model of a Renaissance town; after the quake in 1895, which severely damaged the city, it was once again rebuilt, this time in a Vienna Secession style. The city's architecture is thus a mix of styles. The large sectors built after the World War II often include a personal touch by the Slovene architect Jože Plečnik.

Ljubljana Castle dominates the hill over the river Ljubljanica. Built in the 12th century, the castle (like the castle at Kranj) was a residence of the Margraves, later the Dukes of Carniola.[40] Aside from the castle, the city's main architectural works are St. Nicholas Cathedral, St. Peter's Church, the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation, the Triple Bridge and the Dragon Bridge.

Near the Town Hall, on Town Square, is a replica of the Robba fountain, in Baroque style. The original has been moved into the National Gallery in 2006. Resembling the fountain on Rome's Piazza Navona, Robba's fountain is decorated with an obelisk at the foot of which are three figures in white marble symbolising the three chief rivers of Carniola. It is the work of Francesco Robba, who designed numerous other Baroque statues in the city. Ljubljana's churches are equally marked by this style that gained currency following the 1511 earthquake.[41]

For its part, Vienna Secession features prominently on Prešeren Square and on the Dragon Bridge. Among the important influences on the city was the architect Jože Plečnik, who designed several bridges, including the Triple Bridge, as well as the National Library.[42] Nebotičnik is a notable high-rise.

Main sights

Ljubljana Castle

Ljubljana Castle (Ljubljanski grad) is a medieval castle located at the summit of the hill that dominates the city centre. The area surrounding today's castle has been continuously inhabited since 1200 BC.[43] The hill summit probably became a Roman army stronghold after fortifications were built in Illyrian and Celtic times.[43]

A fortress was present at the place already in 12th century and was the seat of the Duchy of Carniola. In 1335, it became property of the House of Habsburg. In 15th century, the fortress was almost completely demolished and the present castle was built and furnished with towers. Its purpose was to defend the empire against Ottoman invasion as well as peasant revolt.[44] In the 17th and 18th centuries, the castle became an arsenal and a military hospital. It was damaged during the Napoleonic period and, once back in the Austrian Empire, became a prison, which it remained until 1905, resuming that function during World War II.[43][44] The castle's Outlook Tower dates to 1848; this was inhabited by a guard whose duty it was to fire cannons warning the city in case of fire or announcing important visitors or events.[43]

In 1905, the city of Ljubljana purchased the castle, which underwent a renovation in the 1960s. Today, it is a tourist attraction; cultural events also take place there.[45] Since 2006, a funicular has linked the city centre to the castle atop the hill.[44]

Saint Nicholas Cathedral

Saint Nicholas Cathedral (Stolnica svetega Nikolaja) serves the Archdiocese of Ljubljana. Easily identifiable due to its green dome and twin towers, it is located on Cyril and Methodius Square (Ciril-Metodov trg) by the nearby Ljubljana Central Market and the Ljubljana Town Hall.[46]

Originally, the site was occupied by a three-nave Romanesque church first mentioned in 1262.[46] After a fire in 1361 it was re-vaulted in Gothic style. The Diocese of Ljubljana was set up in 1461 and eight years later, a new fire presumably set by the Ottomans once again burnt down the building.[46]

Between 1701 and 1706, the Jesuit architect Andrea Pozzo designed a new Baroque church with two side chapels shaped in the form of a Latin cross.[46] The dome was built in the centre in 1841.[46] The interior is decorated with Baroque frescos painted by Giulio Quaglio between 1703–1706 and 1721-1723.[46]

Dragon Bridge

The Dragon Bridge (Zmajski most) was built between 1900 and 1901, when the city was part of Austria-Hungary. Designed by a Dalmatian architect who studied in Vienna and built by an Austrian engineer, the bridge is considered one of the finest works in the Vienna Secession style.[9][47] Some residents nicknamed the bridge "mother-in-law" in reference to the fearsome dragons on its four corners.[48]

Čop Street

Čop Street (Slovene: Čopova ulica) is a major thoroughfare in the center of Ljubljana. The street is named after Matija Čop, an early 19th-century literary figure and close friend of the Slovene Romantic poet France Prešeren. It leads from the Main Post Office (Glavna pošta) on Slovenian Street (Slovenska cesta) to Prešeren Square (Prešernov trg) and is lined with bars and stores, including the oldest McDonald's restaurant in Slovenia. It is a pedestrian zone is and regarded as the capital's central promenade.

