Ljubljana, Slovenia

The city of Ljubljana is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Slovenia. It is also the political, cultural and educational center of the small Central European country. Despite its relatively moderate size and the fact that it is not widely known, Ljubljana is often compared to such unique and renowned cities as Prague, Vienna, and Paris because of its culture and architecture.

Landscape

Ljubljana is located in the center of Slovenia, situated in a wide basin of land surrounded by the Julian Alps mountain range. The city covers an area of about 273 square kilometers (105 square miles) and is within easy driving distance of the Adriatic Sea. The Ljubljanica River, a tributary of the Sava River, which is Slovenia's main river, bisects the city; on the left bank are most of Ljubljana's modern buildings and commercial enterprises, while on the right bank are the Old Town section and Ljubljana Castle, a famous medieval castle that is more than eight hundred years old. The city's two major suburbs are the Krakovo and Trnovo districts, which are divided by a wide canal.

Much of the city's architectural style can be traced back to Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik. After an earthquake destroyed most of Ljubljana in 1895, it was Plečnik who rebuilt the city in the tradition of the Art Nouveau school—which flourished in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries—complete with a few distinctive touches of his own, such as the use of concrete. Other architectural influences can also be seen in Ljubljana's eclectic buildings, including the dramatic and highly ornamental Baroque style.

Ljubljana is organized in a compact and dense fashion, laid out in a grid that is easy to navigate. As such, walking and bicycling are both excellent ways to get around. The city has many squares, around which the various forms of its bustling street life are centered. There are three main squares in the Old Town: Stari, Mestni, and Gornji. The busiest square in Ljubljana's modern quarter is Preseren Square, also called Presernov Square, which takes its name from France Prešeren, Slovenia's most famous poet. It is considered the city's central square and was closed to automobile traffic in 2007.

People

According to the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, 297,432 people lived in Ljubljana (2023). Slovenia is an ethnically homogenous country, with the majority of its citizens—about 83 percent—being Slovenes, according to the official 2002 census. In Ljubljana, this percentage is slightly lower, at about 75 to 80 percent. Ethnic minorities living in Ljubljana include Serbs, Croats, Hungarians, Italians, and Montenegrins.

The Slovenes are a Slavic people whose culture reflects both Alpine and Mediterranean influences. They speak Slovenian, a language that is related to Croatian, Serbian, and Bulgarian. Besides Slovenian, other languages spoken in Ljubljana include Serbian, Croatian, German, and English.

The residents of Ljubljana are considered a well-educated group; the literacy rate is high and talents for language, literature, and the arts are highly valued. In 2018, of the city's residents, about 41,247 were university students in attendance at the city's university, making the population of Ljubljana an exceptionally youthful one.

Economy

In spite of its socialist history, and its transition from socialism in the late twentieth century, Slovenia boasted a thriving market economy that was both stable and growing. Unlike several of its neighbors, Slovenia was not plagued by soaring inflation rates and managed to keep unemployment at a manageable level, at least until the recessions of 2009 and 2012. According to the city's statistical yearbooks, the registered unemployment rate increased from 5.7 percent in 2008 to 11.2 percent in 2011 and 12.3 percent in 2012. According to the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, there were 12,081 registered unemployed persons in the city in December 2018.

Ljubljana, which is responsible for about one quarter of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), has a rich and varied economy. The city manufactures petrochemicals, processed food, electronics, and pharmaceutical products, and its retail, financial, and service industries also contribute significant earnings. According to the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, there were more than 41,000 business enterprises operating in the city in 2017. In addition, it is an important center for the wine trade—one out of every three farms in Slovenia grows wine grapes.

Due to Ljubljana's many attractions and its central location within the country and the region, tourism has become an increasingly significant sector of the city's economy. There were more than 1.1 million total tourist arrivals in the city in 2019, according to the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia. Because of its reputation for cleanliness, efficiency, and style, Ljubljana is also making a name for itself as a popular location for businesses and other organizations holding large international conferences.

Landmarks

Ljubljana Castle, a fortified medieval castle seated atop a large hill, is the city's most recognizable landmark. The castle itself was built around the twelfth century, then rebuilt several times—most recently in the seventeenth century. Over the course of its history the castle has been an aristocratic residence, a garrison for troops, and a prison. It has since become a popular location at which to hold performances, concerts, and exhibitions.

At the bottom of Castle Hill is Ljubljana's Old Town district. This is the location of the Baroque Robba Fountain, which is decorated with the statues of three river gods, and the Town Hall, or Mestna hiša, a fifteenth-century building originally constructed by Peter Bezlaj, a famous builder of that century. Various churches and cathedrals are also located here, such as the domed and imposing Cathedral of St. Nicholas and the Church of St. James.

There are also several historical bridges that span the Ljubljanica River, including the Art Nouveau Dragon Bridge, the Cobbler's Bridge, the Triple Bridge (which leads straight into the bustling Presernov Square in the city center), and the Ljubljanica Barrier. The latter three structures were all designed by Jože Plečnik.

