Slovenia2 Ljubljana2

1. 2 SLOVENIA Ljubljana 2

2. Slovenia, a country in southeastern Europe, is bordered by Austria, Croatia, Hungary, and Italy. The former constituent republic of Yugoslavia is almost landlocked; it has only a short (46 km) coastline at the Adriatic Sea between Italy and Croatia With an area of 20,273 km² Slovenia landscape offers a small coastal strip in south west, and an alpine mountain region with the Julian Alps, a mountain range that stretch from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, within the Julian Alps lies the country's highest mountain the Triglav at 2,864 m. In the north there are the Karawanks, a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps on the border between Slovenia and Austria. Almost 63% of Slovenia is forested area. The country has a population of just over 2 million people. Largest city and capital is Ljubljana with about 280,000 residents (in 2016). Spoken languages are Slovenian (official; 91%) and Serbo-Croatian (4.5%). The major religion is Christianity (about 60%)

3. The symbol of the city is the Ljubljana Dragon. It is depicted on the top of the tower of Ljubljana Castle in the Ljubljana coat of arms and on the Ljubljanica-crossing Dragon Bridge. It symbolizes power, courage, and greatness

4. Congress square Dragon bridge Star park

5. It is historically more believable that the dragon was adopted from Saint George, the patron of the Ljubljana Castle chapel built in the 15th century but according to a Slavic myth, the slaying of a dragon releases the waters and ensures the fertility of the earth, and it is thought that the myth is tied to the Ljubljana Marshes, the expansive marshy area that periodically threatens Ljubljana with flooding

7. The Dragons' Bridge  is a road bridge crossing the river Ljubljanica. It was built between 1900 and 1901 and is now protected as a monument

8. According to local legends, when a virgin crosses the bridge, the dragons will wag their tails

9. The bridge was originally called "Bridge of the Golden Jubilee of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria" but lost its official name from its opening and was unofficially renamed "Dragon Bridge" because of its four statues arranged in its four corners

14. The Ljubljanica has become a popular attraction in Europe for treasure hunters. It is believed that the river has offered up between 10,000 and 13,000 objects, of which many have been lost to the public

15. Most historians believe that it is related to how local tradition has always held the river as a sacred place. These treasures may have been offered "to the river during rites of passage, in mourning, or as thanksgiving for battles won."

19. Folk musician Miroslav Matic plays on traditional string instrument Gusle, a one-string instrument used to accompany epic singing  

21. Ribja ulica Street between Mestni and Ribji trg Square Fountain in Star Park

22. The Ribji trg (Fish Square) Greek girl, sculpted in the second half of the 19th century

23. The Ribji trg (Fish Square) fountain was moved here from Tivoli Park in 1981

24. The Ribji trg Fish Square the oldest house in Ljubliana 1528

30. The city, with an area of 163.8 square kilometers (63.2 sq mi), is situated in the Ljubljana Basin in Central Slovenia, between the Alps and the Karst

31. Riverside cafes in the heart of baroque Ljubljana

32. The first boat cruising along the Ljubljanica river to have been adapted for use as a tourist boat

34. Cobbler's bridge is one of the oldest bridges crossing the river in Ljubljana, and dates back to at least the 13th century. The bridge has been reconstructed on numerous occasions throughout its long history due to floods or fires

35. Ljubljana The Kresija Palace

36. The city's architecture is a mix of styles. Despite the appearance of large buildings, especially at the city's edge, Ljubljana's historic center remains intact. Ljubljana's downtown got its outline in the Middle Ages. After the 1511 earthquake, it was rebuilt in the Baroque style following Italian, particularly Venetian, models. Ljubljana building on the corner of Copova street and Slovenska cesta

37. After the quake in 1895, it was once again rebuilt, this time in the Vienna Secession style, which today is juxtaposed against the earlier Baroque style buildings that remain building of Former Cooperative Bank

42. St. Mary pillar in front of Saint James church built in the Baroque style between 1613 and 1615 on the site of an older Gothic style church, erected in the early 15th century by the Augustinian Order

43. Hercules Fountain is a favourite meeting place in summer. A copy has replaced the original 17th-century statue, which is now in the town hall

44. Hercules Fountain

45. The Ljubljana Opera House, previously the home of the Provincial Theatre, was built between 1890 and 1892 to a neo-Renaissance design by the Czech architects Jan V. Hrasky and Anton Hruby

47. The Opera House's façade has two niches adorned with Alojzij Gangl's allegorical statues of Tragedy and Comedy

48. The allegorical sculptures in the tympanum represent Poetry and Glory, and the figure with a torch above them - another work by Alojzij Gangl - an allegory of Genius 

49. Poetry and Glory

50. Guiseppe Tartini (1692–1770), one of the greatest violinists of the Baroque period, was born in Slovenia. The great composer was born in Piran on 8 April 1692, in the house that is now a museum dedicated to him and his work. Established in 2001 the Tartini Festival is an international music festival