Congress Square

Congress Square is one of the most 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 became an important centre for political ceremonies, demonstrations and protests, such as the ceremony at creation of Kingdom of Yugoslavia, ceremony of liberation of Belgrade, protests against Yugoslav authority in 1988 etc. The square also houses several important buildings, such as University of Ljubljana, Slovenian Philharmonic, Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity, Slovenska matica. In 2010 and 2011 it has been heavily 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.[49]

Tivoli Park

The Tivoli Park (Park Tivoli) is the largest park in Ljubljana.[50][51] The park was designed in 1813 by the French engineer Jean Blanchard and now covers approximately 5 km2 (1.9 sq mi).[50] The park was laid out during the French imperial administration of Ljubljana in 1813 and named after the Parisian Jardins de Tivoli.[50] At the edge of Tivoli Park is a fish pond, dating back to 1880. On one side of the pond is a small botanic garden, on the other side is a children's playground. Between 1921 and 1939, it was renovated by the Slovene architect Jože Plečnik, who designed a broad central promenade, called the Jakopič Promenade (Jakopičevo sprehajališče) after the leading Slovene impressionist painter Rihard Jakopič.[50][51] It has three main avenues, planted with chestnut-trees. Within the park, there are different types of trees, flower gardens, several statues, and fountains.[50][51] Several notable buildings stand in the Park, among them the Tivoli Castle, the National Museum of Contemporary History and the Tivoli Sports Hall.[50]

Butchers' Bridge

The Butchers' Bridge (Mesarski most) is a footbridge crossing the river Ljubljanica. It connects Ljubljana Central Market and the Petkovšek embankment. It is decorated with the works by the Slovenian sculptor Jakov Brdar and completes the plans of the Slovene architect Jože Plečnik from the 1930s. It was officially opened on July 10, 2010.

Shortly after the opening of the bridge padlocks of couples in love started appearing on its steel wires, symbolizing declarations of eternal love, a phenomenon similar to the one on the Parisian Pont des Arts.

Demographics

In 1869, Ljubljana had just under 27,000 inhabitants,[52] a figure that grew to 80,000 by the mid-1930s.[25] Demographic growth remained fairly stable between 1999 and 2007, with a population of about 270,000.[2] Before 1996, the city's population surpassed 320,000 but the drop that year was mainly caused by a territorial reorganisation that saw certain peripheral areas attached to neighbouring municipalities.[33] At the 2002 census, 39.2% of Ljubljana residents were Roman Catholic; 30.4% were believers who did not belong to a religion, unknown or did not reply; 19.2% were atheist; 5.5% were Eastern Orthodox; 5.0% were Muslim; and the remaining 0.7% were Protestant or belonged to other religions.[53]

Around 84% of the population speak Slovene as their native language. The second most-spoken language is Bosnian, with Serbian holding third place.[54]

Demographic evolution[2][52]

1869 1880 1890 1900 1910 1931 1935 1948 1953 1961 1966 1970 1980 2001 2010
26,879 32,265 36,878 45,017 56,844 79,391 85,000 98,914 113,666 135,806 154,690 180,714 265,000 270,032 279,653

Government and crime

The city of Ljubljana is governed by the City Municipality of Ljubljana (MOL). Municipal elections take place every four years. Between 2002 and 2006, Danica Simšič was mayor of the municipality.[33] Since the municipal elections of 22 October 2006 till his confirmation as a deputy in the National Assembly of Slovenian, Zoran Janković, previously the managing director of the Mercator retail chain, was the mayor of Ljubljana. In 2006, he won 62.99% of the votes.[55] On 10 October 2010, Janković was re-elected for another four-year term, receiving 64,79% of the popular vote. From 2006 till October 2010, the majority on the city council (the Zoran Janković List) held 23 of 45 seats.[55] On 10 October 2010, Janković's list won 25 out of 45 seats in the City Council. From 21 December 2011 onwards, the deputy mayor Aleš Čerin was decided by Janković to lead the municipality, although he does not hold the post of mayor. The next mayoral election in Ljubljana will probably be held in March 2012.[56]

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 and tourism.[57] The City Municipality of Ljubljana is subdivided into 17 quarter communities that work with the municipality council to make known residents' suggestions and prepare activities in their territories.[58]

As of 2007, the jurisdiction of the Police Directorate Ljubljana (Policijska uprava Ljubljana) covers the area of 3,807 square kilometres (1,470 sq mi), which represents 18.8% of the national territory.[59] There are 17 police stations employing 1,380 individuals, of whom 1,191 are police officers and 189 are civilians.[59] With around 45,000 criminal acts in 2007, the Police Directorate Ljubljana alone accounts for over 50% of the country's crimes.[60] Slovenia and in particular Ljubljana have a quiet and secure reputation.[61]

The public order and municipal traffic regulations are also supervised by the city traffic wardens (Mestno redarstvo).[62]

Economy

Industry remains the city's most important employer, notably in the pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals and food processing.[24] 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.[24]

The Ljubljana Stock Exchange (Ljubljanska borza), purchased in 2008 by the Vienna Stock Exchange,[63] deals with large Slovenian companies. Some of these have their headquarters in the capital: for example, the retail chain Mercator, the oil company Petrol d.d. and the telecommunications concern Telekom Slovenije.[64] Over 15,000 enterprises operate in the city, most of them in the tertiary sector.[65]

