The Road Goes Ever On

Friday, July 20, 2018

LjubLjana Skycraper

In 1933, the Balkans got their first skyscraper, a 12 story building in Ljubljana known simply as The Skycraper. It is sort of Modernisme in design, and we figured it would be a more interesting vantage point than the castle.

Massive atlantes at the building next door

On The Skyscraper

We chose the elevator instead

The city, looking across to the castle

OK, not all of Ljubljana is beautiful

Note big mountains, and storm, in background

Big theater

The Two Towers

The beautiful art nuvo PO; in the background, apartment
blocks from a different era

Just a smidge of the Triple Bridge

Ljubljana's Plecnik Sites

Some of them. Josez Pleznik was a Ljubljana resident who studied architecture with Otto Wagner in Vienna, did some important work there, then some in Prague, then returned to his native city to finish out his career there, mostly undertaking the re-design of the city's public spaces after an 1895 earthquake. He is revered in Ljubljana, sort of like Gaudi in Barcelona or Mucha in Prague or Horta in Brussels. We were not so impressed, but we did spend some time searching out and looking at some of his work.

Originally, the Ursuline HS that Plecnik designed; later
named for him; Vicki thought the iron doors were interesting

Plecnik's Cobbler's Bridge

Information concerning which, just in case you, like I, don't
quite get it; he was really into columns, classical stuff; in
fact, the town is littered with columns and such he left behind

Now we're at the Triple Bridge; at Preseren Square, where six roads meet and
have to cross the river; Plecnik's solution was to add two more bridges, side
by side; impossible to photograph except from above; sort of like Malfunction
Junction in Missoula

Beginning of his Central Markets structure; classical, no?

Another stray column left behind

Another bit of the Triple Bridge

Behind one of the main churches, another Plecnik tidbit

Plecnik's lifelong love, his Beatrice, his Dulcinea, if you prefer...she married
well, that is, not him

By one of the churches; note column

Maybe a kind of phallic thing?

More Central Market

Note stray column

Lunch view of Triple Bridge

Plecnik's masteripiece (they say), the National University Library Building;
connecting this with the other work we saw and with the Secessionist tradition
he grew out of remains to this day not well understood, at least by me

Pic of a pic: reading room: we are so sorry about the Macintosh building fires
in Glasgow....

OK, some of the interiors connect

Note columns

Exterior view of entrance

Ground up exterior view: a rock-climber's Paradiso...
top-belayed, bail-outs on every floor, nicely-spaced
footholds and handholds...a 5.8-5.9, I'd say

Note nearby stray column

Ljubljana's Metelkova

It reminded us of Christiana, in Copenhagen. A bit. But in Metelkova, fotos are permitted and there were no drug deals going on in plain view. Metelkova is the area comprising the old Austrian army barracks, now colonized into an "arts" district. Rather more fun to visit by night than by day, I suppose, but we're too old for that. Even by day it was, um, fun to see.