Ljubljana Life

Art Nouveau Ljubljana

Ljubljana Walking Tour #4: Miklošičeva cesta

by brian požun, september 2006

After the huge earthquake of 1895, Ljubljana’s mayor, Ivan Hribar (mayor 1896 to 1910) spearheaded a large-scale rebuilding effort. Hribar was a Slovene nationalist and gave key projects to Slavic architects, particularly the Bosnian Josip Vancaš and the Slovenes Cyril Metod Koch and Maks Fabiani. Fabiani in particular was quite influential in Ljubljana, though he lived and worked in Vienna. It was he who introduced the Austrian Secessionist (Art Nouveau) style to the city, following the fashions of the Austrian capital. His key contribution to the rebuilding effort was Slovenski trg (now Miklošičev trg), the centerpiece of Ljubljana’s Art Nouveau district.

The Art Nouveau style, alternately called Jungendstil, Modern Style, Ecole de Nancy, Glasgow Style, Liberty Style, Modernism and Secession, arose around the turn of the 20^th century. In many areas, including in the Slovene lands within Austria-Hungary, it became entwined with local nationalisms and was seen in many cases as a national style whose use carried a political subtext. In Ljubljana, nationally-conscious Slovenes used the style politically, using the Art Novueau style to contrast the Historicist style preferred by the German community that controlled the city until the election of Hribar in 1896.

Art Nouveau is hard to pin down, since the movement encompassed various aesthetics in nearly all arts active at the time. The key element of the style is elaborate decoration inspired by motifs from nature, folklore, exotic lands and geometry. The first important Secessionist construction in Ljubljana, the Zmajski most (Dragon Bridge), was built in 1900-1901 and the style was used for almost 100 other structures in the city.

This tour of Ljubljana’s Art Nouveau landmarks starts at the corner of Slovenska cesta and Trdinova ulica, in front of the Apartment houses of the Agricultural Loan Bank (Stanovanjski stavbi Kmecke posojilnice, Trdinova 2 and 8). These two buildings were built between 1906 and 1907 by Ciril Metod Koch. The facades of both are virtually identical, and feature colorful flower motifs and decorative tiles.

Turn the corner and walk down Cigaletova ulica to the corner of Tavčarjeva ulica. Here, you find Pirc House (Cigaletova 5), built in 1905-1906 for Dr. Maks Pirc. Just across Tavčarjeva is Čuden House (Cigaletova 3), and nextdoor along Cigaletova is Pogačnik House (Cigaletova 1). Both were built in 1901 by Ciril Metod Koch. Though he designed them simultaneously, they use differnent veins of the Viennese Secession: Čuden House was executed in the decorative style favored by Joseph Maria Olbrich, while Pogačnik House was done in the plainer style of Otto Wagner.

From here, round the corner and walk down Dalmatinska ulica. Deghenghi House (Dalmatinova 5 and 7) is another of Koch’s buildings – two buildings, actually – which dates from 1904. The two were commissioned by industrialist Anton Deghenghi, and are virtually identical. Though Dalmatinova 5 is in poor condition, at least the ground floor of Dalmatinova 7 has been freshly painted in bright yellow and orange.

Next door is Robert Smielowski’s House (Dalmatinova 3). Built in 1903 by Smielowsky, this building features an iconic blue and white checkerboard tile pattern and a front door resembling Otto Wagner’s Karlsplatz subway station in Vienna. From a distance, this building is striking; up close, however, it is clearly not in the best shape. Also poorly maintained is the Agricultural Savings Bank (Kmetska posojlnica, Dalmatinova 1), next door. This one was built in 1906 by Koch.

Turn the corner and walk up Slovenska to the corner of Tavčarjeva, where you find Hribar House (Tavčarjeva 2). This building was built in 1903 according to plans by Fabiani and its original owner was Ljubljana’s mayor, Ivan Hribar. Though the façade is not overly ornamented, it does feature a number of lion heads and an undulating surface. Unfortunately, the building today is in poor condition. Next door is Vodnik House (Tavčarjeva 4), another Koch building, this time from 1902-1903.