Numerous companies and over 450 shops are located in the BTC City, the largest business, shopping, recreational, entertainment and cultural centre in Europe. It is visited each year by 21 million people.[66][67] It occupies an area of 475,000 square metres (5,110,000 sq ft) in the Moste Quarter Community in the eastern part of Ljubljana.[68][69][70]

Culture

Arts

Ljubljana has numerous art galleries and museums. In 2004, there were 15 museums, 41 art galleries, 11 theatres and four professional orchestras.[33] There is for example an architecture museum, a railway museum, a sports museum, a museum of modern art, a museum of contemporary art, a brewery museum, the Slovenian Museum of Natural History and the Slovene Ethnographic Museum.[71] The Ljubljana Zoo covers 19.6 hectares (48 acres) and has 152 animal species. An antique flea market takes place every Sunday in the old city.[71] In 2006, the museums received 264,470 visitors, the galleries 403,890 and the theatres 396,440.[33]

Each year over 10,000 cultural events take place in the city; among these are ten international festivals of theatre, music and art generally.[24] Numerous music festivals are held there, chiefly in European classical music and jazz, for instance the Ljubljana Summer Festival (Ljubljanski poletni festival). In the centre of the various Slovenian wine regions, Ljubljana is known for being a "city of wine and vine". Grapevines were already being planted on the slopes leading up to the Castle Hill by the Roman inhabitants of Emona.[24]

In 1701, present-day Slovenia's first philharmonic academy opened in Ljubljana, which spurred the development of musical production in the region.[24] Some of its honorary members would include Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms, as well as the violinist Niccolò Paganini.[24] Early in his career, Gustav Mahler served as conductor at the opera house, giving eighty-four complete performances between September 1881 and April 1882.[72]

The National Gallery (Narodna galerija), founded in 1918,[25] and the Museum of Modern Art (Moderna galerija), both in Ljubljana, exhibit the most influential Slovenian artists. On Metelko Street (Metelkova ulica) there is a social centre dedicated to alternative culture, set up in a renovated former Austro-Hungarian barracks.[73] This lively street has numerous clubs and concert halls that play various types of music, mainly alternative rock. The Museum of Contemporary Art, a part of the Museum of Modern Art, has been opened to the public on Metelko Street since 26 November 2011.[74] Another alternative culture centre is located in the former Rog factory. In the 1980s, Ljubljana became the centre of the Neue Slowenische Kunst, which among others included the music group Laibach and the painters of the IRWIN collective; the philosopher Slavoj Žižek was also associated with it.

Education

Students make up one-seventh of Ljubljana's population, giving the city a youthful character.[75][76] The University of Ljubljana, Slovenia's most important and Ljubljana's only university, was founded in 1919.[25][75] On foundation, the University comprised five faculties: law, philosophy, technology, theology and medicine. The seat of the university was in the central Congress Square of Ljubljana in a building that had served as the State Mansion of Carniola from 1902 to 1918. The building was first designed in 1902 by Jan Vladimír Hráský, and was later remodelled by a Czech architect from Vienna, Josip Hudetz. As of 2010, it has 23 faculties and three academies. These offer Slovene-language courses in (among other subjects) medicine, applied sciences, arts, law and administration.[77] The university has close to 64,000 students and some 3,500 teaching faculty.[75]

In 2004, the National and University Library of Slovenia, located in Ljubljana, had 1,169,090 books in all.[33] In 2006, the 55 primary schools had 20,802 pupils and the 32 secondary schools had 25,797.[33][75]

Science

The first society of the leading scientists and public workers in Carniola was the Dismas Fraternity (Latin:Societas Unitorum), formed in Ljubljana in 1688.[78] In 1693, the Academia Operosorum Labacensium was founded and lasted with an interruption till the end of the 18th century. The next academy in Ljubljana has been the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, established only in 1938.

Sports

Ljubljana's ice hockey clubs are HD HS Olimpija, ŠD Alfa, HK Slavija and HDD Olimpija Ljubljana. They all compete in the Slovenian Hockey League; HDD Olimpija Ljubljana also takes part in the Austrian Hockey League.[79] The basketball teams are KD Slovan, ŽKD Ježica Ljubljana and KK Union Olimpija. The latter, which has a green dragon as its mascot, hosts its matches in the 10,000-seat Arena Stožice since 2010.

The city's football teams which play in the Slovenian PrvaLiga are Interblock Ljubljana[80] and NK Olimpija Ljubljana. There are two stadiums in the city. Bežigrad Stadium, which was built according to the plans of Jože Plečnik and is closed since 2008, was the home of the NK Olimpija Ljubljana dissolved in 2004. The much larger Stožice Stadium, opened since August 2010 and located in Stožice Sports Park, is the home of the NK Olimpija Ljubljana established in 2005, and the main stadium of the Slovenia national football team.

