LJUBLJANA Travel Agent Manual

www.visitljubljana.com

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The famous architect Jože Plečnik (1872-1957) tried tomodel Ljubljana on ancient Athens. Themultitude of his creations in the city, referred to as awhole as “Plečnik’s Ljubljana”, is considered to be one of the 20 th century’s most important total works of art.

The unique oeuvre of the architect Jože Plečnik Plečnik left a lasting mark on three central European cities: Vienna , Prague and Ljubljana . According to Friedrich Achleitner, a renowned art critic from Vienna, Plečnik with his singular style may come to be considered an architect of the future. A distinguished career in Vienna and Prague In Vienna , where he studied under professor Otto Wagner, Plečnik designed a number of pioneering works of modern architecture. In Prague he undertook, among other things, the renovation of Prague Castle for use as the presidential residence and the re-landscaping of the castle gardens. Ljubljana as a total work of art Upon returning to Ljubljana in 1921, Plečnik accepted the post of professor at the newly established University of Ljubljana and focused all his creative energies on redesigning the city. Ljubljana at that time was undergoing an infrastructural transformation and Plečnik could start realising his vision of a capital city. He tried to use modern approaches while modelling the city on ancient Athens . With over a hundred bridges, buildings, streets, fountains and statues he designed until the late 1950’s, Plečnik made a stronger impact on one single city than any other architect. The so called Plečnik’s Ljubljana , a unique example of urban planning, is considered

to be one of the 20 th century’s most important total works of art.

Jože Plečnik’s best known works Plečnik redesigned Ljubljana with consideration to the city’s water and land axes. He undertook the designing of several of Ljubljana’s key buildings and the renovation of numerous existing ones. Plečnik’s best known works include the National and University Library building ; the Ljubljanica River embankments and bridges , the most notable among the latter being the Triple Bridge and the Cobblers’ Bridge ; the Central Market ; the Križanke Summer Theatre ; the Bežigrad Stadium ; the funeral home at the Žale cemetery ; and the Church of St. Michael in the Marshes. Plečnik also put his own distinctive stamp on Ljubljana’s surrounding areas, where a number of buildings, monuments and churches were renovated in his signature style. Lasting impression Today his works continue to inspire the creativity of world-renowned thinkers and artists, such as the philosopher Slavoj Žižek , the interdisciplinary artist Marjetica Potrč and the physicist and poet Andrej Detela . Paulo Coelho was inspired to set his novel Veronica Decides to Die in Ljubljana and the Venezuelan author Eduardo Sánchez Rugeles titled one of his books Ljubljana.

Plečnik Year of 2017

In 2017, Ljubljana marked the 145 th anniversary of the birth and 60 th anniversary of the death of the architect Jože Plečnik. Within the course of these activities, Ljubljana Tourism has expanded a guided Walking Tour of Plečnik’s Ljubljana , which in three hours takes the visitors on a route which the master himself walked countless times, and they prepared a guided Cycling Tour of Plečnik’s Ljubljana , which presents Plečnik’s opus outside Ljubljana’s city centre on a pleasant cycling tour. www.visitljubljana.com Plečnik House Enter the house where Jože Plečnik lived and created from 1921 to his death in 1957. This is the place where the idea of Plečnik’s Ljubljana came to life. The house displays the architect’s home with all original interior and exterior equipment and a permanent museum exhibition. Karunova Street, Trnovo. Open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-18:00. Closed on some public holidays.