2023 Balkans - Day 15 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Today is our last day in the Balkans. Greg made this map to show our progress, and which days we arrived at each new location. We covered a lot of miles.

People have been living in Ljubljana since prehistoric times. The oldest known instrument, made of bone with holes drilled into it, was found here. it was the Roman capital of Emona, which, as the Slovenians freely admit, is a lot easier to spell than Ljubljana. As they say, the Romans love vowels; Slovenians love consonants. There are traces of a Roman road and mosaics in the National Museum. I was planning to go there, but it’s Monday and most museums are closed. 

Ljubljana is one of the smallest capital cities in all of Europe. It’s divided in half by the Ljubljanica River, with the Old City and castle on one side, and most of the current administrative, cultural and educational buildings on the other. Tree-lined terraces run along both sides of the river. 

View from Cobblers Bridge. In the Middle Ages, craftsmen (in this case, over a dozen shoemakers) lived and worked on footbridges to intercept incoming traffic and avoid paying taxes due the town if their businesses were within the city. 

Ljubljana Town Hall was built in the 15th century and largely rebuilt in the early 18th century. Tours in English are available on Saturday, with a reservation. But you can walk around and admire the interior courtyards whenever the building is open. 

Noted Slovenian architect Joseph Plecnik designed many of the buildings and added ornamental touches throughout the city, giving Ljubljana a unique style. The city is charming - just the right size, with lots of shops, cafes, restaurants and markets. It was not, however, extremely commercial. We had to look quite a while to find a Slovenian keychain for our Christmas travel tree. 

Art Nouveau buildings from the early 20th century 

The former Governor’s Palace was built in 1902. After the fall of the Austrian Empire in the First World War, the Slovenian language was finally legalized and the building was transformed into the founding building for the city university. Forty thousand students attend, giving the city a young vibe. 

The philharmonic orchestra is the second oldest in Europe, with only Paris preceding it. Mahler conducted here for a season. 

The Jewish Lane, from the old ghetto. There was never a large Jewish population here, and sadly, as in most of Western Europe, most did not survive the Holocaust. 



As in Berlin and other European cities, there are occasional “stumbling stones” to mark the places from which some of Ljubljana’s Jewish residents disappeared. Conceived by German artist Gunter Demnig in Cologne over 30 years ago, more than 70,000 of the small brass stones have been placed in over 1,200 cities and towns across Europe. This pair, each about 4” across, was just outside the entrance to our hotel. 

The city center is a pedestrian zone. Traffic is allowed until 10 am, to allow businesses to receive inventory or send things out. At 10, retractable bollard posts pop out of the pavement to block the streets. But walkers still have to be on the alert for bikes, which zoom through the pedestrians with skill and confidence. 

Greg went to visit the House of Illusions (museum) and I walked around looking at people and fanciful architecture. There is a bona fire castle here, sitting on a hill 1,200 feet above the city. The fit and adventurous can walk up, but many people take the funicular. Most of the complex dates from the early 16th century after severe damage from - wait for it - an earthquake. I was going to head up, but decided I’d seen enough crowded tourist places here in the Balkans, and wanted to just enjoy the atmosphere. 

There’s a towering building with free access to a cafe terrace. There were fine views of Castle Hill and, in the opposite direction, the Julian Alps.

More street scenes:

A perfusion of locks on a pedestrian bridge

Handicrafts

These free little helper carts can be flagged down by anyone needing a lift. They’ll take you back to your hotel, to your next destination, wherever. 

The main square, named for Slovenian poet France Prešeren, whose statue stands in the middle. 

One span of the famous Triple Bridge. Originally built as a functional crossing in 1842, aforementioned architect Plecnik added a bridge on either side about 90 years later, along with plenty of lamps and stone balustrades. Stairs lead down from the end spans to a riverside terrace. 

So many balustrades!

The National and University Library was also designed by Plecnik. I loved this building, incorporating stones from around the country, but not everyone in our group did. 

The 1901 Dragon Bridge incorporates the symbol of Ljubljana into each corner, with four fierce dragons standing guard. Little dragons are at the base of the intermediate posts. According to local legend, the city’s history goes back beyond the Romans to the Greeks, as Jason and the Argonauts came here while looking for the Golden Fleece. And guess who Jason slayed?

Ljubljana is a lovely, delightful city. Maybe a good place for a base in Europe - as long as one doesn’t have to speak the language.  It has a singular case, a dual case, and more than two case. Each vowel has 27 different endings, depending upon number, tense, gender - too much for this old brain. 

So, early to bed after our farewell dinner. We’ll be up at 3:15 AM for our early airport departure, and hope to be home with 24 hours. We’ve learned a lot bout this fascinating and confusing part of the world, crisscrossing the countries and learning to our guides I hope things continue well for them.