Yesterday we went on a free walking tour of Ljubljana. Our guide told us about the history and architecture as we roamed through the central city. The Ljubljanans are very proud of the Slovenian architect, Plečnik (1872-1957). The website for the city explains that “the multitude of his creations in the city, referred to as a whole as “Plečnik’s Ljubljana”, is considered to be one of the 20th century’s most important total works of art.” Our guide simply pointed out that he really liked columns. Per the guide, “if you see a column in the city, Plecnik designed it”. And there are columns everywhere (except apparently in the photos I took yesterday).
But it is not the columns that make me love Ljubljana. It is the fact that you can walk forever in the city without running into (or getting run over) by a car. The guide explained that in 2007 the central city was turned into a car free zone. There was chaos at first as everyone tried to figure out how to get from point A to point B, but over the years it created a vibrant, central space that is full of cafes and gathering spots.
The article below shows before and after photos of some of the spaces. It amazes me that the leaders had the guts to do this, and the results are impressive.
Ethan can always be located near the tour guide.
If you look closely, you can see a castle on the hill above the town. There are stories of a dragon living in the hill. Per the guide, the dragon stories can be traced back to the legend of Jason and the Argonauts. The dragon gets blamed for fires, earthquakes (turning over) and thunder (caused by his hunger pangs).
