East Bank of the Ljubljanica River (Right Bank)

At the south end of the Old Town, there are two churches near each other.  The larger of the two is the is the Cerkev Sv. Jakoba, which is dedicated to Saint James.  There was a Mass occurring so I wasn't able to enter the building.  There is a column outside that commemorates the 1664 victory over the Turks at Monoštar, which is now Szentgotthárd, Hungary.  The statue was crafted by Janez Vajkard Valvasor to contain the Virgin Mary and three saints.  The second church is the Cerkev Sv. Florijana, dedicated to Saint Florian - the patron saint of fires (he extinguishes, not sets, them).  The original church was built in 1672, but ironically, burnt in 1774.  The current look is courtesy of architect-extraordinaire Jože Plečnik.  He moved the Robba statue of Saint John Nepomuk from the interior to an alcove outside the church.  The statue's lower half shows the saint being dunked into the river.  Born in 1393, this martyr and patron saint of Bohemia was drown in the Moldau for disagreeing with his king on converting an abbey into a cathedral.  I found that his image is used in several places in Slovenia and Croatia.

The surrounding area has a number of houses, including those inhabited by artisans in earlier centuries.  There are quiet little courtyards behind the houses that offer a glimpse into the artisan history of the neighborhood.  This area ends at Levstikov trg, which is home to the Hercules Fountain.  The statue that resides in the square currently is a copy; the 17^th c. CE original now resides up the street in the town hall.  Cafés surround this square; most of the cafés were quiet as it was early on a Sunday morning.

Just up from this square is a pathway that leads to the Ljubljanski Grad, the castle that overlooks the city.  Designed by Jože Plečnik, this pathway is divided into four sections:

• a narrow alleyway that leads from the main street,
• a 147-step stairway that passes through a residential neighborhood,
• a fairly steep walkway that passes through a forested area, and
• a 42-step stairway to the castle's car park.

To know and appreciate the history of Ljubljana is understand the castle, as it is the crown jewel of the city.  It is believed that some type of fortification has existed here since the Celts inhabited the area in the 4^th c. BCE; this has been shown through archaeological excavations of urns characteristic of Celtic society.  When the Carinthian Dukes of Spanheim arrived in the 11^th c. CE, they began construction of a castle on the top of the hill.  Much of this early construction was destroyed in the 1511 earthquake, so little is known about their fortress on the hill.  

The fortress built after the earthquake is represented in the modern structure.  The castle fell into a state of disrepair in the 19^th c. CE and became a prison in 1814.  Unfortunately, many of the original frescoes and decorations were removed or destroyed during this period.  In 1905, the city bought the castle and began to restore it.  Jože Plečnik had envisioned the building being transformed into the country's parliament, but this would never come to pass.  

It was not until 1962 that the last castle inhabitants left; the city moved them to different parts of the city.  After this extradition, full-scale restoration work began on the castle.  Two of the larger rooms were converted into wedding halls, which host these blessed events on Saturday afternoons.  Based on what areas I did see, the renovation work is impressive - the combination of modern halogen lighting with the medieval brick walls was particular appealing. 

Visitors enter the castle on bridge that crosses the old moat.  Visitors walk through a long corridor, which opens onto the central courtyard.  The courtyard contains a café; the Pivo Union umbrellas shielded the mid-afternoon visitors from the sun.  Just off the courtyard is a well-stocked, if somewhat expensive, folk art store that sells pottery, painted wooden linen storage chests and painted beehive boxes.

The Pentagonal Tower, shown in the picture below, now hosts art exhibits.  During my visit, there was exhibit of modern sculpture by a local artist.

The main interest, however, is the Belvedere Tower, from which I got a great view of the city.  Built in 1848, this tower replaces a wooden structure that was destroyed by the French during their occupation earlier that century.  It's 150 steps to the top of the tower and costs SIT 700 to climb,  I highly recommend the adventure, mainly because of the views.  

At the bottom of the tower is the Chapel of Saint George, which is wonderfully painted.  Consecrated in 1489, it is one of the only structures that survived the 1511 earthquake.  In 1747, it was rebuilt in the Baroque style and painted with the crests of the sixty provincial governors. 

