Congress Square

Congress Square

UNESCO World Heritage Site
View of Congress Square towardsLjubljana Castle
Location	Slovenia
Part of	The works of Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana – Human Centred Urban Design
Criteria	Cultural: (iv)
Reference	1643
Inscription	2021 (44thSession)

Congress Square(Slovene:Kongresni trg) is one of the central squares inLjubljana,the capital ofSlovenia.In the late 1930s, the square was renovated by the prominentSlovenearchitectJože Plečnik.Since August 2021, it has been inscribed as part of Plečnik's legacy on theUNESCO World Heritage List.

History

The square was built in 1821 at the site of the ruins of a medievalCapuchinmonastery, which had been abolished during the reign ofHabsburgEmperorJoseph II.The square was used for ceremonial purposes during the post-NapoleonicCongress of Ljubljana,after which it was named. After the congress, a park was laid out in the center of the square, which soon acquired the name Star Park (Slovene:Park Zvezda,German:Sternallee) due to its layout. During thecommunist periodit was renamed Revolution Square (Slovene:Trg revolucije) and a few years later Liberation Square (Slovene:Trg osvoboditve), but the local population continued to use the old name. In 1990, it regained its original name.

The square has had a highly symbolic role in modernSlovenian history.On October 29, 1918, independence fromAustrian-Hungarianrule and the establishment of theState of Slovenes, Croats and Serbswas proclaimed during a mass demonstration on the square. In May 1945, theYugoslavCommunistleaderJosip Broz Titofirst visited Slovenia afterWorld War IIand held a speech on the balcony of theUniversity of Ljubljana,which faces the square.

On June 22, 1988, the first free mass demonstration was held on the square demanding the release of fourSlovene journalists imprisoned by the Yugoslav army.The demonstration marked the beginning of theSlovenian springwhich culminated in the declaration of Slovenia's independence on June 25, 1991. Independence was first demanded in theMay Declaration,written by theSlovenian democratic oppositionand signed by numerous civil society movements; the declaration was first publicly read by the poetTone Pavčekin a demonstration on Congress Square on May 8, 1989. In 1999Bill Clintonbecame the firstU.S. presidentto visit Slovenia. On June 21, he publicly addressed the crowd gathered on Congress Square, quoting the opening verses of theSlovenian national anthem.

Gallery

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  Congress Square in the first half of the 19th century
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  Proclamation of theState of Slovenes, Croats and Serbson October 29, 1918

Buildings and monuments

Several important buildings face the square. Among them, there is the earlyBaroqueUrsuline Church of the Holy Trinity,theCasino Building,one of the fewNeoclassicalbuildings remaining in Ljubljana afterthe earthquake of 1895,theSlovenian Philharmonicbuilding, and the rectorate of theUniversity of Ljubljana,formerly the seat of the Provincial Diet of theDuchy of Carniola.TheSlovenska maticapublishing house also has its seat on the square.

In 1852, a full length statue of theAustrianfield marshalJoseph Radetzkywas erected in the square. It depicted Radetzky in the battle against the Italian army encouraging his soldiers. The statue was removed six years later, after Radetzky's death, because the town councillors found out that a cast was not decent enough for a monument. In 1860, they erected in a ceremony a bust statue created by the Austrian sculptorAnton Dominik Fernkorn.It was almost two meters high and made of bronze, and was the first representative public statue. The field marshal was depicted highly realistically in his suit with decorations and a laurel wreath as a symbol of victory and glory. The statue was meant to reflect the loyalty to theHabsburgcrown and was the place of all events on a high level in Ljubljana, but also the meeting place for drunk citizens at night. The statue was removed by "patriots" in the night of the December 30, 1918, after the collapse of Austria-Hungary and the end of World War II, and later placed in theNational Museum.

In the frame of Plečnik's renovation prior to World War II, new trees were planted in the park, most of which are still there today. In 1940, an equestrian statue of KingAlexander I of Yugoslaviacreated by the architectLojze Dolinarwas erected in the middle of the square. In 1941, the statue was removed by theFascist Italianoccupation forces. In 1954, after the formal annexation of Zone B of theFree Territory of Triesteto Yugoslavia, an anchor was placed in the park to symbolize victory overItalianexpansionismand the union of theSlovenian Littoralwith the rest of Slovenia.

Several other monuments also stand on the square: Jože Plečnik's memorial to the women who protested against the political imprisonment of Slovene patriots during the Italian occupation of theProvince of Ljubljana,a fountain with drinking water designed by the architectBoris Kobe,and a replica of a goldenRomanmonument found among the ruins ofEmona.ABiedermeierbandstandfrom the 1830s also stands in the park.

In December 2004, the artistMatej Andraž Vogrinčičset up an "Enchanted Forest" in the square consisting of 1,000 potted fir trees. The trees were later donated to the Slovene Forestry Institute, which used them to reforest areas in the northwest of the country

Gallery

• 
  Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinityand the Holy Trinity Column
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  Seat of theUniversity of Ljubljana,formerly theCarniolanState Mansion
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  Slovenian Philharmonic
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  Casino Building
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  TheSlovene Societybuilding
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  Park bandstand
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  The anchor monument
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  Replica of The Emona Citizen