Slavania ljubljana9/19/2023 ![]() The building’s façade was designed in the neo-Renaissance style with rounded corners characteristic of theatre buildings of the time. As a result of a competitive tender, the Graz-based Austrian architect Adolf Wagner was commissioned to develop the plans for the Slovenian Philharmonic Building. The Slovenian Philharmonic Building was constructed in 1891 on the foundations of the former Estate Theatre (Stanovsko gledališče), built in 1763 to mark Emperor Joseph II’s formal visit to Ljubljana and destroyed in a fire in 1887. Its rich history dates back to 1701 when the first musical association and main promoter of Baroque music in Slovenian inhabited areas were established under the name of Academia Philharmonicorum. The Slovenian Philharmonic (Slovenska filharmonija) is one of the world’s oldest institutions of its kind. Image © Philipp HeerĪrchitect: Adolf Wagner and Jože Plečnik (annex) Save this picture! Slovenian Philharmonic Building. The geometric decoration is executed in red, white, and blue, the color combination of the Slovenian flag, featuring motifs from the wealth of Slovenian iconography: a stylized landscape of spruce forests, wheat fields, and vines, and the motive of women in the Slovenian national costume. The painted hall and façade are the work of the architect’s wife Helena Vurnik, a Viennese by birth, who was involved in her husband’s exploration and creation of typical Slovenian architecture. Stained glass windows depicting geometric patterns decorate also the staircase hall on the first two floors. The interior includes a Baroque-painted hall with a glass ceiling, consisting of small blue glass squares, with a decorative strip of glass pieces of different colors. It was designed by architect Ivan Vurnik in 1921 and is considered one of the finest examples of national style. The Cooperative Commercial Bank in Miklošičeva street is one of Ljubljana’s landmark buildings. Location: Zadružna Gospodarska Banka, Miklošičeva cesta, 1000 Ljubljana ( Google) Don’t miss the handles of the main door, they end with a little head of Pegasus. The staircase and its 32 columns are built of dark Podpeč marble, which is actually limestone. This symbolizes the central thought of the building’s architecture, ‘From the twilight of ignorance to the light of knowledge and enlightenment’. Light comes to the main entrance through windows in the main reading room, which is at the top of the main staircase, oriented crosswise. The interior comprises four wings and a central hallway. It was modeled in the manner of the Italian palazzo, similar to the house of the Italian architect Federico Zuccari. Image © WikipediaĪmongst the cobbled streets around the university area of Ljubljana, you’ll find the imposing walls of the National and University Library of Slovenia: A gem of a building bequeathed to the city by Jože Plečnik. Save this picture! National and University Library of Slovenia (NUK). Please find the map containing all locations at the end of this article. Some people can cover Ljubljana on a weekend, but to the architecture lover, it might be impossible. It’s when we visit in person that we are able to truly feel these places and understand these layers. Its contemporary vestiges might have aged, but their meaning hasn’t – think of the Republic Square or Brutalist petrol stations. ![]() Its beginnings as a Roman city are still visible (a wall, the world’s oldest wooden wheel, and the roads in and out of the city to name a few). Ljubljana is a city that has many layers. And of course, abundant greenery (Ljubljana is Slovenia’s – and now Europe’s – green capital) and food. ![]() From classical Baroque and Habsburg-inspired architecture to delightful Art Nouveau façades and interiors. From richly painted churches to sobering Brutalism. This small capital city (less than 300,000 inhabitants) is perhaps surprisingly big in terms of architecture, and the variety of its built history makes it a mandatory stop in your architectural journey. ![]()
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