LJUBLJANA at KristofZ.com
Sightseeing
If you would like to take a guided walking sightseeing tour around Ljubljana click HERE.
Info about Slovenia
Ljubljana is the capital city of Slovenia, a very biodiverse country known by karst phenomena, thermal waters and many spa's. It is covered by forest, with one of the biggest populations of brown bears in Europe.
There are several ski resorts in Slovenia in the mountains and hills and a beautiful seaside by the Adriatic sea. There are many sites of interest like the karst cave in Postojna, lake Bled, city of Piran, castle Predjama and the horse stables at Lipica just to name the few.
The ancestors of the Slovenians founded their own independent state in the 7th century called Carantania, with the heart being in today's southern Austria's city of Celovec (Klagenfurt). After the fall of Carantania we were mostly ruled by foreign nations and kingdoms, and Slovene territory was severly reduced.
After the first world war and the fall of Austro-Hungary monarchy we became a part of Yugoslavia. After fighting on the allied side in the second world war we remained in a socialist Yugoslavia, and later in the year 1991 we became independant.
Now Slovenia is an independant democratic state, a member of the European Union and NATO. The majority of the population are Slovenians. Slovenian is one of rare languages that uses the dual. There are members of other nations living in slovenia too, mostly from the other ciountries of former Yugoslavia and two smaller Italian and Hungarian minorities.
Useful links:
The city of Ljubljana
I was born in Ljubljana and have lived here all of my life. I know the city quite well, that is why it is difficult for me to shorten the description of the city on just this site. I hope the information I added will help you decide to visit Ljubljana and take a look at the city and it's surroundings.
Basic information
Ljubljana is the capital city of Slovenia and is located in the central part of the country. As a capital of a small country it has all the features of a modern capital but it still is a smaller universal town with a friendly climate and relaxed atmosphere. The center of the city is situated by the Ljubljanica river with the the castle of Ljubljana watching over the city from a Castle Hill.
It is the largest city in Slovenia and has a population of 280.000 inhabitants. The altitude of Ljubljana is 295 meters. Ljubljana has warm summers and moderately cold winters. It is situated at the centre of the Slovenian road network, linking the city to all parts of the country and abroad.
Short history of Ljubljana
The first people inhabited the marshy part of Ljubljana basin in around 2000 BC, they mere called "Mostiščarji". They were known for their houses, built over the shallow lakes. Romans later founded a military encampment called Emona, that played important role in several battles. It was destroyed after the fall of Rome. The center of the medieval Ljubljana was later based not far from Emona, and is now a very nice part of Ljubljana. Ljubljana became the capital of Illyrian Provinces when Napoleon conquered this part of Europe. In the kingdom of Yugoslavia Ljubljana was the capital of the province.
During the second world war it was occupied by the Italians and Germans and was surrounded with the 30 kilometers long barbed wire. Where the wire used to be is now a path for recreation (picture above) in memory of the war years. After the war Ljubljana was the capital of socialistic Republic of Slovenia and is now capital of independant Slovenia.
Sightseeing
The first thing to do for a visitor is just to take a stroll around the city centre, maybe see some galleries where many slovene painters sell their paintings, go shopping, then take a break and enjoy a drink in one of many pubs situated in the centre or go to the famous 'nebotičnik', one of the tallent buildings in the 30s in this part of Europe. Then walk on to the castle hill and take a look at the great view on Ljubljana from the castle tower.
There is a big central market I reccomend visiting, with architectural object designed by a famous slovene architect Jože Plečnik giving it a mixture of central european and meditteranean feeling. Plečnik left a big mark on the city with many of his buildings all over Ljubljana.
The river Ljubljanica divides the oldest part of the city from the rest, both parts are connected to eachother with many bridges. The river is very nice with many great places to sit down, read a book, draw, relax or meet with friends. You can embark on a boat that will take you around the centre or go on a longer tour to the marshy Barje just outside the city, that is great.
To take a break from the city centre visit a big park called Tivoli, where for centuries people living in Ljubljana have been meeting and strolling around it. It also contains a cute lake, a pond, photographic exhibition, a museum...
Many concerts, exhibitions, plays, and other cultural events happen in Ljubljana all year round so there is always something to see. I reccomend visiting info points for the information.
In the last years there has been much renovation and other construction work like reconstructed city squares, new bridges over the river Ljubljanica and other work done in Ljubljana. The city centre is now closed for the traffic. You can rent a bike on one of many rental points and drive around the city.
Just have a great time and enjoy!
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