Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
When Ljubljana was hit by an earthquake in 1895, locals took the opportunity (using
an ample rebuilding fund from the Austro-Hungarian Empire) to remake their city in style.
Today Ljubljana—especially the streets around this square—is an architecture-lover's para-
dise. The
Hauptmann House,
to the right of Julija, was the only building on the square to
survive the quake. A few years later, the owner redecorated it in the then-trendy Viennese
Art Nouveau style you see today, using bright colors (since his family sold dyes). All that
remains of the original structure is the little Baroque balcony above the entrance.
JusttotherightoftheHauptmannHouseisacar-sized
model
ofthecitycenter—helpful
for orientation. The street next to it (with the McDonald's) is
Č
opova,
once the route of
Ljubljana's Sunday promenade. A century ago, locals would put on their Sunday best and
strollfromheretoTivoliPark,listeningtomusiciansanddroppingintocafésalongtheway.
Ple
č
nik called it the “lifeline of the city,” connecting the green lungs of the park to this urb-
ancenter.Throughthe20thcentury,thisroutebecamelesspedestrian-friendly,asSlovenska
cesta and railroad tracks were both laid across it. Things are getting better with the closure
ofSlovenska toall traffic except buses, butLjubljana'sbest evening
paseo
thrives along the
river from the Triple Bridge all the way up the river.
Continuelookingtotheright,pastthebig,pinklandmarkFranciscanChurchofSt.Mary.
The characteristic glass awning marks
Galerija Emporium
—the first big post-quake de-
partment store, today government-protected. At the top of the building is Mercury, god of
