Ljubljana – The Fairytale City Of Dragons
I travelled to Ljubljana by coach from Zagreb (and watched numerous YouTube videos on how to pronounce it before I bought a ticket – it’s Loo-Blah-na, there’s no I). Once across the border, a stop navigated by my poor grasp of Croatian and even poorer grasp of Slovenian, I could finally sit back and enjoy the journey.
As I looked out of the coach window I could see the endless green hills rolling past, and it dawned on me that this was my most spontaneous trip yet; I was only going to stay in Croatia for a few days, now here I was a month later in an entirely different country having done no research beforehand. As the countryside rolled past I wondered if I would like Slovenia, or if I’d regret leaving Croatia which is a country I had fallen in love with. Only time would tell.
A very short while later a city started to come into view. A city guarded by dragons and a castle atop a hill. As we crossed the dragon bridge I peered out of the window in awe at the fairytale creatures like a kid in a world of Christmas magic for the first time. My earlier worries instantly evaporated.
HISTORY
Ljubljana may be one of the smallest capital cities in Europe (it has a population of around 300,000), but it is bursting with history.
The city, along with the rest of Slovenia, has been under foreign rule for most of its existence. It’s been destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt into a lovely renaissance gem, only to be subject to a horrible period of time in the twentieth century. But it has overcome all of that to become the wonderful green city it is today.
Allegedly the city has also been guarded by fire-breathing dragons and built up again by mythical Greek legend Jason when he and his Argonauts stumbled upon the marshlands the city used to be. It’s like a story ripped straight from the pages of a book!
To fully immerse myself in the city’s history I took a free walking tour, and I couldn’t recommend doing this enough.
The tour started at Preseren square, home to the pink church and a statue of national poet France Preseren, his scantily clad muse (and a tree separating the muse and the church…).
We wandered over the gorgeous triple bridge which, as the name suggests, is three bridges made into one. It’s made out of pale concrete and runs over the river Ljubljicana, which has its banks decorated with weeping willow trees. This bridge is quite possibly one of the most beautiful bridges in the world. Straight opposite the bridge is the castle on top of a hill. It’s really beautiful at night standing on the old cobblestone street, looking up at the castle illuminated green.
The tour took us through the local market to try some traditional Slovenian food, and past Butcher’s Bridge, which is now decorated in love lockets and is surrounded by statues depicting punishments people faced for giving into passions or providing knowledge during the communist era.
Finally the tour reached the famous Dragon Bridge which is the main entrance to the city. Atop the bridge sit many stone statues of dragons standing guard. The dragons have become Ljubljana’s mascot.
Over on the other side of town is the cathedral, complete with the oldest bells in Slovenia and bronze sculpted doors at each entrance. The doors were designed to depict various religious happenings; there are popes sculpted into the doors to commemorate Pope John Paul 2nd’s visit to the city, and there’s a storyboard outlining the history of Slovenia to celebrate so many years of Christianity.
Further out still lies the University and the Public Library, set near the courtyard of the Old Knights of the Cross Monastery (which is the city’s art hub today). Students come here to paint and make art, and it turns into an outdoor theatre in the summer months. An artist’s dream!
CULTURE AND BEAUTY
As well as being steeped in history, Ljubljana is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe – and there’s always something going on!
The twenty minute walk from my accommodation into the old city was a peaceful one. It took me through the backstreets, past embassies and the Slovenian Parliament, and past a car park which had to have its building halted due to the ruins unearthed underneath which couldn’t be damaged. It took me through the little park above the water, where the benches were always full and where the pavements were usually filled with market stalls.
In the town centre everywhere is pretty and clean, so clean in fact Ljubljana was named European Green Capital in 2016. Cute and environmentally friendly!
Along the riverbanks you’ll find cafes with their outdoor seating full to the brim with happy, chatty people during the summer months. And you’ll find an abundance of people touring the cobbled streets on bikes or in electric buggies.
The culture doesn’t stop in the city centre either; around a 15 minute walk from Preseren Square is Metelkova, Metelkova is a squat, overlooked by the government, set up in an old army base. It’s completely urbanised with graffiti filling the walls and art made from scrap metal fills the spaces. Metelkova is known as Ljubljana’s alternative scene and hosts hundreds of alternative concerts and events a year. If going to a concert here isn’t edgy enough for you, the old army prison has been turned into a hostel for you to stay in!
Across town on the opposite end of the spectrum lies Park Tivoli. A beautiful, tranquil haven away from the city (not that the city needs to be ‘gotten away from’). The park is host to the annual business marathon so for one day each September you may find large sections cordoned off for this. No matter though as the park is spacious and there is always somewhere quiet to relax. When I was there I found some shade under a tree and watched a local woodwind band play.
I was really sad when it was time to leave the relaxed vibes of Ljubljana behind. It really is a special place and one that I will always have a fondness for.