Now walk down Tavčarjeva and before you is the Courthouse (Sodišče, Tavčarjeva 9). This enormous building does not feature Art Novuea architecture, but it dominates the area and forms the northern end of Miklošičev Park. The neoclassicist builting went up between 1892 and 1902, and an additional storey was added in 1905 according to plans by architect Josip Costaperaria.

Directly across the street from the courthouse, sitting in Miklošičev Park, is a statue of Slavist Franc Miklošič (1813-1891), which sits on a pedestal originally made for a 1903 monument to Austro-Hungarian emperor Franz Joseph. Miklošičev Park itself was designed in 1900 by Maks Fabiani and was originally called Slovenski trg (Slovene Square), and during the Socialist period it was called Karl Marx Park.

Keep walking along Tavčarjeva and cross Miklošičva. Here on the corner is Krisper House (Miklošičeva 20), the former home of lawyer Valentin Krisper. This building was executed by Fabiani in 1900-1901 as part of his overall plan for Slovene Square, and was intended to serve as a model for the other buildings he envisioned would surround the square. Like Krisper House, all of the buildings were intended to be of four storeys and to feature corner towers.

If you continue down Tavčarjeva, you will find several Art Nouveau apartment houses, at numbers 10, 11, 13 and 15. It is Tavčarjeva 11 that is most interesting, with its painted strip across the top of the façade showing blooming roses, foliage and sunflowers.

Walk back out to Miklošičeva and turn left. Regali House (Miklošičeva 18) was designed in 1904-1906 by Fran Berneker, the sculptor who produced Ljubljana’s primary Art Nouveau public sculpture, the monument to Primož Trubar on the edge of Tivoli park near the Serbian Orthodox Church. Pay close attention to the front doors: they are bronze, and feature allegorical representations of Day and Night. Berneker designed not only the building but also the doors and the two statues at the top of the façade.

Now continue down Miklošičeva and cross Dalmatinova. On the corner is Bamberg House (Miklošičeva 16). Built in 1907 by Fabiani, this was the home of prominent Ljubljana businessman Ottomar Bamberg, a publisher and printer. A bookshop originally occupied the ground floor. Ceramic reliefs of bearded men symbolizing the printing industry feature prominently onto the upper portion of the façade. Along Dalmatinova, next door is the Kleinmayr and Bamberg Printing House (Tiskarna I. Kleinmayr in O. Bamberg, Dalmatinova 8), built in 1907. It is no longer used for printing and is in poor condition, but nevertheless is an interesting aside. Across Miklošičeva from Bamberg House is also Tertnik House (Dalmatinova 9), built in 1910-1911.

On the corner of Dalmatinova and Miklošičeva, turn left. Across the street is the Mutual Loan Bank (Vzjamena posojilnica, Miklošičeva 7), which dates from 1922. Though this is perhaps not the most interesting building in the city, some of the best Art Nouveau buildings in town are just a few more steps down Miklošičeva. The Cooperative Bank (Zadružna gospodarska banka, Miklošičeva 8) was a late addition to Art Nouveau Ljubljana, built by architect Ivan Vurnik only in 1922. Vurnik was keenly interested in founding a Slovene national style in architecture, and this building is the key structure in that effort. His wife, Helena, was a painter, and helped to develop the patterns on both the façade and the building’s interior. Unfortunately, this building is no longer open to the public.

The apartment house (Miklošičeva 6) designed by Robert Smielowski in 1903-4 next door also has some Art Nouveau details, but is overall not nearly as impressive as either the Cooperative Bank or the People’s Loan Bank (#21., Ljudska posojilnica, Miklošičeva 4) on its other side. The People’s Loan Bank dates from 1907 and is the work of Sarajevo architect Josip Vancaš. The façade features bees and ants, symbols of banking and finance, and the two seated figures at the top of the façade carry a purse and a beehive, respectively, continuing the motif. Be sure to check the lobby for an impressive stained glass panel dated 1921.

