Mega Center, Savska cesta 34, Kranj - Format'Age

2 whAt to see
Holy Trinity Church
(Cerkev svete trojice)
B-3, Slovenska 21, tel.
(+386) 1252 48 64. Constructed
to a design by
Carlo Marinuzzi between
1718 and 1726 from a
commission by local merchant
Jakob Schell von
Schellenburg, and with all
the usual additions over
the centuries, this imposing
Baroque marvel dominates
D.Silpa the area it’s located in not
least for its unusual, gabled rooftop façade. Part church and
part monastery, the former’s interior is somewhat restrained,
its main outstanding feature being a Francesco Robba altar,
carved from African marble around 1740. The main steps date
from the 1930s and are the work of our old friend Plečnik.
Orthodox Church (Pravoslavna Cerkev) A-2,
Prešernova, tel. (+386) 1252 40 02. Built alongside the
southwestern perimeter of Tivoli Park in 1936 to serve the
city’s Serbian community, this wholly unremarkable church
complete with all the usual ostentatious details, is worth
visiting during services, daily at 10:00.
St Peter (Cerkev Sv. Petra) D-2/3, Trubarjeva 80, tel.
(+386) 1231 79 65. The heritage of the Roman Catholic
St Peter’s Church goes back long before this building was
completed in 1733, with a number of churches standing on
this spot for some 500 years before Giovanni Fusconi’s superb
Baroque designs were realised. Inspired by the great churches
of Venice, much has been changed over the centuries, including
Neoclassical additions following the 1895 earthquake and the
construction of a new façade, complete with interesting fish
details over the doors between 1938 and 1940 by the local
architect Ivan Vurnik. Many changes have been made inside as
well, including much work by Vurnik’s wife, Helena. Points of particular
interest include Franc Jelovšek’s magnificent frescoes
and several altar paintings by Valentin Metzinger.
Synagogue (Sinagoga) A-3, Tržaška 2. Inside the headquarters
of the Jewish Community of Slovenia, the small synagogue
was the last synagogue to open in a European capital city
and dates from 2003. The city has no rabbi; the chief Rabbi for
Slovenia is Mr Ariel Haddad, who is based in Trieste, Italy.
Tours
Almost every hotel in the city offers guided tours of one
sort or another. Some are good, others just a way of making
money. You should be able to spot the scams without
too much difficulty. The Tourist Information Centre also offers
several walking tours of the city, and can even, if you
give them plenty of warning, organise an original one just
for you. The Jewish Community of Slovenia (see Jewish
Ljubljana) is the best place to contact for all Jewish-related
tours of the city and Slovenia in general.
Digital Tour Guide C-3, tel. (+386) 1306 12 15,
tr.im/digital_tours Let your headseat tour guides Ben and
Mandy take you on a two-hour trip past Ljubljana’s highlights.
Or switch to their German friends Anna and Thomas, or the
Italian duo Paulo and Oriana. With the mp4 digital tour guide
player and map in hand, you’ll have explanations about the
city’s history and sights, and can see pictures too. Rent the
player at TIC (Adamič-Lundrovo 2) and STIC (Krekov trg 10).
Q Player rental (5 hours) and map €10 (ID and €10 deposit
required).
Ljubljana Night & Day Tel. (+386) 51 893 805,
ljubljanabynight@gmail.com. Let pretty English speaking
guides take you and your mates on an insider’s tour of Ljubljana’s
best bars and clubs. Catering to groups of 5-20 people,
pick any Friday or Saturday night for this experience, or go
for daylight activities such as the adrenaline park, paintball,
karting and excursions.
Tourist Train (Turistični Vlakec) B-3, Stritarjeva.
Spare yourself the slog up the hill by taking the tourist train
ride up to the castle. Q Departs regularly between 10:00
- 18:00. Return ticket €2-3.
Monuments
France Prešeren B-3. Slovenia’s national poet France
Prešeren (1800-1849) stands in the square named in his
honour at the foot of the Triple Bridge. As well as offering an
interesting visual treat, the monument also serves as a focal
point for people meeting in the city. Erected in 1905, the
large monolith is the work of the architect Maks Fabiani and
sculptor Ivan Zajc and features the Muse of poetry holding a
small laurel of bay leaves over his head as well as extracts
from his writing around the base.
Puppet Theatre Clock C-3, Krekov Trg 2. Every hour
between 08:00 and 20:00, puppets pop out of the clock at
the top of the Ljubljana Puppet Theater building, accompanied
by music. First, Kobilica the horse shows up, followed by
Krpan, carrying a knife; when he raises it, the horse hurries
back inside with Krpan in persuit - a scene taken from the
puppet show that opened then new theatre in 1984. Krpan
has been chasing Kobilica around the clock and delighting
children since 1992.
Robbov Vodnjak (Robba Fountain) B-3, Mestni Trg.
One of the most famous landmarks in the city, this lovely
1751 fountain is named after its creator, the Italian Baroque
sculptor Francesco Robba (1698-1757), and is also known
as The Fountain of Three Carniolan Rivers. It was the last
of Robba’s Ljubljana creations. The eight years it took him
to complete it essentially bankrupted the man, and he
finally left the city for Zagreb. Based loosely on the grand
fountains of Rome, the artist’s masterpiece features three
river gods, supposedly representing the Krka, Ljubljanica
and Sava rivers.