Each year since 1957, on 8–10 May, the traditional recreational March along the Path of Remembrance and Comradeship has taken place to mark the liberation of Ljubljana on 9 May 1945.[81] The last Sunday in October, the Ljubljana Marathon is run on the city's streets. It attracts several thousand runners each year.[82]

The Tacen Whitewater Course, located on a polygon next to the Sava, eight kilometers northwest of the city centre, hosts a major international canoe/kayak slalom competition almost every year, examples being the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in 1955, 1991, and 2010.[83]

Transport

Ljubljana is at the centre of the Slovenian road network, which links the city to all parts of the country. Until July 2008, toll booths were used, but were replaced by a toll sticker system. The city, in central Slovenia, is linked to the southwest by A1-E70 to the Italian cities of Trieste and Venice and the Croatian port of Rijeka.[84] To the north, A1-E57 leads to Maribor, Graz and Vienna. To the east, A2-E70 links it with the Croatian capital Zagreb, from where one can go to Hungary or important cities of the former Yugoslavia, such as Belgrade.[84] To the northwest, A2-E61 goes to the Austrian cities of Klagenfurt and Salzburg, making it an important entry point for northern European tourists.[84]

Ljubljana railway station is part of a railway network that links Germany to Croatia through the Munich-Salzburg-Ljubljana-Zagreb line. A second network is the Vienna-Graz-Maribor-Ljubljana one, which links Austria to Slovenia. Finally, a line goes to Budapest.[85] The Slovenian Railways offers the possibility to buy Ljubljana daily or monthly city pass that can be used to travel in Ljubljana by train (15 stations).[86] In the immediate vicinity to the Ljubljana railway station is located the Ljubljana Bus Station (Avtobusna postaja Ljubljana), the Ljubljana central bus hub, operated by the company Avtobusna postaja Ljubljana.

Ljubljana Airport (IATA code LJU), located 26 kilometres (16 mi) north of the city, has flights to numerous European destinations. Among the companies that fly from there are Adria Airways, Air France, Brussels Airlines, EasyJet and Finnair.[87] Among the destinations served are Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Belgrade, Brussels, Budapest, Bucharest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Istanbul, Kijev, London, Manchester, Moscow, Munich, Ohrid, Paris, Podgorica, Prague, Pristhina, Stockholm, Skopje, Vienna, Warsaw, Tirana, Tel Aviv and Zurich.[87] There are numerous taxi companies in the city.[88]

The city bus network, run by the Ljubljana Passenger Transport (LPP) company, is Ljubljana's most used means of public transportation. The city bus rides may be paid with the Urbana payment card (also used for the funicular) or with a mobile phone. Sometimes, the buses are called trole ("trolleys"), harking back to the 1951–71 days when Ljubljana had trolleybus (trolejbus) service. There were five trolleybus lines in Ljubljana, till 1958 alongside the tram.

The tram system in Ljubljana is a small one. It was originally built in 1901. In the post World War II era, many Yugoslav towns and cities with tram systems took out their systems, as they took up a lot of space in an era when automobiles were more important. In Ljubljana the tram's end came in 1958. In its final years the system reached length of over 21 kilometers. Soon after the last day of operation the tracks were dismantled and the cars were transferred to Osijek and Subotica. Almost fifty years later, at the end of 2006,[89] a new tram line was opened. The tram is a funicular, and goes from Krek Square (Krekov trg) near the Ljubljana Central Market to Ljubljana Castle. The tram is especially popular among tourists. It runs between 9 am and 9 pm, and the full trip lasts about 15 to 20 minutes. There are plans to build more lines in the future.

There is a considerable amount of bicycle traffic in Ljubljana and it is also possible to rent a bike. Since May 2011, the Bicikelj, a self-service bicycle rental system offers the residents and visitors of Ljubljana 300 bicycles and 600 parking spots at 31 stations in the wider city centre area. The daily number of rentals is around 2,500.[90][91] There was a possibility to rent a bike even before the establishment of Bicikelj.[92] On some of the main streets cycling is forbidden, e.g. on part of Slovenian Street (Slovenska cesta). Through years, the prohibitions have been partially abolished by marking cycle lanes on the road or on the pavement.[93][94]

Health

Ljubljana has a rich history of discoveries in medicine and innovations in medical technology. The majority of secondary and tertiary care in Slovenia takes place in Ljubljana. The University Medical Centre Ljubljana 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 Community Health Centre Ljubljana is the largest health centre in Slovenia. It comprises 7 units at 11 locations. Since 1986, Ljubljana is part of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network.[95]

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Slovenia

Twin towns — Sister cities

Ljubljana is twinned with:[96]

See also

References

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