Government and Presidential Palace (Ljubljana)

Government and Presidential Palace
Vladna in predsedniška palača
Alternative names Government Palace, Presidential Palace
General information
Location immediate vicinity of Cankar Hall, Center District, Ljubljana[1]
Address Prešeren Street 8
Erjavec Street 17
Gregorčič Street 20
Country Slovenia
Coordinates 46°2′58.5″N 14°29′52.64″E / 46.049583°N 14.4979556°ECoordinates: 46°2′58.5″N 14°29′52.64″E / 46.049583°N 14.4979556°E
Current tenants President of Slovenia
Prime Minister of Slovenia
Protocol of Slovenia
Secretary-General of the Government of Slovenia
Construction started 1886
Completed 1899
Renovated 1985, 2007[2]

The Government and Presidential Palace (Slovene: Vladna in predsedniška palača), but also simply Government Palace (Vladna palača) or Presidential Palace (Predsedniška palača), is a building in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, that houses the Office of the Prime Minister of Slovenia, the Office of the President of Slovenia, the Secretary-General of the Government of Slovenia, and the Protocol of Slovenia.[1] It is located at the corner of Prešeren Street (Prešernova cesta), Erjavec Street (Erjavčeva cesta), and Gregorčič Street (Gregorčičeva ulica) in the Center District, next to the Cankar Hall.[3][1] It is used for state and ceremonial functions, as well as receptions and meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries and heads of state.[4] Occasionally, exhibits take place there.[5][6]

History

The project documentation for the building was prepared by the engineer Rudolf Bauer based on the work of the architect Emil von Förster.[7][8] First excavations took place in October 1886; foundations were laid in spring 1897. The usage permission was given for the first time on 11 November 1898.[7] The building was at first used as the headquarters of the provincial Carniolan authorities.[7] After World War II, the building housed mayors of Ljubljana, the Constitutional Court of Slovenia, and since 1975, the Executive Council of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia.[7] The building houses the Office of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, the Office of the Prime Minister of Slovenia and the Secretary-General of the Government of Slovenia since 1993.[9][10] In that year, it was protected as a cultural monument.[11]

Architecture

The three-storey building was built in the Neo-Renaissance style and has an atrial ground plan.[11] There are two courtyards and the great hall,[8] called the Crystal Hall, which is now used for receptions, but was originally a chapel.[9] The front façade, turned towards Prešeren Street, has three entrances. On the sides of the main entrance, which is in the middle, stand the allegorical statues of power and law, created by the Viennese architect Josef Beyer.[12] There are also two minor entrances at the front, one to each side from the main entrance. These entrances open to a busy city avenue and do not make an impression typical of a protocol building.[10] In addition, there are entrances from Erjavec Street and Gregorčič Street. The corners of the building are emphasised by towers.[8] The interior was decorated in the interwar period (20th century) by Gojmir Anton Kos with scenes from the history of Slovenia.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Habič, Marko (1997). "Vladna palača - sedež vlade in predsednika Republike Slovenije" [The Government Palace - Seat of the Government and Office of the President of the Republic of Slovenia]. Prestolnica Ljubljana nekoč in danes [A pictorial chronicle of a capital city]. Geopedia.si (National Publishing House of Slovenia. Sinergise, d. o. o.). ISBN 86-341-2007-4.
  2. ↑ (subscription required) Hajdinjak, Valentina (6 September 2007). "Odgovor: Nujna vzdrževalna dela, in ne lišpanje" [Reply: Pressing Maintenance Works and not Sprucing]. Finance.si (in Slovenian) (Časnik Finance, d.o.o.).
  3. ↑ "Četrtna skupnost Center" [Center District] (in Slovenian). Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  4. ↑ "Dan odprtih vrat Predsedniške palače sredi srede na Valu 202" [Doors Open Day of the Presidential Palace in the Middle of the Wednesday at Val 202]. RTV Slovenia. Office of the President of the Republic of Slovenia. 4 December 2002. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  5. ↑ "Najbolj fotogenični utrinki 20-letne Slovenije" [The Most Photogenic Moments of the 20-Year-Old Slovenia] (in Slovenian). MMC RTV Slovenia. 4 January 2011.
  6. ↑ "O sloART.si" [About sloART.si]. sloART.si (in Slovenian). Estoritve d. o. o.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 (subscription required) "Vladna palača praznuje stoletnico" [The Government Palace Celebrates its 100th Anniversary]. Slovenian Press Agency. 11 November 1998.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Stavba deželne vlade – Predsedstvo Republike Slovenije" [The Building of the Provincial Government – The Presidency of the Republic of Slovenia]. Arhitekturni vodnik [Architectural Guide] (in Slovenian). Zavod Trajekt [Trajekt Institute]. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Predsedniška palača" [The Presidential Palace]. Predsednik Republike Slovenije [The President of the Republic of Slovenia] (in Slovenian). 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Unetič, Ines (2009). "Protokolarni prostor v Ljubljani: Podoba protokolarnega prostora skozi čas, prostor in družbo" [Protocol Space in Ljubljana: The Image of Protocol Space Through Time, Space and Society]. Kronika (in Slovene, with an abstract in English) 57 (1): 106. ISSN 0023-4923.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Ljubljana - Vladna palača" [Ljubljana: Government Palace]. Registry of Immovable Cultural Heritage (in Slovenian). Ministry of Culture, Republic of Slovenia. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  12. ↑ "Predsednik republike" [President of the Republic]. MMC RTV Slovenia (in Slovenian). 18 January 2006.

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