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Our capital city Ljubljana is located in the center of Slovenia, it lays in the Ljubljana basin, and is surrounded by the Kamnik Alps in the north and the Ljubljana marshlands in the south.
Living in Ljubljana, you can enjoy benefits from both a huge metropolis as well as a small town. Ljubljana is a middle sized city (about 280000inh.), and the biggest city in Slovenia. It was founded by the Romans and made an important port, lying at the banks of the river Ljubljanica. It was first named in 1144 under the German name Laibach and in 1146 under the Slovene name Luwigana.
It has been almost always been the capital of Slovenia except for the time of the first Slovene kingdom of Carantania (Karantanija), when the capital was in lower Carinthia and when the Andesch lords ruled out of Kamnik. Ljubljana spent 1200 years as the capital of either a region or a socialistic republic but never of an independent country. This changed in 1991, when Slovenia proclaimed independence from Yugoslavia and Ljubljana became the capital.
So what makes Ljubljana so great? Well, it is a beautiful city, there are many Baroque era buildings, including the cathedral of Sv. Nikolaj (St. Nicholas). There are many architectural masterpieces from the most famous Slovene architect Jože Pleènik, including the NUK (National Universitetical Library), Tromostovje (The Three Bridges), and Križanke. There is also a castle that watches over Ljubljana from the "Grajski griè" (Castle hill). Ljubljana was strongly influenced by various Italian cities, such as Rome and Vienna, though it has managed to keep its alpine charms. Ljubljana also has some of the biggest buildings in Europe, like an optical center, a huge shopping center, and a water park, which will be probably be finished later this year. Ljubljana also has a great traffic system, the airport is close and you can come to Ljubljana by highway, rail or bus.
The streets are full of life and many young people like to hang out in the bars along the riverside. Ljubljana has a philharmonic and a university with over 20, 000 students. During Yugoslavia’s rule, many students from the continents came to Ljubljana to study and many of them stayed.
My favourite times of the year in Ljubljana are summer and winter. The winters in Ljubljana are very special; each building in the center of the town has their lights up and there are many Christmas trees and everything is beautifully decorated, including the banks of Ljubljanica. In the summer, there are many concerts, plays, and festivals throughout the city. Ljubljana has a rich cultural program through most of the year, but the summer program is really intense!
A great way to see the city is by hot air balloon. Many start their journey at the Ljubljana marshlands, and fly over the capital. Another interesting way to see the capital is by boat tours on the Ljubljanica. You see all of the stunning bridges and many other waterfront sites. Yes, Ljubljana definitely is worth a visit!
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Comments
I Love Ljubljana! Zorica Vukovic | Aug 27th, 2004
This is nice article about nice city that is made for loving it - it's all said in its name (all who understand Slavic languages can easily catch the meaning of the city name. :)
Matija | Aug 27th, 2004
Ljubljena - Loved !!!!! for all those who don't understand slavic lang's! and thanx Zorica for liking the article! Ljubljana really is a great city!
ursh | Apr 7th, 2005
ljubljana is a really great city. beautifull and everything ... u must read this article!!!
AK | Jun 23rd, 2005
Lj is a fascinating place and I am extremely eager to visit. Thanks for the article, Matt!
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