One of the best ways to see the sights U. Hocevar
Ljubljana In Your Pocket ljubljana.inyourpocket.com
Museums & Galleries
Brewery Museum (Pivovarski Muzej) B-1,
Pivovarniška 2, tel. (+386) 1471 73 40, pivovarski.
muzej@pivo-union.si, www.pivo-union.si. The Union
Brewery has been providing quality beer to the masses for
almost 150 years. The brewery’s museum, inside the same
building that they make the stuff in the attic of the company’s
former malt house, provides an intriguing insight into the history
and development of beer-making in Slovenia with the aid
of all manner of exhibits from life-size recreations to some of
the beautiful old machinery that helped launch a thousand
drunken nights. Visits need to be booked in advance, and
include a tour of the current brewery, the screening of a
short film, and of course the chance to sample some of the
products. Q Open 08:00-13:00 on every first Tuesday of the
month. Admission free.
City Museum (Mestni Muzej Ljubljana) B-3, Gosposka
15, tel. (+386) 1241 25 00, info@mm-lj.si, www.
mm-lj.si. A magnificent museum run by a team of historians
who know how to show people a good time, showcasing
Ljubljana in all its good and bad colours throughout history.
Featuring both permanent and temporary exhibitions, this
is the best place in town for a crash-course in city history.
Find scale models of unfulfilled Plečnik creations, elaborate
costumes, old photographs and much more besides. QOpen
10:00 - 18:00. Closed Mon. Admission €4/2,50. English-language
guided tours Sun at 13:00.
Contemporary History
Museum (Muzej
Novejše Zgodovine)
A-1, Celovška 23, tel.
(+386) 13 00 96 10,
w w w.muzej-nz.si. I f
you needed a reason
to visit Tivoli Park, it’s
here. This fascinating
museum inside a wonder-
Matthew Armstrong
ful 18th-century mansion
presents the history of
Slovenia from the period around the start of WWI until independence
in 1991. Using a combination of well-presented
exhibits including old photographs, clothing and household
items the museum charts the often wobbly path of the nation
through and between the two world wars and the difficult
and truly fascinating post-war communist years. Q Open
Tues - Sun 10:00-18:00, Thur 10:00-20:00. Closed Mon.
Admission €7/3.50.
International Centre
of Graphic Arts
(Mednarodni Grafični
Likovni Center) A-
2, Pod Turnom 3, tel.
(+386) 1241 38 00,
www.mglc-lj.si. Located
inside the gorgeous 17thcentury
Tivoli Mansion,
this must-see attraction
for anyone with even a
Nena
passing interesting in the
visual arts contains a staggering 4 000 prints and over 4000
artist’s books and other printed ephemera, mostly from the
second half of the 20th century onwards and including the
work of many of the great masters of European graphic arts.
QOpen 11:00 - 18:00. Closed Mon. Open Monday to Friday
09:00-14:00, closed Sat-Sun & holidays. Admission €3.40/1.70.
During the Biennial €6/3.
ljubljana.inyourpocket.com
Ljubljana Card
whAt to see
Ljubljana Castle
Ljubljana Castle (Ljubljanski
Grad) C-3, Grajska Planota
1, tel. (+386) 12 32 99 94,
info@ljubljanafestival.si, www.
ljubljanafestival.si. Perched
on top of Castle Hill (Grajska
Planota) and dominating the city
skyline to the south, Ljubljana’s
magnificent castle stands on the
site of several former defensive buildings in a hilly area of
land stretching away to the south of the old town. The
current ensemble of buildings originates from necessary
16th-century reconstruction work following the earthquake
of 1511, with several later additions. Not unlike Kraków’s
Wawel Castle in Poland, Ljubljana Castle has served as
both a royal residence and a military barracks over the
centuries. The current main points of interest for the visitor
are both located inside the Outlook Tower (Razgledni
Stolp), built in the 19th century and raised a further 1.2m
by the communists in 1982. The tower’s Virtual Museum
screens a 20-minute film in 3D, viewed with the aid of
special glasses and a headset for an English translation,
showing an interesting and informative history of the
castle. On the same floor find a small door that takes you
to the top of the tower up some 100 red cast-iron steps,
each individually decorated with an image of the tower
and the city’s dragon. A door at the top leads to a small
viewing platform (not for the faint hearted) with wonderful
views of the city. Underneath the tower and located down
a small flight of stairs tucked away through a doorway in
the corner of the courtyard is the diminutive St George’s
Chapel (Kapela sv Jurija). Originally Gothic and remodelled
in the Baroque style, the chapel is interesting for its 15thcentury
wall paintings and not a lot more. The castle also
has a small art gallery featuring temporary exhibitions,
a café, souvenir shop and a branch of the city’s Puppet
Museum. It’s also a popular place for local weddings, and
during the summer puts on concerts and, in July, hosts a
popular outdoor cinema. To reach it, several small paths
lead up from the old town, or take the funicular next to the
Puppet Theatre. Q Winter Hours:
Castle & Café
10:00-21:00 daily
Viewing Tower & Virtual Museum
10:00-18:00 daily
Funicular Railway
10:00-21:00 daily
Viewing Tower & Virtual Museum
€3.50 for adults
€2.00 for secondary students, university students,
seniors and groups (over 15 people)
Castle tours
€5.00 for adults
€3.50 for secondary students, university students and
seniors.
The Ljubljana Card offers reductions
of up to 35% on admission fees, taxi
rides, shop prices, car rental and other
expenses. The card is valid for 72 hours
and costs €12.52. Find it for sale at all
tourist information centres and at various hotels, businesses
and shops, or order it at www.ljubljanacard.com.
December 2009 - January 2010
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