The Ljubljana Central Market ( sl, Osrednja ljubljanska tržnica) is a market in

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

. The riverside market building, sometimes referred to as Plečnik's Market ( sl, Plečnikova tržnica), was designed by

Jože Plečnik Jože Plečnik () (23 January 1872 – 7 January 1957) was a Slovene architect who had a major impact on the modern architecture of Vienna, Prague and of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, most notably by designing the iconic Triple Bridge an ...

between 1931 and 1939. It stretches between the Triple Bridge and the Dragon Bridge, on the right bank of the

Ljubljanica The Ljubljanica (), known in the Middle Ages as the ''Sava'', is a river in the southern part of the Ljubljana Basin in Slovenia. The capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, lies on the river. The Ljubljanica rises south of the town of Vrhnika and flow ...

River.Ljubljana Life Magazine
, retrieved 5 October 2010 The marketplace and

Vodnik Square Vodnik Square ( sl, Vodnikov trg) is a town square in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It spans the area from the Dragon Bridge across Pogačar Square () to the Triple Bridge. It is named after Valentin Vodnik, a Slovene priest, journalist, ...

( sl, Vodnikov trg), where it is located, are cultural monuments of national significance. It is partly located at Adamič and Lunder Embankment () and at Pogačar Square ().

History

The 1895 earthquake destroyed an old monastery with a diocesan college for girls. After the damaged building was removed,

provided a venue for an outdoor market. The present market building, designed by the architect

, was built between 1940 and 1942 by Matko Curk's company. It originally had an area of . The design of the complex reflects

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

influences. It was conceived as a two-storey market hall following the curve of the river. On the side overlooking the river the market halls have large semi-circular windows, while the street side is defined by a colonnade.Ljubljana Tourism
retrieved 5 October 2010 In order to provide views of the river, the building is interrupted with two open-columned

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...

s. The roof is covered with concrete tiles. Plečnik planned to fill the middle gap between the market halls with a monumental covered bridge to connect to the Petkovšek Embankment (), but his design was never built. His plans for a bridge were finally fulfilled in July 2010, when the newly designed

Butchers' Bridge The Butchers' Bridge ( sl, Mesarski most) is a footbridge crossing the river Ljubljanica in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It connects the Ljubljana Central Market and the Petkovšek Embankment (). The bridge was solemnly opened on 10 July ...

was inaugurated.

Market

The market is open daily except for Sundays. It has a flower market at the junction of Pogačar Square and Vodnik Square, a

fish market A fish market is a marketplace for selling fish and fish products. It can be dedicated to wholesale trade between fishermen and fish merchants, or to the sale of seafood to individual consumers, or to both. Retail fish markets, a type of wet ma ...

and dried fruit on the lower level of the market hall and bakery, dairy and meat stalls on both levels. The colonnade at the Triple Bridge end provides shelter for stalls selling herbs, spices, and arts and crafts.

Legal status

From October 2008, the market was provisionally protected by the Slovenian Ministry of Culture under Vasko Simoniti as a cultural monument of national importance. The decree was annulled by his successor Majda Širca in February 2009. In March 2012, the protection at the state level was reenacted by Žiga Turk for one year with the protection of the Vodnik Square Archaeological Site. It has been disputed by the

City Municipality of Ljubljana The City Municipality of Ljubljana (), also the City of Ljubljana ( sl, Mestna občina Ljubljana, acronym MOL) is one of twelve city and metropolitan municipalities in Slovenia. Its seat is Ljubljana, the largest and capital city of Slovenia. , i ...

, aiming to build a

parking garage A multistorey car park ( British and Singapore English) or parking garage (American English), also called a multistory, parking building, parking structure, parkade (mainly Canadian), parking ramp, parking deck or indoor parking, is a bui ...

under it, since June 2012 at the Slovenian Constitutional Court. The protection has been endorsed by the civil initiative We're Not Giving Up the Market ().

References

External links

* {{Ljubljana Central Market World Heritage Sites in Slovenia Retail markets in Slovenia Central Market Central Market Jože Plečnik buildings Commercial buildings completed in 1942 1942 establishments in Yugoslavia