2. ORIGIN
In the third century BC a Celtic tribe - Taurisci - began to settle in the Ljubljana marshes, and since
VI century AD the area currently occupied by Slovenia was incessantly disputed to the occupying
Slavs.
In 623 AD, Chief Franko Samo created the first independent Slovene state that, in the VIII century
was absorbed into the Frankish empire, and in the X century fell under the control of the Holy Roman
Empire.
Slovenia was reorganized as the duchy of Carantania by the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I (912-973).
With the exception of four years of government by Napoleon (1809-1813), Slovenia, together with
Croatia became part of the Austrian Habsburg Empire, 1335-1918.
3. The ancient Emona - name given to the village after its conquest by the Roman Empire - began to be
built in the year XV AD and today reminds us at every turn its history, of different origins, especially
Celtic. In the photo, the south wall of the ancient Roman city of Emona
4. The hardness of the building confirms the existence of the castle already by mid XII century, when it was
the headquarters of the Austrian dukes of Carinthia. Currently, with no noble dynasties, and being
unnecessary its function in the peaceful Slovenian’ lands, Ljubljana Castle became important only as a
symbol of the charm of the city as in fairy tales. Since 1905 belongs to the municipality.
5. The castle, that has been inhabited among others by Charles V (Slovenia belonged to the Austro-
Hungarian Empire), was built in the XII century, but its origins date back to the old Emona.
6. The access to the Castle is provided either by special carts, by funicular or by the old-fashioned
way: walking this path up.
8. Castle - Bunker -This fortified chamber, deep in the castle's defenses, now exhibits intriguing art.
9. After the 1511 earthquake, Ljubljana was rebuilt in a Baroque style following the model of a
Renaissance town
10. Franciscan Church of the Annunciation - Prešeren Square in Ljubljana represents the center of
the capital, where are located some of the most characteristic and emblematic elements of the city.
11. Beautiful view of the Castle having as background the permanently icy peaks of Kamnik Alps.
12. Photo of the Parliament - The Republic of Slovenia, once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
and that also composed the multinational state of the once Yugoslavia, after a short 10-day war got its
independence in 1991.
13. Ljubljana seems to be made, all of it, of charming corners. The Ljubljanica River
divides the city center in 2. On the one side its old part and access to the Castle, on the
other the commercial and political part of the city.
14. Entrance to Old Town – The old town houses the Municipal Hall, most restaurants, shops, and
galleries of ancient and contemporary art.
15. The original City Hall building was completed in 1584. The fountain nearby has been designed and
built around 1747 by the sculptor Francesco Robba, inspired by the Fountain of the Four Rivers by
Bernini in Piazza Navona. As that one, also boasts the distinctive obelisk at its center.
16. Robba`s fountain (replica) - Fountain of the Three Rivers of Carniola.The sculpture represents the
three region’s rivers: Lublianica, Sava e Krka.
17. Cathedral of St Nicholas, 1708, Baroque style. There are fine modern bronze doors added
in 1996 to commemorate the visit by Pope John Paul II.
18. Interesting detail of a Cathedral’s gate, where the head of the figure in relief near the
opening corresponds to a doorknob.
20. Photo: Cathedral ceiling. It was the monks of the Catholic Church that kept the Slovenian
language alive throughout the centuries of the northern implacable Germanization.
21. Prešeren Square - is the central square in Ljubljana. After the 1895 earthquake that destroyed the
medieval houses, palaces on baroque bourgeois style were built in its place. Affected by the earthquake,
the house Hauptmann (the tallest building) originally in baroque style was redecorated in Art Nouveau.
22. Built in 1873 the Hauptmann House – tower shaped – was one of the few buildings that survived the
great earthquake without being seriously affected. In 1904, was renewed in Viennese Art Nouveau style,
decorated with colorful ceramic forming geometric drawings in contrasting colors.
23. Prešeren Square - arose in medieval Ljubljana. It began to gain its current appearance in the
XVII century, when the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation was built.
24. Even under rain the Prešeren Square is beautiful. It was built on the site of a
crossroads in front of the entrance to the medieval city of Ljubljana.
25. Ljubljana Central Pharmacy Palace (Drzavna Lekarna Palace) – on Prešeren Square,
built in 1895 in Neo-Renaissance style.
26. Situated beneath the Castle, Prešeren Square is located in the historic heart and its main access is
by the famous Triple Bridge. At its center stands a tribute to the Slovenian poet France Prešeren,
27. The statue of the poet
France Prešeren
includes in its
composition the poetry
muse sitting on a higher
pedestal. It was created
in 1905 by Ivan Zajec.
