August 28, 2026:
Ljubljana is Slovenia’s capital and largest city. It’s known for its university population and green spaces, including expansive Tivoli Park. The curving Ljubljanica River, lined in outdoor cafes, divides the city’s old town from its commercial hub.
Ljubljana Walking Tour
We started our Ljubljana Walking Tour at Congress Square (Kongresni Trg) since our taxi driver dropped us off a couple of blocks away (Lbujljana has pedestrian areas that don’t allow cars). Dating back to 1821, this large square is a popular meeting place for locals and destination for tourists in Ljubljana.
Congress Square (Kongresni Trg)
Congress Square is ringed by important buildings: the Baroque Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity, Ljubljana University, and the Philharmonic Hall.
Holy Trinity Pillar and Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity
Founded in 1919, the University of Ljubljana is known for social & natural sciences, technical programs & sport.
Ljubljana University
Ljubljana University has a beautiful fountain in front, the Europe Fountain (Fontana Evropa).
Europe Fountain (Fontana Evropa)
The Philharmonic Hall is where the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra plays.
Philharmonic Hall
Halfway up the square, in the middle of the grassy section, the giant anchor celebrates the day in 1954 when Slovenia took possession of its tiny coastline, between Koper and Piran.
Anchor Monument
Slovenia’s National Gallery (and an orthodox church) lie just west of Slovenska Cesta (the big street at the end of this square), leading eventually to Tivoli Park. Between Congress Square and Slovenia’s National Gallery are several interesting monuments.
The portal of the Ljubljana Parliament was created by the sculptor Zdenko Kalin and Karel Putrih.
Portal of the Ljubljana Parliament
The “Monument to the Revolution” in Republic Square in Ljubljana, is a memorial work which commemorates the WWII victory of the Yugoslavia Partisans, as well as honoring the Socialist Revolution that defeated the occupying and oppressive fascist forces who had divided up Slovenia.
Monument to the Revolution (Spomenik revolucije)
Monument to the Revolution (Spomenik revolucije) (detail)
Next to the Monument to the Revolution is another monument, a tribute to Edvard Kardelj, a Yugoslav politician and economist, who also fought as a Yugoslav partisan during the Second World War. His main legacy was devising the new economic policy in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, known as workers’ self-management.
Monument to Edvard Kardelj (Spomenik Edvardu Kardelju)
In addition to passing monuments, we passed the American Embassy in Ljubljana.
American Embassy Building
The National Gallery (Narodna Galerija) is the central national institution for older art in Slovenia, housing the largest collection of fine arts on Slovenian territory. Its permanent collection is divided into three parts: Sacred Art (1200-1600); 19th and 20th Century Art; and 17th to 19th Century Art.
Sacred Art (1200-1600)
19th and 20th Century Art
17th to 19th Century Art
In the atrium between these sections, there are a few sculptures and Robba’s Fountain.
Atrium Sculptures
Robba’s Fountain
Across the street from the National Gallery is the Serbian Orthodox Church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius.
Serbian Orthodox Church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius
Iconostasis
Left Transept
Right Transept
Icon
Ceiling
At the corner in front of the Serbian Orthodox Church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius stands a monument to Primož Trubar, a Slovene Protestant Reformer of the Lutheran tradition, mostly known as the author of the first Slovene language printed book, the founder and the first superintendent of the Protestant Church of the Duchy of Carniola, and for consolidating the Slovenian language.
Monument to Primož Trubar
Next we walked east to Ljubljana’s main square, Prešeren Square (Prešernov Trg).
Prešeren Square (Prešernov Trg)
On the way, we passed by the Ljubljana Opera House.
Opera House
The city’s meeting point in its main square is the large statue of France Prešeren, Slovenia’s greatest poet, whose works include the lyrics to the Slovenian national anthem.
France Prešeren Monument
On the second street from the riverbank to the right of the France Prešeren Monument, there is a portrait of Julija Primic, the unrequited love of Prešeren’s life.
Portrait of Julija Primic
The Hauptmann House, to the right of Julia, was the only building on the square to survive the quake of 1895. The owner renovated the building, and the only original element is the balcony.
Hauptmann House
To the right of the Hauptmann House is a model of the Old Town of Ljubljana.
Model of the Old Town of Ljubljana
To the right is the pink Franciscan Church of St. Mary.
Franciscan Church of St. Mary
Farther right, the characteristic glass awning marks Galerija Emporium – the first big post-quake department store, today government-protected.
Galerija Emporium
On top of the Galerija Emporium is a statue of Mercury. We noticed that at the bottom of the left leg of Mercury, there is a face (of the building owner).
Statue of Mercury (with Face of Building Owner at bottom of Left Leg)
We went inside the Galerija Emporium to see its Grand Staircase.
Grand Staircase, Galerija Emporium
Then we detoured a couple of blocks on Miklošičeva Cesta to see some striking architecture (the Grand Union Hotel and the Cooperative Bank (Vurnik House)).
Grand Union Hotel
Cooperative Bank (Vurnik House)
We then crossed the Triple Bridge (three bridges spanning the Ljubljanica River in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia). This bridge connects the historical medieval town on the southeastern bank with the central Prešeren Square on the northwestern bank. Dating back to the 13th century, it stands as the oldest bridge in Ljubljana.
