Kongresni Trg, Ljubljana, Slovenia

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❖Kongresni Trg, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2011[open in full screen]

Previous Presernov Trg, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Congress Square is one of the central squares in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. The square was built in 1821 at the site of the ruins of a medieval Capuchin monastery which had been abolished during the reign of Hapsburg emperor Joseph II. The square was used for ceremonial purposes during the congress of Ljubljana.

After the congress, attempt of the European powers in 1821 to settle international problems after the Napoleonic wars, a park was laid out in the center of the square, which soon acquired the name star park due to its layout.

During the socialist period it was renamed Liberation square, 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 modern Slovenian history. On october 29, 1918, independence from Austrian-Hungarian rule and the establishment of the state of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs [later renamed Yugoslavia] was proclaimed during a mass demonstration on the square. [photo bellow right]

In may 1945, the Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito first visited Slovenia after World War II and held a speech on the balcony of the university of Ljubljana, which faces the square.

On June 22, 1988, the first free mass demonstration was held on the square demanding the release of four Slovene journalists imprisoned by the Yugoslav government. The demonstration marked the beginning of the Slovenian spring which culminated in the declaration of Slovenia's independence on June 25, 1991.

Independence was first demanded in the May Declaration, and it was first publicly read by the poet Tone Pavcek on this square on may 8, 1989.

In 1999 Bill Clinton became the first U.S. president to visit Slovenia. On that occasion he publicly addressed the crowd gathered on Congress square, quoting the opening verses of the Slovenian national anthem.

Square is frequently visited and used by both locals and visitors due to its central city location.

It was renovated in 2011 and this mass gathering function is now lost, is that intentional?

MEANDER ⇢ Revitalized Squares

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❖..c l a s s i f i c a t i o n ... s y s t e m..❖
more about evaluation method		more about types of squares
sociability	9	ceremonial	x
uses & activities	9	religious	x
access & linkages	8	social	x
comfort	8	residential	x
image	9	courtyard	x
tourist value	10	with park	x
total	53	street, shopping	x