LJUBLJANA: Good things come in small packages

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   LJUBLJANA

G O O D  T H I N G S  C O M E  I N  S M A L L  P A C K A G E S

Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia, situated on the outfall of the
river Ljubljanica into the Sava, in central Slovenia, between the Alps
and the Mediterranean. 

It is one of Europe's smallest capital cities, at 265,881, but is also
one of Europe's most beautiful. Known as the 'Prague of Yugoslavia',
Ljubljana always maintained one of the highest standards of living in
the federation and served as an attractive place for residents
throughout the former Yugoslavia to build a life for themselves and
their families. Even today, Slovenia is home to some 30,000 Bosniaks
and tens of thousands more ethnic Serbs, Croats, Hungarians,
Macedonians, and Bulgarians.

Historians disagree as to where the name comes from. Although it is
commonly pointed out that it originates out of the Slovenian word
ljubljena (a feminine form of beloved), this is not known for certain.
The name may just as well have evolved from the Latin term for a
flooding river, aluviana. Some also believe the source of the
present-day name is Laburus, an old Slavonic deity and supposed patron
of the original settlement. And Laibach, the German name for the city,
may have borrowed itself from Laubach (a lukewarm beck, in German).

After receiving its town rights in 1220, Ljubljana came under Habsburg
rule in 1335, became the seat of the diocese in 1461, and developed
into a Slovenian cultural centre during the late Middle Ages.

The Habsburg rule was only interrupted by the Napoleonic wars, and
between 1809 and 1813 Ljubljana was the capital of the French Illyrian
provinces. In 1821 the city hosted the Congress of Laibach. While under
Austrian rule, Ljubljana was the capital of Carniola.

With the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, Ljubljana
became the seat of the Dravska banovina. In April 1941 it was occupied
by Italy and on February 23, 1942 Italians completely encircled it with
32 km of barbwire and thus effectively turned it into the largest war
camp in Europe with very restricted access through checkpoints.

For that Josip Broz Tito awarded Ljubljana in 1955 with the Hero City
title. Ljubljana was the first Yugoslav city to obtain this title.

After World War II it was the capital of the Yugoslav socialist
republic of Slovenia. Ljubljana remained the capital city when Slovenia
gained independence in 1991 after a ten day war with Serbian forces.

Ljubljana was devastated by earthquakes several times. After the
earthquake in 1511, Ljubljana was rebuilt in the Renaissance style, and
after the earthquake 1895 severely damaged the city, in Neo-Classicist
and Secession (Art Nouveau) styles. One of the main features of the
city, the pre-historic castle, is under going renovation. The city's
architecture is thus a mixture of styles. Large areas of city built
between the two world wars feature the work of native architect Jo�e
Plečnik.

Today Ljubljana is becoming increasingly
popular with foreign tourists and is expected to surpass Mostar
(Bosnia) and possibly tie Split (Croatia) in total numbers of visitors
very shortly.

It is the capital of the first former Yugoslav republic to join the European Union.

It remains one of the wealthiest cities in the former Yugoslava and -
despite being more readily accepted by Western Europe than any of the
other former Yugoslav capitals - to the delight of Croatians and
Bosnians, the city has remained loyal to its former friends. Slovenia
has even promised Bosnia and Herzegovina that it will do everything in
its power to rush its entry into the European Union.