Walk down the cobbled streets of Ljubljana Old Town, nestled between the river and the hilltop castle. The historical center features local designer shops, cafe’s, and restaurants. You’ll find a farmer’s market, several historical bridges, and the only row of 19th century buildings that survived the 1895 earthquake. The charming narrow lanes lead to two squares.

The city square with the city hall and a copy of the 18th-century “three rivers” fountain, and the upper square. Taste local specialties, enjoy watching street artists, and take in the architectural details, such as wall carvings, sculptural decoration. Or elaborate metalwork on fences and balustrades. The nearby castle and tower provide panoramic views of the city.

The central one of the three bridges forming the Triple Bridge stood in its place since 1842 when it replaced an old, important medieval wooden bridge connecting the north-western European lands with south-eastern Europe and the Balkans.

Between 1929 and 1932, the side bridges, intended for pedestrians, were added to the original stone bridge. They architect removed the metal railings from the old stone bridge and gave the bridges massive stone balustrades and lamps.

From each of the side bridges, two stairways lead to terraces above the river, where poplar trees contribute to the appearance of the Bridge.

On the right bank of the river, the Bridge has a small flower shop connected to the Ljubljana Central Market colonnade, and on the left bank it has a kiosk. It has a key place on the crossing of two urban axes, the river axis and the axis running between the Rožnik and castle hills. In 1992, the Triple Bridge was thoroughly renovated.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Prešeren Square is not only the center of Ljubljana but also the spiritual centre of the Slovene nation. It’s the city’s meeting point. The square is part of the old town’s pedestrian zone and a major meeting point, where festivals, Ljubljana carnival, concerts, sports, political, and protest events take place.

At the eastern side of the square, a bronze statue of the Slovene national poet France Prešeren with a mouse emerged in front of the Central Pharmacy. One of his poem, “A Toast” (“Zdravljica”) became the national anthem.

The poet’s statue faces the statue of Julija Primic, his great love, mounted on the facade of a building located across the square, in the Wolfova Ulica. From the square, you can walk up or down the river on either side.

You have many café’s and restaurants downriver, with outdoor seating in summer. There’s the Town Hall square (Mestni trg), the open air market and St Nicholas Cathedral 50 meters away. The castle is up above you.

The massive dragon sits on the bridge with his smaller companions, watching over it. Hardly a tourist leaves the city without having been photographed with it.

Smaller versions of the dragon are available in every shape and color in the souvenir shops. The steel bridge was designed in Vienna, considered a masterpiece of the architecture of the time.

Construction of the bridge started in June 1900.

Tivoli Park is the largest park in Ljubljana. It’s on the northern outskirts of the Center District, stretching to the Šiška District to the north, the Vič District to the south, and the Rožnik District to the west.

Several notable buildings and art works stand in the park. The park has many walking trails, floral arrangements, fountains, and statues. The park was then supplemented with various sports and relaxation facilities.

The city built a pond, botanical garden, greenhouse, playground, swimming pool, a sports hall, and a covered swimming pool with fitness centre. Besides, the park has also tennis, basketball, roller skating and mini golf. Later they added a covered swimming pool with a gym and a bowling alley.

In the park, there are two important objects: Cekin Mansion and Tivoli Castle. Tivoli Castle is a mansion built in the 17th century. In 1864, the Austrian sculptor Anton Dominik Fernkorn created four cast iron dogs, still on display in Tivoli Park in front of the Tivoli Castle. The Cekin Mansion (Cekinov grad) is a mansion on the northern edge of Tivoli Park in Ljubljana. It houses the Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia.

The Railway Museum is in a former boiler room at Parmova 35. It  started to emerge in the 1960’s and developed into a small but well laid-out and complete museum. The central building is a rotunda and presents some of the steam engines and other museum vehicles of the collection.

A permanent exhibition of other key sciences needed for a railway to operate is in the nearby ancillary building of the rotunda. In the first room, one can experience the atmosphere in stationmaster’s office at a small railway station in the last years of the Austria – Hungary monarchy. It’s equipped with everything needed for traffic management and ticket sales.

The second room has nine types of railway tracks from various periods and railway administrations. It reflects the various rulers on the Slovenian territory. Small railway vehicles with trolleys standing on them were once used by line supervisors and maintainers. Manual tools and aids bear witness to how difficult maintenance used to be. Seven maps from different periods present the railway network’s development in Slovenia, along which old railway boundary stones remind us of the past.

Message transmission

One museum room shows the basic devices for message transmission, like telegraphs, telephones and tele-printers, as well as apparatuses of higher levels like short-wave and FM radio stations, devices for registration of telephone conversations, station public address systems, as well as system of railway clocks.

Railway uniforms have a special space, the “garment of honour”, as designed over time. Here, certain work equipment of railway workers is also gathered. These include the especially charming manual railway lanterns.

In the area of signalling and safety devices, the museum has a representative collection of mechanical and dynamic block devices. Both date back to the oldest and more recent history. There are the most common devices as well as curiosities and unique pieces. A small art gallery presents visitors with works of art dedicated to the railway.

The Ljubljana Cathedral (Church of St. Nicholas) is the city’s main church and towers over Pogačarjev trg in the historic Old Town. Despite a history dating back to the 13th century, the present day cathedral has an 18th century design. It’s an elegant Baroque structure, featuring twin towers and an enormous central dome.

It’s the opulent interiors that draw the most attention. An expanse of pink marble, white stucco and gilt, decorated by many of the city’s most prominent artists.

Highlights include the Baroque-style frescoes by artists Giulio Quaglio and Matevž Langus; a pair of bronze walls erected in honour of the late Pope John Paul II and the magnificent carvings decorating the choir stalls, organ and altar.

The University of Ljubljana is the oldest and largest higher education and scientific research institution in Slovenia. The university, with its rich tradition, is from 1919. It has more than 40.000 students and employs and about 5.600 higher education teachers, researchers, assistants and administrative staff in 23 faculties and three arts academies.

The central building, all three academies and faculties are in the centre. Some of the most recent buildings emerged on the outskirts of Ljubljana, giving the university and its students a ubiquitous presence in the city.

The University of Ljubljana is known for its quality social and natural sciences and technical study programmes, structured according the Bologna Declaration. Our projects keep pace with the latest developments in the areas of arts, sciences and technology at home and abroad.

The alternative and nightlife-loving crowds cross paths at Metelkova Mesto, a former squat in an old army barracks that’s grown into a massive cultural centre and entertainment venue.
Stop by if you like DJs, LGBT club events, stage shows, art exhibits, and headquarters covered head to toe in graffiti.

Fans of performance art and re-purposed spaces will also enjoy Stara Elektrarna, or the Old Power Station, a venue located in a former power plant that stages plays, dance productions, concerts, and eclectic one-off events throughout the year.