Prešeren Square

Prešeren Square (Slovene: Prešernov trg) is the central square in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is part of the old town's pedestrian zone and a major meeting point where festivals (like the annual Ljubljana Dragon Carnival[1]), concerts, sports, political events, and protests take place. It was renovated in 2007.[2][3]

View towards the eastern side of the square (2020). The Prešeren Monument stands at the eastern side of the square. The building behind it is the Central Pharmacy. There are three birches in front of it. On the left, the front facade of the Urbanc House and a part of the front facade of the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation are visible. The street between the Central Pharmacy and the Urbanc House is Trubar Street. On the right, the Ljubljanica flows past the square.

Location

Lying in front of the medieval town's entrance, the square is a funnel-shaped hub of streets that run from it into different directions.

To the south, across the Triple Bridge (Tromostovje), it is connected to Stritar Street (Stritarjeva ulica), which leads through a symbolic town gate formed by the Kresija Palace and Philip Mansion towards the city's town hall at the foothills of the Castle Hill.

Prešeren Square viewed from Ljubljana Castle (2006)

To the northwest, it is connected to Čop Street (Čopova ulica), which leads towards the Central Post Office and the Nama department store. To the north, Miklosich Street (Miklošičeva cesta) runs past a number of notable Secessionist buildings beginning with the Urbanc House, towards the Ljubljana railway station. Between Čop Street and Miklosich Street stand Ljubljana–Center Franciscan Monastery and the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation.

To the west, Wolf Street (Wolfova ulica) leads past the Mayer department store presently housing an office of Bank Austria and an outdoor cafe, towards Congress Square (Kongresni trg). On the southwest, the Hribar Embankment leads upstream the Ljubljanica past Mansion Square (Dvorni trg) towards Zois Mansion and St. James's Bridge.

To the east, past the Central Pharmacy building, the picturesque Trubar Street (Trubarjeva ulica) leads towards the Dragon Bridge. Parallel to the Ljubljanica River, the Petkovšek Embankment runs towards St. Peter's Church.[4]

History
Prešeren Square in 1856

Prešeren Square gained its current appearance in the 17th century, when the baroque-style Franciscan Church of the Annunciation was built and was first known as St. Mary's Square after the church.[5] In the 19th century, the crossroad was changed into a square and paved.[6] After the 1895 Ljubljana earthquake, architect Max Fabiani designed the square as the hub of four streets. In place of the medieval houses which were damaged by the earthquake, a number of palaces were built around it. Between Wolf Street and Čop Street stands the Hauptmann House, built in 1873 and renovated in 1904 in the Secessionist style by the architect Ciril Metod Koch. The other palaces include the Frisch House, the Seunig House and the Urbanc House, as well as the Mayer department store, built thirty years later.[6]

Since 3 September 2007, Prešeren Square has been closed for motorised traffic, except for a local tourist bus.

Prešeren Square is a meeting point of ongoing anti-government protests which started in April 2020.

Design

In the 1980s, Edvard Ravnikar proposed the circular design and the granite block pavement, with a circle and radiant lines of Macedonian Sivec marble. There was also a proposal by Ravnikar to put a fountain to the square, but was not accepted by residents of the city.[5][7] The core city center has been closed for motor traffic since September 2007 (except for residents with permissions), creating a pedestrian zone around Prešeren Square.[8]

Monuments

Prešeren Monument
Main article: Prešeren Monument (Ljubljana)

At the eastern side of the square, a bronze statue of the Slovene national poet France Prešeren with a muse was erected[2] in front of the Central Pharmacy in 1905.[9] The sculpture, designed by Ivan Zajec, stands on a pedestal designed by the architect Max Fabiani.[9] Later, three birches were planted behind Prešeren Monument, indicating the energy centre of Ljubljana.[10] Poplars were added in the 1930s next to the Triple Bridge, according to the plan by the architect Jože Plečnik.[11] In June 1991, Prešeren Square and the Prešeren Monument were declared a cultural monument of national significance.[12][13] In October 2005, the Prešeren Monument was renovated.[3]

Scale model of Ljubljana

In 1991, a bronze scale model of Ljubljana was set at the upper end of the square as a gift by the city's Urban Planning Institute.[14] It has a form of a 2.2 by 2.2 metres (7 ft 3 in by 7 ft 3 in) square.[15] It was created by a number of experts, whereas the banks around it, its pedestal, location, and coordination of work were taken care of by the architect Jadranka Grmek.[14] In 2009, a white semi-circular bank was added to the model of Ljubljana.[14]

