One of the four dragons, sitting on a pedestal at Dragon Bridge. That’s a much better name for a bridge than its original name… …The Jubilee Bridge of the Emperor Franz Josef I
Dates visited: September 15, 2009
Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, doesn’t have a lot of attractions to offer, but I just love the way it is spelled and pronounced! We drove 34 miles south-east of Bled to get to this low-profile capital city. It was a beautiful day and that had gotten the people out—locals and tourists.
We started our stroll through Prešeren Square, a great point for mixing with the crowd, and walked along Ljubljanica River taking in the neatly lined restaurants. Of particular interest were the two famous bridges—Triple Bridge (Tromostovje) and pillared Cobblers’ Bridge (Cevljarski Most)—both designed by the Slovenian architect, Jože Plečnik. But I loved the Dragon Bridge that had four huge sheet-copper dragon statues at its four corners. We ended the day with a visit to Ljubljana Castle where we had to take a funicular to the top.
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- The Triple Bridge, designed by Jože Plečnik, across the Ljubljanica River
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- The Franciscan Church of the Annunciation in Prešeren Square
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- A nice stroll along the banks of Ljubljanica River
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- With Ljubljana’s favorite symbol
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- Main market square
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- Prešeren Square—a lively square, excellent for people-watching
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- The “Ugly Duckling” bridge… …gets its name from the unsightly wooden structure
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- Taking a break on Cobblers’ Bridge
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- A muse holding a laurel wreath over the head of the poet, France Prešeren
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- Twin towers of Ljubljana Cathedral (Saint Nicholas’ Cathedral)
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- View of the Dragon Bridge
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- Ljubljana-ites love their dragons
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- Loved the parking—one-half on kerb and the other half on the road!
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- Loved the parking spot—on the kerb! On some days, pedestrians have to walk on the road!
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- I don’t remember the name of this church, but it looked pretty
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- Admiring the slew of flower shops
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- Knights huddling on the grounds of Ljubljana Castle
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- View of the city from Ljubljana Castle
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- Krekov trg from where we caught the funicular to Ljubljana Castle
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- The Cobblers’ Bridge or the Shoemakers’ Bridge, designed by Jože Plečnik