Slovenia in transit. Acquaintance.
Recently, Polina told us about Slovakia, which is confused with Slovenia. I want to tell you about Slovenia, which is confused with Slovakia : )
And we will begin our acquaintance with Slovenia by visiting its capital, the amazing small town of Ljubljana. Isn't it true, the name of the city speaks for itself. So we will see something filled with love, tender and warm. . . Yes, in this amazing town with a very rich history, both antiquity and modern buildings and customs are incredibly harmoniously combined. The European luxury of the city is closely intertwined with the fragile and luxurious history of antiquity: castles, narrow streets, romance of times and souls - this is all Ljubljana. No wonder it is called "Prague in miniature". Ljubljana owes much of its current appearance to the famous Slovenian architect Jož e Pleč nik, who also built Vienna and Prague. He is also the author of the magnificent architectural ensemble Congress Square.
Congress Square didn't just happen. The Napoleonic Wars were over, and on this occasion, the congress of the Holy Alliance was to be held, which was planned to be held in Ljubljana. We looked around, but the squares were tiny, and now Jož e Pleč nik was ordered to build a large square where the entire congress would be located. Therefore, Congress Square is the largest square in Ljubljana. For reference: under the square there is a large parking lot where you can leave your car and therefore it is most convenient to start exploring the city from here.
Right in front of the square, our attention is drawn to the sloping roof with baroque decor. This is the Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity, which is an old Catholic church. The altar of the temple was built by the famous Italian Francesco Robba, and the building itself was also built by the no less famous Italian Carlo Martinuzzi. The church is beautiful and is one of the famous sights of the city.
In general, what the Italians had a hand in is always beautiful. You know, baroque is perhaps the main architectural style of the city, at least it seemed to us so.
On the right side of the square is the building of one of the largest universities in Europe - University of Ljubljana.
It was built in the Neo-Renaissance style as the Ducal Palace, and in 1919 a university was founded here. I would like to study in such a place. It is thanks to the university that there are a lot of young people and a lively atmosphere in Ljubljana. Education in Slovenia is free (of course, for those who want to study). True, a slightly different approach to passing exams. If you do not pass the exam three times in a row, you are given six months to master the material and only then, you have the right to take the exam again. You didn’t pass again, prepare for another six months, and only if you haven’t mastered the program for three years, then you are expelled.
Let's see the city center. The heart of the city is the Central Preš eren Square, located on the banks of the Ljubljanica River. This square is the most beautiful in Ljubljana, although it is very small.
But Ljubljana itself is tiny compared to other European capitals familiar to us. The square is named after the poet Franz Preš eren. The monument to Preš eren was also erected here.
Pay attention to what crowns this monument. The poet, of course, had his own muse, and the sculptor crowned the monument to the poet with this half-naked muse. The whole comedy of the situation lies in the fact that immediately behind the monument is the Mayer Palace, which once housed the episcopal residence. And of course, the Bishop of Ljubljana was terribly indignant, but the townspeople liked the sculpture, and in order to soften the anger of the church a little, they planted two birch trees, and this is how they grow to this day. The poet himself looks at the window of the house in which his beloved Julia lived. And at the monument all lovers meet.
Surrounding the square are very nice mansions. For example, this narrow house with intricate ornamentation and a cut corner is called the Hauptmann house.
Here on the square is the largest and most beautiful church in the Slovenian capital - the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation. It was built by monks from the Augustinian order in 1660.
The so-called Triple Bridge connects Preš eren Square with the Old Town, and the place itself is called Tromostovie.
So what? We cross to the other side of the Ljubljanica River and walk along it, admiring the nature.
You can take a boat ride
You can take the bus
We reach the City Hall, but not to look at it. In this place, we are exclusively interested in the fountain of the very famous Francesco Robb, called “The Fountain of the Three Carniol Rivers”.
By the way, stylistically it resembles the fountains that adorn the squares of Rome and is a stele surrounded by statues of three water gods. The gods personify the three rivers of Slovenia - Krka, Sava and Ljubljanica. The base of the fountain is made in the shape of a shamrock - the old city seal of Ljubljana.
