Sights in Ljubljana
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Ljubljana Castle
Known as Ljubljana Castle (Ljubljanski Grad), there have been fortifications of one kind or another on Castle Hill (Grajska Planota) since at least Celtic times, but the existing Ljublijana Castle mostly dates from a 16th-century rebuilding following the 1511 earthquake. It was a royal residence in the 17th and 18th centuries and a prison and barracks in the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries.
About 80% of the castle has been renovated in recent years, and it is now frequently used as a venue for concerts and other cultural activities, and as a wedding hall on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
The castle was a royal residence in the 17th and 18th centuries and a priso…
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Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia
The Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia, housed in the 18th-century Cekin Mansion (Grad Cekinov) just northeast of the Tivoli Recreation Centre, traces the history of Slovenia in the 20th century through multimedia and artefacts. Note the contrast between the sober earnestness of the communist-era Room G and the exuberant, logo-mad commercialism of the neighbouring industrial exhibit in Room H.
Its multimedia story begins on the eve of WWI, leading you through a surprisingly effective reconstruction of a typical trench into the quieter days of the postwar Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It gets pretty turbulent in Room E, which deals with WWII and the Italo-German occupatio…
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National Gallery
Slovenia's foremost collection of fine art, the National Gallery offers works from the 17th to 19th centuries (check out works by 'national Romantics' Pavel Künl, Marko Pernhart and Anton Karinger), copies of medieval frescoes and a wonderful Gothic statuary (1896). Although the subjects of the earlier paintings are the usual foppish nobles and lemon-lipped clergymen, some of the later works are remarkable.
Take a close look at the works of the impressionists Jurij Šubic (Before the Hunt) and Rihard Jakopič (Birches in Autumn), the pointillist Ivan Grohar (Škofja Loka in the Snow) and Slovenia's most celebrated female painter Ivana Kobilca (Summer). The bronzes by Fra…
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Prešernov Trg
The centrepiece of Ljubljana's wonderful architectural aesthetic is this marvellous square, a public space of understated elegance that not only serves as the link between the Center district and the Old Town but as the city's favourite meeting point. The square itself is dominated by a monument to the national poet France Prešeren.
Immediately south of the statue is the city's architectural poster-child, the small but much celebrated Triple Bridge (Tromostovje). The original Špital Bridge (1842) was nothing spectacular, but between 1929 and 1932 superstar architect Jože Plečnik added the two pedestrian side bridges, furnished all three with stone balustrades and lamps a…
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Cathedral of St Nicholas
Dominating Pogačarjev trg is the Cathedral of St Nicholas. A church has stood here since the 13th century, but the existing twin-towered building dates from the start of the 18th century. Inside it's a palace of pink marble, white stucco and gilt, with frescoes by baroque master Giulio Quaglio and 19th-century artist Matevž Langus.
Have a look at the magnificent carved choir stalls, organ and the angels on the main altar - another Robba creation. Two stunning bronze doors were added in 1996 to commemorate the late Pope John Paul II's visit - the (main) west door facing the Bishop's Palace symbolises 1250 years of Christianity in Slovenia, and the six bishops on the sout…
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Museum of Modern Art
Housed in an ugly modern building (Edvard Ravnikar; 1939-51), the inwardly vibrant and inspiring Museum of Modern Art exhibits a permanent collection of 20th-century Slovenian art on two floors that helps put some of the socialist-inspired work of sculptors such as Jakob Savinšek (Protest) into artistic perspective.
Watch out for works by Tone Kralj (Peasant Wedding), the expressionist France Mihelič (The Quintet) and the surrealist Štefan Planinc (Primeval World series). Some people might consider the works by multimedia group Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK; Suitcase for Spiritual Use: Baptism under Triglav) and the artists' cooperative IRWIN (Kapital) 'fun' rather than …
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National Museum of Slovenia
On the western side of parklike Trg Narodnih Herojev, the National Museum of Slovenia occupies an elegant 1888 building. It has a large collection but at the time of writing only highlights from the rich archaeological and coin collections were on display.
The Roman glass and the jewellery found in 6th-century Slavic graves is pretty standard fare, but the chef d'oeuvre here is the highly embossed Vače situla, a Celtic pail from the late 6th century BC unearthed in a town east of Ljubljana. Make sure you check out the ceiling fresco in the foyer, which features an allegorical Carniola surrounded by important Slovenes from the past and the statues of the Muses and Fates re…
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Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity
The Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity, which faces the Kongresni Trg Square from across Slovenska cesta and dates from 1726, is the most beautiful baroque building in the city. It contains a multicoloured altar by Robba made of African marble.
To reach the church use the Plečnik underpass (Plečnikov podhod) at the western end of Kongresni trg and, as you descend, look to the right for a small gilded statue on top of a column. It's a copy (the original is in the National Museum) of the Roman-era Citizen of Emona, dating from the 4th century and unearthed nearby in 1836.
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Gruber Palace
Across Karlovška cesta is Gruber Palace. Gabriel Gruber, the Jesuit who built the Gruber Canal (Gruberjev Prekop) that regulates the Ljubljanica, lived here until 1784. The palace is in Zopf style, a transitional art style between late baroque and neoclassicism, and now contains the national archives . If you look eastward on Karlovška cesta to No 1, you'll see what was once the Balkan Gate, the southernmost point of the Old Town.