I returned to the tower on Monday afternoon to film the city's skyline from the observation deck.  I returned because I had discovered the video recording function on my Nikon CoolPix 4300 digital camera, which is a really cool accessory.  It was quite windy, which was refreshing after the hike up the mountain.  I was able to capture a west-facing south-to-north panorama and an east-facing panorama.

I headed back down the hill by the same path on which I ascended.  This path empties onto Reber ulica, which leads back onto Stari trg.  This pedestrian zone had been described as the heart of the old town, and I would have to agree with this statement.  There are a number of outdoor cafés on this street, one at which I had dinner on Sunday evening (Julija, located at Stari trg 9).  Sitting at one these cafés will provide an excellent people-watching experience.

The house at Stari trg 13 has an interesting sculpture on the façade.  Instead of supporting the globe as is tradition for this mythical figure, Atlas is supporting the upper balcony of the house.  The Lonely Planet guide book includes this "landmark" on its tour because houses with a "13" address were, many centuries ago, often brothels in this part of the world.  As far as the guide can tell, this building never served this purpose.  The building's white-and-grey façade is rather worn, making the aforementioned statue its only interesting characteristic.  When compared to the character of the surrounding buildings, this "landmark" seems out of place.

Stari trg leads into Mestni trg.  On this square is the beautiful Magistrat.  Constructed in the 15^th c. CE and rebuilt in the early 18^th c. CE, the building now serves as Ljubljana's town hall.  There is a pentagonal clock tower atop the building.  Flags flank the second story balcony -  Slovenia's tricolor flag is on the left, while the city's green-and-white flag is on the right.  It appears to be a very well-maintained building.  On Monday evening, there was a concert being held in the atrium - that was the only time that I saw people in the square or in the building.

In the square facing the Magistrat is the Robba fountian.  Erected in 1751, the three streams of water represent the three important rivers of the Carniola region - Krka, Ljubljanica and Sava.  This fountain is a copy; the original has been moved to the Narodna Galerija.  I don't remember seeing during my visit to the museum, but I'm sure that it is there.

Mestni trg leads into Ciril-Metoda trg.  On this street are three religious buildings of importance.  First, the Škofijski Dvorce is the bishop's residence.  There is not much to see on or in this building.  Second is the Stolnica Sv. Nikolaj.  Constructed in the 18^th c. CE in the Baroque style, this cathedral is dedicated to Saint Nicholas.  There is an interesting bronze door at the south entrance - the six bishops represent the diocese's history.  There are also interesting frescoes on the north façade that were completed in the mid-19^th c. CE by Matevž Langus.  Located to the east of the portal, the main fresco is flanked by statues of Saints Hermagouris (left) and Fortunatus (right).  Hermagouris was chosen by Saint Mark to lead the Christians in Aquileia (Italy).  Joined by his deacon Fortunatus, the two preached the Christian faith in the region until they were arrested by agents of Emperor Nero.  The two were martyred through torture and decapitation, for which they both earned sainthood.  Their feast day is celebrated on 12 July.  Unfortunately, the picture below shows this fresco with a lamppost in the middle - there was no way to take a picture without it.

Finally, behind the church is the mid-18^th c. CE Semenišče.  The building's portal is flanked by two Atlas statues.  The statues' pot-marked faces are most likely the result of the acid rain, rather than intentional scaring by the artist.

Ciril-Metoda trg ends at Vodnikov trg, which has a statue dedicated to the square's namesake.  Before the disastrous 1895 earthquake, the square was the site of a girl's grammar school.  Now it is home to the city's daily, except Sunday, market.  To the east of the square are two landmarks that I did not visit.  First is the Zmajski Most, which is the city's dragon bridge.  The "dragon" is the same one that Jason, the legendary founder of Ljubljana, killed when he sailed up the Ljubljanica River.  It is legend that the dragons that live below the bridge wag their tails every time a virgin walks over the bridge.  I did walk over the bridge after dinner one night; needless to say, the dragons did not wag their tails that night!  The second is the Etnografski Muzej.  I did not have time to visit the museum, which I will save for my next trip to Ljubljana.

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