The prestige that the
capital of Slovenia has
always given to
Literature and the Arts,
right after its
separation from
Yugoslavia in 1991,
Ljubljana gained a
reputation of having the
most cultured and
educated people of the
Balkans.
28. The square is presided over by the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation in Baroque style, and
distinguished by its reddish colored façade. At his side sits the monument to the poet.
30. The Ljubljanica River with its bridges in varied styles and framed by picturesque
banks of the old city is one of the most notable landmarks of Ljubljana.
31. Dragon Bridge – originally named Jubilee Bridge of the Emperor Franz Josef I, got its new name
due to the presence of the four dragons adorning its edges.
32. Built in the beginning of the 20th century, the Dragon Bridge is noted for its Art Nouveau style.
As time has gone by the dragons came to be considered the symbol of the city.
33. The first music school was established in the Ljubljana Dome in 1807, but only in 1939 the
Academy of Music was created. Since 1953 it became an independent institution with the
name of Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet.
34. In the most modern part of Ljubljana, the “skyscraper“ Nebotičnik, built in 1933, at the
time the tallest building in Slovenia
35. Dressing, singing and dancing the folklore of their land of birth, children not only get to know Slovenian
traditions to pass it on to future generations, as they acquire structural values.
36. A country that does not encourage consumerism, that does not value people by economic classes,
that encourages its youth to know on site the history of the land they where born and live in,
encouraging early patriotism, does not have to fear for the future.
37. Prešernova – is the oldest and the largest Slovene museum, founded in 1821. The oldest rarity
exposed dates from the Stone Age.
38. Its main building was originally the seat of the Carniolan Parliament. The University of
Ljubljana is the first and the largest university in Slovenia and one of the largest in Europe.
39. Plecniks National Bibliothek IV – The National and University Library is one of the most
important educational and cultural institutions of Slovenia.
40. Academia Philharmonicorum - was founded in 1701, when presented baroque oratorios and some
other musical pieces. Only in 1948 became the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, having in its
rich history the early career beginnings of Gustav Mahler as Conductor.
41. The neo-Renaissance building of the present Ljubljana Opera House was built between 1890 and 1892.
The two niches on the façade are adorned with allegorical statues of Tragedy and Comedy, by Alojz Gangl.
42. Close to the Prešeren Square, the first Ljubljana’s hotel - Hotel Union, 1905 - was built under the
most modern standards of that time, and its façade in Art Nouveau.
43. Urbanc House – 1903 – First major magazine of Ljubljana, at Prešeren square, has a kind of
marquee, typical of Parisian or Viennese Art Nouveau. Its façade is influenced by the Vienna Secession
style, and its interior is closer to Paris Art Nouveau.
44. The fair (open air market) in Vodnikov Square contribute just as much to Ljubljana's laid-back,
easy air, as the endless cafés along the river.
45. Plecnik Colonnade – Market – This is Ljubljana’s economic center since Roman times. In the
outer courtyard, a bronze sculpture of Slovenian sculptor Jakov Brdar Metzger.
46. National Gallery - important permanent collections include works by some of the best and most
renowned Slovenian painters (Jama, Grohe, Jakopic, Ažbe). Since September 2008 you can also here
admire the restored original Robba's Fountain.
48. Ljubljana at evening, against the background of the striking frame of the Julian Alps -
the mountain range that is the symbolic heart of Slovenia.
49. In this year of 2011, in which Slovenia celebrates 20 years of the conquest of its
independence, the joy in the celebration is on all of its sons, including those young Slovene
still living their infancy.
50. And celebrating those 20 years of the Country’s independence, the cast of Slovenian musical
ensemble Perpetuum Jazzile sings with great joy Vse najboljše to their homeland – Slovenia!
51. And celebrating those 20 years of the Country’s independence, the cast of Slovenian musical
ensemble Perpetuum Jazzile sings with great joy Vse najboljše to their homeland – Slovenia!
52. Images: All drawn from the Net with credits to their respective authors
Music: - "Zrejlo je žito" Slovenian folk song, by composer Rok Golob.
LIVE performance by: Sabina Cvilak, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera
& APZ Tone Tomsic choir, Uros Lajovic, Rok Golob, Domen Vajevec, Ales
Marjetic, Roman Ratej
”Vse najbolje Slovenija” - with Perpetuum Jazzile
Creation, research, compilation and formatting:
Delza Dias Ferreira
delzadfer@gmail.com
Colaboration and English Version: Flavio M.de Freitas Guimarães
http://culturesandartinenglish.blogspot.com
