Ljubljana Life

Architecture and Nightlife

Ljubljana Walking Tour #3: Tabor and Poljane

by brian požun

The Tabor neighborhood is in the eastern part of Ljubljana's center, around the former Tabor Square that today is a park in the center of the district. The area’s development started picking up steam in the late 19th century, with the construction of the military barracks on the northern side of Tabor Square and the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the western side. However, it was during the interwar period when the area blossomed. A number of industrial buildings were constructed in the area, such as the city’s first power plant, and for some time the character of the district was split between industrial and residential. The residential option decidedly won out in the early 1990s, and today this is one of Ljubljana’s up-and-coming residential districts (nicknamed “Novi Tabor,” or New Tabor), the site of intense development since the early 1990s.

An impressive entrance to the district is the Railway workers’ apartments (#1., Resljeva 35), just across Masarykova cesta from the train station. This is one of the largest Art Nouveau structures in Ljubljana, built in 1920 and 1921. Just above the front door, there is an interesting frieze of Mercury surrounded by bolts of lightning. From here, continue down Resljeva cesta and make a left onto Slomškova. On the corner of Slomškega and Kotnikova, you will see the power plant (#2., Mestna elektrarna, Slomškova 18). This was the first power plant in Ljubljana, built in 1897. It entered into service on 1 January 1898. In the late twentieth century, this became one of the first industrial objects to be declared a cultural monument. It has been renovated into a gallery and performance space, but it is unfortunately only open to the public intermittently. Look out for the building’s smokestack, which at 40 meters was the largest in Carniola at the time of its construction.

Keep walking down Slomškova another block until you get to the Slomškova Apartments (#3., Slomškova 23-25). These apartment buildings are part of the Novi Tabor development project, the new face of the Tabor district. Construction of similar apartment complexes continues throughout the area, but the Slomškova Apartments, built in 1992, were among the first to be completed. Though the new apartment buildings are rather modern, design features integrate them into the surrounding neighborhood remarkably well. For example, the buildings feature red brick, which is rare in Ljubljana but which matches the bricks of the nearby Church of the Sacred Heart and the power plant. The buildings also feature a number of round windows which echo those of nearby apartment houses that date from the 1930s.

Now, turn left and walk up Metelkova cesta and make a right onto Masarykova cesta. A few meters down the street, you will see the entrance to Metelkova Mesto on your right. This was formerly an Austro-Hungarian and Yugoslav military barracks complex, but after the Yugoslav army departed in 1991, it was left vacant. The northern half was occupied by squatters in 1993 and it quickly became the center of alternative culture in Ljubljana. The southern part, however, is in the middle of a full renovation and hopes to become a major part of the city’s institutional cultural life.

The northern half is composed of a number of buildings which are now home to various bars, clubs and NGOs. The building along the western wall is called Pešči (#4.) and is home to the clubs Gala Hala, Channel Zero and 100% Mizart. Along the northern wall is Lovci (#5.), home to the gay bar Tiffany and the lesbian bar Monokel. Along the eastern wall is Hangar (#6.), which houses Klub Gromka. A new structure nearby houses a restaurant called Jalla Jalla (#7.). Next door to Hangar is Hlev (#8.), home to the performance space Menza pri koritu and the art gallery Alkatraz. Around the corner is the former prison, now the Celica hostel (#9.). Free tours of the unique cells/hostel rooms are given each day at 14:00. Most of the Metelkova Mesto clubs are only open at night, but the café in Celica serves food from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and serves drinks almost 24 hours per day. Across from the hostel is the NGO Building (#10., Metelkova 6). The bars and clubs at Metelkova mesto are legendary, but there are a couple more unique bars not far away: Druga Pomoč (#11., Šmartinska 3), and Orto Bar (#12., Grablovičeva 1).

Exit Metelkova Mesto the same way you came in, and walk back to Metelkova cesta. Turn left and continue down the street. On your left, you will see the Ministry of Culture (#13., Metelkova 4) and the Slovene Ethnographic Museum (#14., Metelkova 2), both in the southern part of the Metelkova barracks complex. Continuing down Metelkova, you will hit a park – the former Tabor square – and on your right you will see the Sacred Heart Church (#15., Cerkev Srca Jezusovega). Built in 1882 by architect Adolf Wagner, the church is one of the best examples of neo-Gothic architecture in the city. It, like the seminary (now dormitory) next door and the power plant not far away, was built entirely of fire-baked bricks, a rarity in Ljubljana. Similar bricks are being used in the Novi Tabor development as a way of integrating the new buildings into the existing urban fabric.

Now, walk through the park and make a left onto the street called Tabor. At the corner of Tabor and Maistrova cesta, you will see the Sokol Gymnastic Society Hall (#16., Sokolski dom, Tabor 13-14). This building was built between 1923 and 1926 according to plans by architect Ivan Vurnik, and stands as Vurnik’s most important structure in Ljubljana after his Cooperative Bank downtown at Miklošičeva 8. Originally built as a center for the Slovene cultural association Sokol, the building today is home to a fitness center and is sometimes used as a concert venue.

