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

4 whAt to see
National Gallery (Narodna
Galerija) B-2,
Prešernova 24, tel. (+386)
1241 54 18, www.ng-slo.
si. Inside Czech architect
František Edmund Škabrout’s
fabulous late 19th-century
neo-Renaissance masterpiece
with an additional mod-
LTB-archive
ern wing thrown on for good
measure, this above-average gallery features the very best in
Slovenian art from the 13th century up to the first half of the
20th century, including paintings by such notable artists as
Ivan Grohar (1867-1911), Richard Jakopič (1869-1943) and
Ivana Kobilca (1861-1926). The other permanent exhibition
in the building focuses on European painting, and includes
some really fine examples of the Renaissance-period Italian
painting through to the more modernist work of the early 20th
century. The gallery also contains a small gift shop, which has
several good books and postcards. QOpen 10:00 - 18:00.
Closed Mon. Admission €7/3.50.
National Museum (Narodni Muzej) A-2/3, Prešernova
20, tel. (+386) 1241 44 00, info@nms.si, www.narmuz-lj.si.
Found lurking inside another of the city’s fine, late
19th-century neo-Renaissance buildings complete with fine
painted ceilings and elaborate sculptures on the stairs, this
is the oldest museum in country, founded way back in 1841.
Permanent displays include an intriguing collection dedicated
to the Slovenians and the Slovenian language alongside the
usual bits and pieces of interest dug out of the ground, plus a
large ensemble of almost 200 examples of carved stonework
dating from Roman times excavated in the city and surrounding
regions. QOpen 10:00 - 18:00, Thu 10:00 - 20:00. Admission
€3/2.50, free first Sunday of the month.
Natural History Museum (Prirodoslovni Muzej)
A-3, Prešernova 20, tel. (+386) 1241 09 40, uprava@
pms-lj.si, www2.pms-lj.si. Attached to Ljubljana’s
National Museum, the Natural History Museum isn’t the
best in the world by a long way but it does offer an assortment
of oddities to beat the rainy blues away or to simply
keep the children amused for a while. Among the many
peculiar displays of shells, rocks and an almost complete
set of mammoth bones, the human fish is perhaps the
museum’s strangest display. Known so for its pinky human
flesh appearance, the little proteus anguinus is a
blind amphibian found exclusively in a relatively small area
including parts of Slovenia, Italy, Croatia and Herzegovina.
The gift shop features a handful of fun things for the kids
including small build-your-own dinosaur kits. QOpen 10:00
- 18:00, Thu 10:00 - 20:00. Admission €3/2.50, free first
Sunday of the month.
Plečnik House (Arhitekturni
Muzej, Plečnikova
zbirka) B-4, Karunova 4, tel.
(+386) 1280 16 00, pz@aml.
si, www.aml.si. The Slovenian
visionary architect Jože Plečnik
lived in this house from 1921 until
his death in 1957, making this brilliant
monument to the great man
and his work poignant for both its
immediate connection with him as
well as being the building in which
he did most of his work, much of it
LTB-archive on the actual building itself. Organised
into both a living recreation
of how and where Plečnik lived and a fascinating insight into
his often revolutionary ideas, exhibits include recreations of
Ljubljana In Your Pocket ljubljana.inyourpocket.com
everything from his kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and countless
examples of original drawings and models. The museum can
only be visited as part of a guided tour. Q Mon & Fri 10:00-
15:00, Tues, Wed & Thu 10:00-18:00, Sat 09:00-15:00, Sun
and holidays closed.There are only guided visits on the hour.
Up to 7 visitors at a time allowed. Last tour is one hour before
closing time. Admission €4/2.
Railway Museum (Železniški Muzej) B-1, Parmova
35, tel. (+386) 1291 26 41. Housed primarily in a
wonderful semicircular brick locomotive shed, the current
incarnation of this excellent museum dates from 2004
and offers an exceptional glimpse behind the history of
the technology, culture and people of the nation’s railway
heritage. In the shed find a chorusline of vast old steam
locomotives, the oldest dating from 1861, whilst another
building plays host to several rooms of signal equipment,
railway eccentricities, uniforms, a recreation of old station
master’s office and, up a wiggly spiral staircase, a small art
gallery featuring the railway-related paintings of one of the
museum’s former directors. Outside find even more exhibits
from rusting trains to a small scale model of a viaduct. This
highly recommended museum will keep boys of all ages occupied
for a pleasant hour or more. QOpen 10:00 - 18:00.
Closed Mon. Admission €3/2.