Triple Bridge
Once over the triple bridge, we explored the farthest bridge to the right to find a pixeled Space Invader.
Pixeled Space Invader
Next to the Tourist Information Building, a Riverside Colonnade stretches along the Ljubljanica River.
Tourist Information Building (right) and Riverside Colonnade (left)
Riverside Colonnade Souvenirs
On the first level of the Riverside Colonnade is the Ribarnica Fish Market.
Entrance to the Ribarnica Fish Market (down spiral stairs)
Across from the entrance to the Ribarnica Fish Market there was a Friday “Open Kitchen” festival going on, with Ljubljana Restaurants and Wine Bars hosting booths sampling their wares.
“Open Kitchen” Festival
At the back of the “Open Kitchen” festival there was an interesting sculpture entitled “Sculpture of a Woman’s Courage” (Spomenik vztrajnim ženskam) created by the renowned Slovenian sculptor Lojze Dolinar.
Sculpture of a Woman’s Courage
The building at the end of the small market square is the Seminary Palace, with the Market Hall (Pokrita Tržnica) in its basement.
Market Hall (Pokrita Tržnica)
On the other side of the Market Hall (Pokrita Tržnica), we noticed the little scale to weigh items (Kontrolna Tehtnica) and the Nonstop Mlekomat vending machine dispensing a liter of raw, unskimmed, farm-fresh milk for €1.
Kontrolna Tehtnica Scale
Nonstop Mlekomat Vending Machine
From here, we were looking at fresh produce stands on Central Square (Vodnikov Trg)
Central Square (Vodnikov Trg)
To the left, along the river, is the love-lock infested Butcher’s Bridge.
Lovelocks on Butchers’ Bridge
This bridge (and the street on the other side) contain a number of unusual sculptures by the Slovenian sculptor Jakob Brdr.
Adam and Eve by Jakov Brdar
Greek god Satyr by Jakov Brdar
Strange Creatures by Jakob Brdar
Greek god Prometheus by Jakov Brdar
Wolf by Jakov Brdar
Strange Birds by Jakov Brdar
Carnivorous Flower by Jakov Brdar
To the right, the next bridge (the Dragon Bridge), adorned with its iconic dragon statues, features in some of the most recognizable images of Ljubljana.
Dragon Bridge
Small Dragons on Dragon Bridge
Constructed between 1900 and 1901, it was Ljubljana’s first reinforced concrete structure and one of the largest bridges of its kind in Europe at the time. Originally named the Jubilee Bridge of Emperor Franz Joseph I, it bears the inscription 1848–1888, marking the 40th anniversary of the Emperor’s reign.
Kitty-corner to the Dragon Bridge, Ljubljana’s mascot is portrayed as a pixeled dragon.
Pixeled Dragon by Invader
After crossing the Dragon Bridge we went a block and then turned right. On the corner we saw the Wow Ljubljana Sign.
WOW Ljubljana Sign
Immediately after, on the left, we saw the funicular carrying passengers up to Ljubljana Castle.
Funicular to Ljubljana Castle
We decided to skip this castle and continued along this street (Vodnik Square), where we saw on our right a statue of Slovene poet Valentin Vodnik.
Statue of Slovene poet Valentin Vodnik
We next came to Cyril and Methodius Square (Ciril-Metodov Trg), named for Byzantine missionaries who introduced Christianity to the Slavs (and invented the forerunner of the Cyrillic alphabet).
Cyril and Methodius Square (Ciril-Metodov Trg)
This square is dominated by the Ljubljana Cathedral. In addition to a beautiful facade covered with saints’ statues and a fresco of the Annunciation, its highlight are its sculpted bronze doors – created for a visit by Pope John Paul II’s visit here in 199
Ljubljana Cathedral Façade (Saints’ Statues – Fresco of the Annunciation)
Sculpted Bronze Side Door
Sculpted Bronze Main Door
Next we entered Town Square (Mestnl Trg), home of a replica of the Fountain of Three Carniolan Rivers.
Replica of the Fountain of Three Carniolan Rivers on Town Square (Mestnl Trg)
Ljubljana Town Hall
Lastly, we looked for an arch on the right to enter Ključavničarska ulica (“Locksmith Street”). This is a narrow alley with cobblestones decorated with hundreds of grotesque faces (all created by Slovenian artist Jakov Brdar). Before becoming filled with street art, Locksmith Street was a workplace for skilled metalworkers. Blacksmiths, goldsmiths, and locksmiths forged locks, jewelry, and ironworks in this narrow passage.
Key Emblem in Ključavničarska ulica (“Locksmith Street”)
There is also an unusual fountain in the alley, also created by artist Jakov Brdr. It squirts water through its index finger.
Unusual Fountain
Hundreds of strange faces in the pavement
This concluded our Ljubljana Walking Tour. We made our way back to Prešeren Square (Prešernov Trg) and from there along Miklošičeva Cesta to catch a taxi to our hotel.
View of Prešeren Square (Prešernov Trg) and Triple Bridge