From here, cross Maistrova and walk down Vrhovčeva, making a left onto Njegoševa cesta. Here you will find the Meksika building (#17., Njegoševa 6). This was the first residential apartment building built by the local authorities in Ljubljana, and originally was intended for city employees. None of the apartments originally had bathrooms; residents shared common bathrooms and laundry rooms located on the ground floor. Only half of the building, designed by Vladimir Šubic, was actually constructed. The two figures on the entry portal represent a mother and father and are the work of the Slovene sculptor Lojze Dolinar. The vault of the entry portal features frescoes by the famed Slovene expressionist Rihard Jakopič, though they are sorely in need of restoration.

You can stop at one of the cafes in the Meksika building, or continue back down Njegoševa until you hit Hrvatski trg. This square is dominated by St. Peter’s Church (#18., Cerkev sv. Petra), Ljubljana’s first parish church. It was built between 1729 and 1733 and has a rich baroque interior. The façade originally also had baroque features, but it was transformed by Ivan Vurnik in 1937 and 1938. Hrvatski trg itself was originally laid out in 1905 and remade by Plečnik in 1938-1939, after a memorial to soldiers killed in World War One was erected in 1927 by the architect Vladimir Šubic (architect of the Nebotičnik).

Now, turn right onto Trubarjeva cesta and walk back towards the center of town. Turn left on Rozmanova ulica and keep walking until you cross the Šempeter Bridge. Across this bridge is the Poljane district, whose history is in many ways similar to that of Tabor. Though a rural area until the 19th century, development came fast after the 1895 earthquake. Home to a large number of residential villas, the district also features a number of early industrial buildings as well as a military barracks. In fact, the Šempeter bridge was created to facilitate traffic between the Metelkova barracks in Tabor and the Roška barracks in Poljane. The construction of the huge sugar factory meant the small footbridge had to be expanded in the 18th century, and the current bridge dates from 1918.

Just across the bridge, turn left and walk a few meters. Here, on the river, is the Zapornica na Ljubljanici, the Ljubljana Lock Gate (#19.). The lock gate was built between 1939 and 1945 according to a design by Jože Plečnik. Though it is of monumental proportions reminiscent of victory arches elsewhere, it in fact is quite utilitarian in nature: the lock gate is used to regulate the water level of the Ljubljanica in the city center.

Just across the street, facing the lock gate, is the old sugar factory, the Cukrarna (#20., Poljanski nasip 40 and Ambrožev trg 3). The factory was built in 1828, destroyed by fire in 1858 and again in 1872. It is composed of factory space and residential space, and even though the apartments are still inhabited, the factory section is deteriorating. However, in its golden age in the 1850s, the factory was the largest in Austria Hungary and made one-sixth of the empire’s sugar. Not far away, but in similarly dire condition, is the Roška barracks (#21., Vojaška Roška, corner of Poljanska and Roška). The barracks played an important role in the drive for Slovene independence in 1991, as they were the site of huge pro-independence rallies – the Roška demonstrations.

From the Cukrarna, walk back down Poljanski nasip in the direction of the center of town until you see Ulica Janeza Pavla II. Turn left, and continue until on your left you see the Church of St. Joseph (#22., Cerkev sv. Jožefa). Construction of this church began in 1912, but World War One brought work to a halt. After the war, Plečnik took over and worked on the building from 1922 until 1941 when it and Plečnik’s monumental St. Joseph Altar was finally consecrated. World War Two came quickly, however, and afterward the building was nationalized and used as a film studio. In 1996, it was restored and returned to the Church.

The area around the church is full of early 20th century residential villas, e.g., those at Zrinjskega ulica 4, 6 and 8, and Ulica stare pravde 5 and 9. One of the most impressive is Villa Elsa (#23., Ulica talcev 2). This one was built in 1909 and its façade is adorned with decorations based on traditional Slovene architecture – the timber gable and second-floor balcony, for example. Just across the street is a monument to 24 Slovenes taken hostage (Ulica talcev literally means “Street of Hostages”) by fascists killed on this spot.

Now, continue along Ulica talcev, and make a right onto Strossmayereva. At Poljanska cesta, turn left and continue until you hit Kopitarjeva. Just before the Dragon Bridge, on your right you will see the Printing House of the Catholic Press Society, now the Law Faculty (#24., Katoliška tiskarna / Pravna fakulteta, Poljanski nasip 2 and Kopitarjeva 6). This building dates from 1907 and was executed in Art Nouveau style. Just below the roof, look for the five relief portraits of a bearded man; they symbolize the printing trade. Just below them are the coats of arms of the five historic Slovene lands: Styria, Gorizia, Carinthia, Istria, Trieste and Carniola. The original print shop, like most industrial complexes in the city center, is architecturally similar to the residential and commercial buildings in the vicinity. Between 1957 and 1961, Edvard Ravnikar added a new printing facility, but all printing activities in the buildings came to a halt in the 1990s. Renovations were undertaken between 1997 and 2000, and today the printing house is the home to the University of Ljubljana Law Faculty and is one of the most successful examples of preservation of early industrial architectural heritage in the city.

And not far away is the end of the tour, Ljubljana's main marketplace and the Dragon Bridge (#25., Zmajski most), one of the city’s most prominent landmarks.