Slovene Ethnographic Museum (Etnografski
Muzej) D-2, Metelkova 2, tel. (+386) 1300 87 00,
etnomuz@etno-muzej.si, www.etno-muzej.si. The
impressive Ethnographic Museum’s aims are to the link
past and present, different cultures as well as nature
and civilisation in creative and imaginative ways through
the use of both exhibitions and workshops. Whatever
the exhibitions on display, whether about Slovenian folk
music, traditional horsehair sieves or any number of other
topics, the clever use of materials, interactive displays
and an excellent choice of English descriptions makes
this place an essential place to visit. Find the entrance in
the large square at the back of the building and be sure
to take a look at the huge black and white photographs
incorporated into the pillar designs in the main entrance
hall. QOpen 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Mon. Admission
€4.50/2.50 (adults/students).
Parks & Gardens
Botanical Gardens (Botanični Vrt) H-3, Ižanska 15,
tel. (+386) 1427 12 80, botanicni.vrt@siol.net, www.
botanicni-vrt.si. Nearly 200 years old, this garden is part of the
biology department of Ljubljana University and has 2 hectares of
protected landscape. Guided tours of groups over 15 people are
possible for a small fee and when booked 10 days in advance. Q
Open 07:00-19:00, Jul-Aug 07:00-20:00. Admission free.
Ljubljana Zoo (Živalski Vrt) G/H-2, Večna Pot 70, tel.
(+386) 1244 21 88, www.zoo.si. A large complex with a
good variety of native and foreign animals. An excellent day
out for the kids, and educative for parents too. Only a 20
minute walk from the city centre or a short ride on bus 23.
Guided night tours are available on Thursdays and Saturdays
from 21:00-23:00. Closes one hour earlier in September. QOpen
09:00 - 19:00. Admission: €6/4.50/3.55/1 for adults/
students/pre-schoolers/pets, free for children under 2.
Squares
Trg Republike (Republic Square) A/B-3. The political
centre of modern Slovenia, this square houses the brutalist
1960 parliament building, two equally delicate office towers
and the Cankarjev dom centre.
ljubljana.inyourpocket.com
whAt to see
Around Ljubljana
Otočec Castle Otočec 8222, tel. (+386) 73 84
86 00, fax (+386) 73 84 87 05, www.terme-krka.
si. Photogenically located on an island in the middle of
the river Krka , Otočec Castle dates back to at least
1252, when it first found its way into the anals of history
as a property of the Counts of Višnja Gora. Over the
next 700 years ownership passed through a mélange
of distinguished hands, including kings, noble families
and even the Catholic Church. The castle has seen many
architectural changes over the years, with minor alterations
going on well into the 19th century. However, it can
generally be said to have a Baroque style. After being
largely destroyed by the Partisans during the Second
World War, it has since been rebuilt and now serves as
a five-star luxury hotel owned and operated by the good
people at Terme Krka.
Postojna Cave (Postojnska Jama) Jamska
30, tel. (+386) 1700 01 00, fax (+386) 1700 01
30, info@turizem-kras.si, www.turizem-kras.
si. The largest cave in Europe, words on a page can
hardly do justice to the majesty of Postojna. So far,
more than 20 kilometres of galleries have been found,
of which barely a fraction are open to the public. All
the same, a visit here still takes up much of a morning
or an afternoon, as you make your way through
the most spectacular parts of the cave, at first by
a dinky little narrow-gauge train, and then on foot.
Formed over millions of years by the Pivka river, the
cave was discovered in the 17th century, though never
properly explored until the early 1800s. They opened
as a tourist attraction in 1819, with Franz I, Emperor of
Austria, among the first to visit. Bizarrely, so popular
did the caves become that electric lights were fitted
in 1884: some years before such technology was
first deployed in Ljubljana itself. Highlights of the cave
include the enormous stalactites and stalagmites,
and the quite sensational concert hall, which can (and
does) hold 10,000 people. The acoustics down here
are said to be sensational. Note that the temperature
of the cave is a chilly 10 degrees Centigrade, so bring
a jumper. The caves are also home to olms (or white
salamanders), a blind amphibian endemic to the subterranean
waters of caves of this part of Europe. The
olms can sometimes - though not always - be seen
in some of the pools of water as you make your way
around the cave. Though blind they are sensitive to
flash photography and if you do spot one you should
refrain from taking any photos. You will be well and
truly told off if you do. To get to Postojna, take any
train or bus from Ljubljana heading for the coast, and
jump off at Postojna.
Velika Planina Tel. (+386) 1832 72 58/(+386)
51 34 14 06, info@velikaplanina.si, www.velikaplanina.si/Home.
Rising 1666 metres into the Julian
Alps, the Velika Planina nature park is only a short drive
north of Ljubljana and makes a great day trip for outdoor
enthusiasts. While the rolling hills are criss-crossed
with hundreds of kilometres of scenic hiking trails and
mountain cycling paths, the most unique attraction has to
be a traditional dairy herdsmen’s settlement that is fullyfunctioning
and open to visitors from June to September.
A cable car will bear the burden of transporting you up the
mountain, and there’s even a handful of traditional dining
and accommodation options once your there.
December 2009 - January 2010