Depictions

Prešeren Square was depicted on numerous postcards particularly at the turn of the 19th and the 20th centuries. Some of them present it at special occasions, like after the 1895 Ljubljana earthquake or at unveiling of the Prešeren Monument, whereas others present it as it was at an ordinary occasion.[16]

Since June 2008, a model of the square is displayed at Mini-Europe in Brussels on an area of 20 square metres (220 sq ft).[17]

Prešeren Square in the morning sun (April 2011)

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Prešeren Square.
  1. "Dragon Carnival". Inyourpocket.com. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  2. Krečič, Peter (2008). "Ulični prostor" [Street Space]. Korak: Strokovna Revija O Talnih Oblogah (in Slovenian) (4): 54–55. ISSN 1580-3880.
  3. Nina Caf (2008). Turizem kot del revitalizacije mestnega jedra Ljubljana (PDF). Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  4. Habič, Marko (1997). "Petkovškovo nabrežje" [Petkovšek Embankment]. Prestolnica Ljubljana nekoč in danes [A Pictorial Chronicle of a Capital City]. ISBN 86-341-2007-4. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  5. Mihelič, Breda (1999). "Prešernov trg v Ljubljani" [Prešeren Square in Ljubljana]. Zbornik za umetnostno zgodovino [Collection of Art History Papers] (in Slovenian and English). 35: 94–131.
  6. "Prešernov trg" [Prešeren Square]. Geopedia.si: Znamenitosti Ljubljane (in Slovenian). Municipality of Ljubljana; Synergise, d. o. o. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  7. "Ljubljana, Tromostovje". WWW.slovenia.info. Slovenian Tourist Board. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  8. d'Antonio, Simone (29 January 2016). "How Ljubljana turned itself into Europe's 'green capital' - Citiscope". citiscope.org. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  9. Šavc, Urška. "France Prešeren – slikovno gradivo" [France Prešeren – Pictorial Material]. In Šmid Hribar, Mateja; Golež, Gregor; Podjed, Dan; Kladnik, Drago; Erhartič, Bojan; Pavlin, Primož; Ines, Jerele (eds.). Enciklopedija naravne in kulturne dediščine na Slovenskem [Encyclopedia of Natural and Cultural Heritage in Slovenia] (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  10. "Architect Plečnik's Oeuvres". Gremo s kolesom...! [Let's Go with Bicycle...!]. City Municipality of Ljubljana; LUZ, d. d. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  11. "Tromostovje" [Triple Bridge]. Arhitekturni vodnik [Architectural Guide] (in Slovenian). Zavod Trajekt. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  12. "385: Ljubljana - Prešernov trg" [385: Ljubljana – Prešeren Square]. Register nepremične kulturne dediščine [Registry of Immovable Cultural Heritage] (in Slovenian). Ministrstvo za kulturo Republike Slovenije. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  13. "8793: Ljubljana - Spomenik Francetu Prešernu" [385: Ljubljana – A Monument to France Prešeren]. Register nepremične kulturne dediščine [Registry of Immovable Cultural Heritage] (in Slovenian). Ministrstvo za kulturo Republike Slovenije. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  14. Jagodič, Stane (August 2010). "V bron odlita Ljubljana in njen občudovalec: Nagrajena fotografija Marka Paramentića" [Ljubljana Cast in Bronze and Her Admirer: The Awarded Photograph by Mark Paramentić] (PDF). Ljubljana: glasilo Mestne občine Ljubljana [Ljubljana: The Bulletin of the City Municipality of Ljubljana] (in Slovenian). XV (5): 31. ISSN 1318-797X.
  15. Krušič, Marjan; Skoberne, Peter; Zupan, Gojko; Gosar, Anton; Jeršič, Matjaž; Mikuž, Janez; Jeklic, Suzana; Kaufman, Marija; Hafner, Aleš; Bitenc, Polona; Knific, Timotej (2006). Slovenija, turistični vodnik [Slovenia, the Tourist Guide]. Mladinska knjiga. p. 128. ISBN 86-11-14387-6.
  16. Tančič, Zmago. Sprehod skozi zgodovino razglednic (Ljubljana in njeni prebivalci) [A Walk through the History of Postcards (Ljubljana and its Residents)] (in Slovenian). Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  17. "Pomanjšana različica Prešernovega trga odslej tudi v Bruslju" [A Minimised Version of Prešeren Square Henceforth Also in Brussels]. Dnevnik.si (in Slovenian). 25 June 2008.

46°03′05″N 14°30′21″E

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