On the opposite bank of the river is the city's modern quarter, home of the National Gallery, the Museum of Modern Art, the Parliament Building, the magnificent nineteenth-century Opera House, and the University of Ljubljana. On the edge of the city center is the beautifully maintained Tivoli Park. The park's large landscaped grounds include a botanical garden, a large playground, an outdoor swimming pool, and the Modern History Museum.

History

The very first inhabitants of the Ljubljana region were hunters, fishermen, and farmers who settled the area around 2000 BCE. They were followed by migrating peoples from the east known as the Illyrians and the Veneti, who built settlements there. Ljubljana was also home to ancient Celtic peoples.

In the first century BCE, Roman forces constructed a military base on the site of present-day Ljubljana. They went on to build a city called Emona, which was a busy trading center with a population of about five thousand people. Emona's fortunes began to wane when it was attacked by Attila the Hun in 452 CE, and was later invaded by the Slavs in the sixth century.

During medieval times, the city came to be dominated by Austro-Hungarian forces who gave it the name Laibach. These forces controlled the city for about six centuries, despite being invaded by Turkish armies several times.

Napoleon, who brought his troops into Ljubljana in the early 1800s, made the city the capital of his provinces in the region for a period of about four years. In 1814, the city was given back to the Austro-Hungarians. They continued to rule Ljubljana until the end of World War I. The city escaped the conflict largely unscathed, but when the Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolved, Slovenia—including Ljubljana—fell under the auspices of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenians.

It was during the years leading up to World War II that architect Jože Plečnik did most of his work reconstructing the city. During the war, Ljubljana was invaded and occupied by both the Italians and the Germans, who built a fence around the city; the route marked by this fence became a walking tour that encircles Ljubljana. After the end of World War II, Slovenia was part of the socialist state of Yugoslavia and Ljubljana was made Slovenia's capital. Ljubljana enjoyed a period of strong economic growth during this time, and its population also grew.

It was not until 1991 that Slovenia was declared an independent nation; the country chose to keep Ljubljana as its capital. Since then the region has continued to develop and flourish, although the national economy has been shaken by two recessions between 2009 and 2014. In December 2013, Slovenia was just able to avoid being bailed out of its financial crisis by the European Union and International Monetary Fund. Part of the nation's challenge comes from government ownership of state-controlled companies that had not been privatized during Slovenia's transition to a market economy. In 2014, Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek announced her plan to sell some state-owned assets, including Ljubljana International Airport, as part of a larger strategy to help lift the nation's economy. By the end of 2018, the government had reportedly sold a large part of its stake in Slovenia's biggest bank, Nova Ljubljanska Banka.

For its increased efforts at promoting sustainability in the city, including placing a greater emphasis on public transportation and advocating less wasteful practices, Ljubljana was named the European Green Capital of 2016 by the European Commission. In 2023, Ljubljana placed fifth on a tourist survey of the most beautiful cities in the world. The survey was sponsored by the British hotel chain Premier Inn.

Bibliography

Božič, Natalija, editor. City of Ljubljana—Profile, City of Ljubljana, 2011.

Demirovic, Almir. "Slovenian Leader Holds Out Hope of "Minimal" Growth in 2014." Reuters, 27 Jan. 2014, www.reuters.com/article/slovenia-growth/slovenian-leader-holds-out-hope-of-minimal-growth-in-2014-idUSL5N0L127820140127. Accessed 28 Feb. 2024.

"Enterprises by Municipalities, Slovenia, Annually." Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, 2023, pxweb.stat.si/SiStatData/pxweb/en/Data/-/1418807S.px. Accessed 28 Feb. 2024.

Office for Development Projects and Investments, City of Ljubljana. Statistical Yearbook Ljubljana 2012, City of Ljubljana, July 2013.

"Labour Market." Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, 2023, www.stat.si/StatWeb/en/Field/Index/3. Accessed 28 Feb. 2024.

"Population by Age and Sex, Municipalities, Slovenia, Half-Yearly." Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, 2023, pxweb.stat.si/SiStatData/pxweb/en/Data/-/05C4003S.px. Accessed 28 Feb. 2024.

"Tourism." Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, 2023, www.stat.si/StatWeb/en/Field/Index/24. Accessed 28 Feb. 2024.

Turk, Juš. "Plečnik's Ljubljana: Silent Poetry." Slovenia.Si, Slovenia.Si, Apr. 2010, www.slovenia.si/culture/arts/painting-and-architecture/plecniks-ljubljana/. Accessed 26 Mar. 2014.

"Welcome to Ljubljana, the Capital of Slovenia." Ljubljana, Mestna občina Ljubljana, 2024, www.ljubljana.si/en/. Accessed 28 Feb. 2024.

World Trade Press. Slovenia: Society & Culture. 2nd ed., World Trade, 2011.