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Ljubljana
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Capital
of the Republic of Slovenia
On
the flat surface of the Ljubljana Basin and the Ljubljana
barje moor, Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, spreads
between Rožnik Hill and Castle Hill and along
the Ljubljanica River. Archeology places the first
settlement in this area in the period two thousand
years B.C. In the early years of our millennium, the
Romans arrived, and their military encampment, soon
named lulia Emona, developed into the flourishing
city,
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The Romans
were driven out by the Huns, and the next more permanent settlement
dates from the early Middle Ages. In 1144, the name "Laibach"
appeared in documents, and two years later, "Luwigana."
In the second half of the 13th century, Ljubljana
become the capital of the Province of Carniola and in 1335 fell
under Hapsburg rule. In
1511, the city suffered an earthquake, and the renovation brought
seeds of the Renaissance.
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Protestantism
and the Reformation brought the first secondary school,
a public library, a printing house, the first Slovene
books, and general spiritual progress to the city,
while the Counter-Reformation brought a certain spiritual
stagnation and the new Baroque style. Before the end
of the century, in 1593, the city was besieged by
the Turks, but its citizens successfully fought off
the attacks.
The
eighteenth century was a fertile period: the Cathedral
and Francesco Robba’s Three Carniolan Rivers fountain
were erected, and the Philharmonic Academy, one of
the oldest music institutions in Europe, was founded.
The beginning of the 19th century saw the
city occupied by the French, and Ljubljana became
the capital of Napoleon’s short-lived Illyrian Provinces.
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The city expanded, culture
developed, and the first post-secondary school was established.
In 1849, the first train arrived in Ljubljana from Vienna, and
eight years later, the line to Trieste was completed. Another
major earthquake struck in 1895, but what at first seemed a
disaster brought a number of innovations: modern city planning,
new buildings, the first electric street lights (1898), and
the first tramway (1901). World War I saw the breakup of Hapsburg
Austria-Hungary, and Ljubljana formally became the administrative
and political center of Slovenia within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
In the period before World War II, the National Gallery and
the Academy of Sciences and Arts were founded, and the genius
of architect Jože Plečnik left its mark on the city.
An attractive promenade now circles the city on the line where
the city was encircled by barbed wire by the occupying forces
during World War II. In 1991, Ljubljana became the capital of
independent Slovenia. Compared with other world capitals, Ljubljana
is "a city on a human scale"; though of medium size,
it has everything that other capitals have and even more. It
has a soul and vivacity, freshness, openness, and warmth.
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