English - Ljubljana

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Photo: R. Zakšek
Europe Day in Ljubljana
On 8 May, the eve of Europe Day, which coincides with a red letter
day in the history of Ljubljana, the Pogačarjev trg square will host
an annual event entitled “From Ljubljana to Europe – From Europe
to Ljubljana”. Well-known pieces of European classical music will
be masterfully performed in a free concert presented to Ljubljana
audiences as a musical gift from the City of Ljubljana and the
Representative Office of the European Commission in Ljubljana. This
year, Europe Day celebrations will be joined by the Government of
the Republic of Slovenia to mark the 60th anniversary of the Shuman
Declaration. www.ec.europa.eu
New Cultural Centre
Španski borci
The eastern part of Ljubljana now has a new
cultural centre called Španski borci, which runs a
programme of events in the fields of performing
and visual arts, music, literature and humanities,
including events for children and young people.
Being a meeting point for artists from Slovenia and
abroad and a platform for new art projects, it is a
welcome new addition to Ljubljana’s cultural life.
Emona – The Roman City of Ljubljana
Emona. A Roman colony. A city founded by Roman soldiers on the site of the present Ljubljana almost
precisely two millenniums ago. What was Emona like and how did its residents live Who was it built
and first inhabited by Which were the turning points in its history How were Emonians brought into
the world, how did they get married, where did they shop, what did they believe in, and what did their
homes look like Some of the answers to these questions can be found by simply taking a walk through
Ljubljana. Those who want to learn more can visit the exhibition Emona: Myth and Reality, on view at the
City Museum of Ljubljana from 18 May.
Emona Model
Photo: M. Paternoster
residential house’s central
heating system, among others.
The Roman conquest of
the greater Ljubljana area was
part of the conquest of the
Balkans during the time of
Emperor Augustus. The colony
Iulia Emona, established by
the Romans in the 1st century
on the site of the present city
centre of Ljubljana, was the first
proper city in central Slovenia.
In the middle of the 6th century,
after the decline of the Western
Roman Empire, Emona was
gradually abandoned and its
more than 500-year history
came to an end.
Like other Roman cities,
Emona was laid out according
to a regular rectangular ground
plan. It was surrounded by
mighty city walls including 29
towers and four main gates.
The walls, 2.4 metres wide and
from 6 to 8 metres high, had a
perimeter of nearly 2 kilometres.
The area inside the city
walls was dissected by a grid
of roads intersecting at a right
angle to form vast building
plots for residential purposes.
Sewer channels known as
cloacae, built alongside all the
city’s roads running from west
to east, discharged sewage
into the Ljubljanica river. The
city’s main square, the so called
forum, which was built at the
intersection of Emona’s two
main roads, provided space for
Emonians’ public social life.
Emona within the present
Ljubljana
Numerous remains of
the city of Emona can still
be found today if one takes
Archeological Park Early
Christian Palace of Worship
Photo: M. Paternoster
a walk through Ljubljana.
The city’s Mirje area is the
site of the southern part
of the Roman town walls,
renovated in the 1930 after
a design by the architect
Jože Plečnik. The statue of a
wealthy Emonian standing in
the Zvezda park is one of the
most recognizable symbols of
Ljubljana, next to the Ljubljana
Dragon. Reminiscences of
Emona’s forum can be found
in the Ferantov vrt residential
complex, located by the
Slovenska cesta road. Since the
1960s and 1970s, which saw
extensive excavations, Ljubljana
boasts two archaeological
parks, which display an early
Christian baptistery, a geometric
floor mosaic, and an Emonian
The life of Emonians
From 18 May 2010 to the end
of the year, the City Museum
of Ljubljana will be showing
an exhibition entitled Emona:
Myth and Reality. The exhibition,
accompanied by guided tours,
lectures, film screenings and
cooking workshops, will offer
an opportunity to experience
Emona mainly by exploring
the aspects of its everyday life.
Including interesting facts about
Roman times, comparisons with
life today, interactive displays,
and stories about the life of
Emonians, it will present both
quotidian reality and the key
turning points in the history of
the Roman city of Ljubljana.
www.mestnimuzej.si/en
Urša Karer