Ljubljana, a City by Heart

Nowadays there are many studies, researches and publications about Jože Plečnik’s work, as well as there are many authors who contributed to the knowledge and divulgation of the great Slovenian master work.

The text in here, driven in this track, does not have the pretension to add brand new revelations about his work, but using the past litterature, it tries to underline the contemporaneity of his lesson, into urban transformations of the last thirty years’ Ljubljana.

The same transformations which allowed Ljubljana to be awarded with prestigious international prizes, such as the European Prize for Public Space (2012) and the one for the Green European Capital (2016).

A result achieved by continuing the original urban vision traced by Plečnik in the city modifications plan and its many projects left as an inheritance. This heritage seemed to be precious for the intelligent work of the new administrators of the municipality whom, starting from the sensibility of authoritative experts such as Janez Koželj, have returned to the Slovenian capital its original splendor.

They are an integrative part of this story: the presentation of Jurij Kobe, the conversation with Janez Koželj himself and the contribution of Miha Dešman; as well as the photos of Ljubljana, taken by Luigi Ghirri in 1988 (kindly provided free of charge for this pubblication by the heirs) and the final photographic reportage, on the city today, created by Sergio Camplone in 2018.

The publication enclose a map of Ljubljana, folded as a cover, which shows the main works of Plečnik together with contemporary architecture.