Ljubljana - Slovenia - page 86

LJUBLJANA'S DRAGONS
Ljubljana's town hall is topped with a golden dragon, a symbol of Ljubljana, but not an ancient one as many
people assume. Just before the turn of the 20th century a wily mayor named Ivan Hribar apparently persuaded the
authorities in Vienna that Ljubljana needed a new crossing over the Ljubljanica, and he submitted plans for a 'Ju-
bilee Bridge' to mark 50 years of the reign of Franz Joseph. The result was the much-loved Dragon Bridge
Offline map Google map (Zmajski Most) that stands north of Mestni trg, just beyond Vodnikov trg. City folk,
both male and female, joke that the winged bronze dragons supposedly wag their tails whenever a virgin crosses
the bridge, which is usually followed up with a smile and observation that they've never seen it happen.
STARI TRG
The 'Old Square' is the true heart of the Old Town. It is lined with 19th-century wooden
shopfronts, quiet courtyards and cobblestone passageways. From behind the medieval
houses on the eastern side, paths once led to Castle Hill, which was a source of water. The
buildings fronting the river had large passageways built to allow drainage in case of flood-
ing.
Where No 2 is today, a prison called Tranča ( Offline map Google map ) stood until the
18th century, and those condemned to death were executed at a spot nearby. The great
polymath Janez Vajkard Valvasor was born at No 4, now called the Valvasor House (
Offline map Google map ) , in 1641.
A small street to the north called Pod Trančo ('Below Tranča') leads to Cobbler
Bridge (Čevljarski Most). During the Middle Ages this was a place of trade, and a tolled
gateway led to the town. Craftsmen worked and lived on bridges (in this case 16 shoe-
makers) to catch the traffic and avoid paying town taxes - a medieval version of duty-free.
Between Stari trg Nos 11 and 15 - the house that should bear the number 13 - there's a
lovely rococo building called Schweiger House ( Offline map Google map ) with a large At-
las supporting the upper balcony. The figure has his finger raised to his lips as if asking
passers-by to be quiet (the owner's name means 'Silent One' in German). In this part of
the world, bordellos were traditionally located at house No 13 of a street, and he probably
got quite a few unsolicited calls.