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Slovenia (cont.)
Continued from Page 47
and modern buildings; medieval squares; Baroque
churches and cathedrals; shops, cafés,
workplaces and restaurants on the banks of
the Ljubljanica River; and the bridges over
that river. One of these bridges is called
Butchers Bridge, and has oversized sculptures
at both ends and a row of “love padlocks” that
couples attach to steel wires along the sides
of the bridge. There is also a castle, topped by
a dragon and an outlook tower overlooking
the city; Urbanc House, the city’s first department
store, built in 1903; and one of Europe’s
first residential “skyscrapers,” the 13-story
Neboticnik built in 1933, which now houses
shops, offices and residences. The city has
many parks, sports facilities, museums, art
galleries, and a university with 23 faculties.
In sum, the city has something for everyone
in an attractive, congenial atmosphere.
To the south of Ljubljana is a marsh that
covers 163 square miles. Houses and other
buildings here are built on stilts to protect
them when the water periodically rises. One
such structure is St. Michael’s Church in Cma
48 GOING DUTCH
Vas, designed by the famous Slovenian architect
Joze Plecnik. The church is built of
wood and can only be entered by climbing
the stairs. Inside, the wooden walls are beautifully
decorated and enhanced by chandeliers
and the Stations of the Cross made of copper,
giving the room a softly glowing light and
feeling of calm and peace. The major part of
the marshland, which has great biodiversity
and has been the site of archeological discoveries
including the oldest wheel in the
world, is now a protected UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
Located in northeast Slovenia is the country’s
second most important city, Maribor,
which lies on the Dura River and dates back
to the 12th century. In the 15th century there
was a substantial Jewish population here with
a synagogue, Talmudic school and cemetery.
Through the ages, there were periods when
the Jews were forced to leave the country.
The most recent of these was in 1941 when
Germany invaded Yugoslavia, annexed part
of the country to the Third Reich and sent
any remaining Jews to concentration camps.
The synagogue survived the war and is not
only one of the oldest preserved temples in
Europe but also only one of two remaining
in Slovenia. Next to the synagogue is a statue
commemorating the Holocaust victims of
WWII. Because it was an industrial city with
an extensive armaments industry, Maribor
was heavily bombed and
damaged in WWII. Thus it
is surprising that there are
still remains to be seen of
medieval structures such as
the city walls and the castle.
Plans have been developed
to renovate the center of the
town, but for economic
reasons they are yet to be
realized.
One of the special sites
of Maribor is the 440-yearold
grapevine, the oldest in
the world according to the
Guinness World Records. Maribor was named
one of the European Cultural Capitals for
2012, and has been designated as the European
Youth Capital for 2013. It is also a sports
and recreation center, and has organized many
world-class sporting events. On our way back
to the capital we stopped off to visit one of
the country’s many pilgrimage churches with
its beautiful 15th century reliefs and brilliant
modern stained glass windows.
One of the highlights of our tour was a
visit to Lake Bled, a glacial body of deep blue
water with a small island, on the top of which
are perched a church and a castle. Special
boats piloted by single oarsmen deliver visitors
to the island. Once disembarked, the visitor
ascends a stairway of 99 steps up to
a terrace and then, after pausing to catch >> 51
NOVEMBER 2012 49