Almost all his life, a Venetian by origin, Francesco Robba lived in Ljubljana, which he loved very much, and the rivers and bridges reminded him of his native Venice. This beautiful fountain is the last work of the sculptor. But unfortunately it is a copy. The original is in the National Gallery of Ljubljana.
There are many cafes around, and you can sit down in one of them, since it is a weekday and there are few townspeople on the streets.
What we do. Moreover, we saw the most promoted tourist catering facility - the Sokol restaurant.
There was no particular hunger, but it’s somehow disrespectful to bypass the restaurant with your attention, so we sit down and order the Gibanitsa specialty dessert and coffee-cream. The presentation is amazing, the taste is amazing!
A little further away is Vodnik Square, on which there is another building of religion and culture of architecture of the 18th century - Saint Nicholas Cathedral.
Very interesting side entrance to the Cathedral
Here, on Vodnik Square, there is a city market
Such colorful dishes are sold here
The assortment of the market is nothing special
Having enjoyed dessert and enriched ourselves culturally, we continue the planned route. The plan is this: be sure to climb Castle Hill, where the famous Ljubljana Castle is located.
There are two ways to choose - either on foot up the hill or on the lift. Question price? That, only 2 euros, of course, we will ride. We reach Krekov Square
where the funicular takes us up.
Wow! It offers a breathtaking view of the city and the Alps.
Admiring the landscape
The castle seems to be small, but interesting in its own way (it reminded me of our castle in Transcarpathia, St. Miklos)
We go into the courtyard.
We decided to go down from the Castle through the forest along the path on foot. Everything would be fine, and the views are stunningly beautiful, but mosquitoes attacked from all sides and ate all my unprotected and protected places (therefore, advice to travelers - throw a small bottle of repellent into your purse).
I didn't even think that little Ljubljana had so many great virtues.
Firstly, this is a very green city and my obligatory part of the program includes a visit to the largest and most picturesque park - Tivoli Park (already one similarity with the Italian Tivoli near Rome will not let me pass by). Let's go for a walk in the park. The road to Tivoli leads us past the Opera Theatre, a bit reminiscent of the Odessa Opera House.
Only here, for some reason, a black modern box of an additional building was glued to the old facade, which greatly disfigures the facade of the theater.
Oh! Here is the National Gallery, where the original Robb Fountain is kept.
It seems that the city ended and the suburb began with houses surrounded by greenery. Here it is Tivoli Park - solid charm, solid forest
Walk, I don't want
The palace is highlighted on the map, well, let's look.
We find and... a little disappointment. Palace bears little resemblance to a palace in its usual sense. It is small, sort of in the Baroque style, but very modest.
And the palace is not guarded by traditional lions, but who do you think? Wolves! This is the first time I see such guards in the palace.
Be sure to climb the palace terrace. It is somewhat raised above the ground and offers a magnificent view of the whole of Ljubljana, and even the Ljubljana Castle is visible.
Then we went to look for a lake with water lilies, instead of a lake we find some historical monuments
I didn’t want to leave the park - I could hear the birds singing, cicadas chirping somewhere, nature lived and inspired. But nature is nature, and lunch is on schedule, rather even dinner. We returned to the city and found a small eatery with the colorful name "Klobasarnya".
The cafe is tiny, but the famous Krań sk sausages can only be tasted here. We order a simple lunch, the boy waiter cuts sausages
pouring refosko wine
and voila - lunch is ready!
Everything was delicious and relatively inexpensive. Recommend. Of course, this is not a restaurant, but we liked it, especially the price : )
We walk and say goodbye to Ljubljana, it's already evening, and we don't have an overnight stay in Slovenia, we spend the night in Treviso, which we still need to get to.
As a souvenir, fruit vodka "Pleterskaya pear" is recommended (such a pot-bellied bottle with a whole pear inside). I wanted to buy it, but the price in the supermarket was 27 euros and I immediately got sick of vodka. In general, we did not acquire anything in Slovenia and went to conquer Italy.