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Križanke
'French Revolution Square' was for centuries the headquarters of the Teutonic Knights of the Cross (Križniki). They built a commandery here in the early 13th century, which was transformed into the Križanke monastery complex in 1714. Today it serves as the headquarters of the Ljubljana Summer Festival , with an open-air theatre seating 1400 people. The Ilirija Column in the centre of the square is dedicated to Napoleon.
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Mestni Trg town hall
Mestni trg (Town Square) is dominated by the Mestni Trg town hall, the seat of the city government. It was erected in the late 15th century and rebuilt in 1718. The Gothic courtyard inside, arcaded on three levels, is where theatrical performances once took place and contains some lovely sgraffiti. If you look above the south portal leading to a second courtyard you'll see a relief map of Ljubljana in the second half of the 17th century.
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Slovenian Ethnographic Museum
The new Slovenian Ethnographic Museum, housed in the 1886 Belgian Barracks on the southern edge of Metelkova, has a permanent collection on the 3rd floor. There's traditional Slovenian trades and handicrafts - everything from beekeeping and blacksmithing to glass-painting and pottery making - and some excellent exhibits directed at children. Temporary exhibits are on the 1st and 2nd floors. Allow extra time for this one; it's excellent.
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Viewing Tower
The Viewing Tower, which is the tower on the western side of the castle courtyard, contains the Virtual Museum, a 20-minute 3D video tour of Ljubljana and its history in four languages. The climb up to the top of the tower, via a double wrought-iron staircase (95 steps from the museum level) of the 19th-century tower and a walk along the ramparts, is worth the effort for the views down into the Old Town and across the river to Center.
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Natural History Museum
Housed in 16 rooms and hallways of the same impressive building as the National Museum, the Natural History Museum contains the usual reassembled mammoth and whale skeletons, stuffed birds, reptiles and mammals. However, the mineral collections amassed by the philanthropic Baron Žiga Zois in the early 19th century and the display on Slovenia's unique salamander Proteus anguinus are worth a visit.
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Parliament Building
The renovated Parliament Building, built in 1959 at the northeast corner of the square, is no beauty pageant winner on the outside but the mammoth portal festooned with bronze sculptures is noteworthy. It's worth joining one of the infrequent guided tours at the weekend to see the inside, especially the period-piece mural in the vestibule of the Large Hall depicting the history of Slovenia.
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Ljubljana City Museum
At the eastern end of Trg Francoske Revolucije is the excellent Ljubljana City Museum, which has reopened after a four-year renovation and focuses on Ljubljana's history, culture and politics. The reconstructed Roman street that linked the eastern gates of Emona to the Ljubljanica, and the collection of well-preserved classical artefacts in the basement are worth a visit in themselves.
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Plečnik Collection
A short distance south from the Gradaščica Canal is the house where Jože Plečnik lived and worked for almost 40 years. Today it houses the Ljubljana Architectural Museum's Plečnik Collection. There's an excellent introduction by guided tour to this almost ascetically religious man, his inspirations and his work.
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Botanical Gardens
About 800m southeast of the Old Town along Karlovška cesta and over the Ljubljanica River, this 2.5-hectare botanical garden was founded in 1810 as a sanctuary of native flora. It contains 4500 species of plants and trees, about a third of which are indigenous, and is overseen by the University of Ljubljana.
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Philharmonic Hall
The Philharmonic Hall in the southeast corner or the Kongresni Trg Square is home to the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, which was founded in 1701 and is one of the oldest in the world. Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms were honorary members, and Gustav Mahler was resident conductor for a season (1881-82).
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Franciscan Church of the Annunciation
The 17th-century Italianate Franciscan Church of the Annunciation (stands on the northern side of the square. The interior is not so interesting with its six side altars and enormous choir stall, though the main altar was designed by the Italian sculptor Francesco Robba (1698-1757).
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Opera House
The graceful Opera House, northeast of the National Museum, opened in 1892 as the Provincial Theatre, and plays in German and Slovene were performed here. After WWI it was renamed the Opera House and is now home to the Slovenian National Opera and Ballet companies.
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Orthodox Church
The interior of the Serbian Orthodox Church, built in 1936 and dedicated to Sts Cyril and Methodius, is covered from floor to ceiling with colourful modern frescoes. There is a richly carved iconostasis separating the nave from the sanctuary.
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Church of St James
The Church of St James was built in 1615. Inside the church, far more interesting than Robba's main altar (1732) is the one in the church's Chapel of St Francis Xavier to the left, with statues of a 'White Queen' and a 'Black King'.
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Ljubljana Zoo
The 20-hectare Ljubljana Zoo, on the southern slope of Rožnik Hill (394m), contains 580 animals representing more than 150 species. There's also a petting zoo for children. It's an upbeat and well-landscaped menagerie.
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Technical Museum of Slovenia
A huge collection of antique motor vehicles and bicycles, water-driven and horse-powered mills, and implements used in agriculture, weaving, forestry, smithing, fishing and hunting. It's 22km southwest of Ljubljana.
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