Across the street is another of Vancaš's creations, the Hotel Union (Miklošičeva 1). Built in 1903-1905, the hotel was the city’s first modern hotel and its largest building. The hotel’s events hall was the largest in the Balkans. Though much of the original interior was lost during renovation and expansion in the 1970s, a 1998 renovation by architect Jože Dobrin brought back as much as possible. Vancaš designed not only the building itself but also the furnishings and fittings.

Etched glass panels were an important part of Art Nouveau design, but unfortunately only rare examples remain in Ljubljana. The Hotel Union, however, features a number of them in its lobby and elsewhere which are of exceptionally high quality. The Hotel is also a rare example of a nearly perfectly preserved Art Nouveau interior in Ljubljana. The lobby is a must-see, and any of the hotel’s several cafes and restaurants are good options if you want to sit down and take a break. Another option is Café Gaudi (Nazorjeva 10), just around the corner, which is dedicated to the Barcelona-based Art Nouveau master Anton Gaudi.

After your break, or if you are continuing on, walk along Miklošičeva to the bottom of the street, where it meets Prešernov trg. Here, right on the corner of Miklošičeva and Trubarjeva is Centromerkur (Trubarjeva 1). This was built between 1902 and 1904 as the first department store in Ljubljana. Though the side facades are examples of Viennese Secession, the front door and its canopy were clearly influenced by French and Belgian strains of Art Nouveau, as was the interior of the main sales hall. The interior of the main hall remains as it was, and is a rare example of a preserved Art Nouveau interior in Ljubljana. The statue above the ceremonial staircase is an allegorical representation of Crafts while the statue above the main façade represents Mercury, the Greek god of trade and commerce. The building is also known as Urbanc House, after Felix Urbanc, the original owner.

Ljubljana’s central Prešeren Square (Prešernov trg) spreads out before Centromerkur. Originally, the square laid at the edge of medieval Ljubljana, in front of the city gates. Across the square is Hauptman House (Wolfova 2). Originally built in 1873, this building was renovated by Koch in 1904 in the Secession style, even though it was only slightly damaged in the 1895 earthquake. The colorful façade, standard for Viennese Secession architecture, was perhaps influenced by the fact that the buildings owner at the time was a paint merchant, Adolf Hauptmann.

To the right of Hauptman House is Frisch House (Prešernov trg 3), slightly set back from the square at the entrance to Čopova. Together with the apartment building around the corner at Wolfova 10, this was the first building in Ljubljana to bear Art Nouveau features. Both buildings date from the late 1890s. Though the spread of Art Nouveau in the Slovene lands ultimately took a slower pace than in Vienna, these two buildings were built at exactly the same time as the first Art Nouveau structures in the Austrian capital.

Further along Čopova is the last stop on the tour, and perhaps the most important: the City Savings Bank (Mestna hranilnica, Čopova 3). When the bank was founded in 1882, all of the banks in town were run by the local German community; this was the first to be run by Slovenes. This building was built between 1903 and 1904 by Vanca š. The exterior features the last remaining original Art Nouveau signboard in the city (it reads “Mestna hranilnica Ljubljana” or City Savings Bank Ljubljana), while the interior (accessible to the public – take a look!) is an Art Nouveau showpiece. Like Urbanc House nearby on Pre šeren Square, the entrance was based on French and Belgian styles, as was the signboard. Though the original interior was lost over the years, the current chandeliers, furniture, etched glass and other fittings were remade according to the original design.

Links:

Reseau Art Novueau Network: http://www.artnouveau-net.com/

Art Nouveau in Ljubljana: http://www.ljubljana.si/en/tourism/sights/art_nouveau/default.html

Guided Tour through Art Nouveau Ljubljana: http://www.ljubljana.si/en/tourism/tourist_services/guided_tours/themed_tours/art_nouveau_tour/default.html