The Križanke Outdoor Theatre (''Poletno gledališče Križanke'') is a theatre in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

, used for summer festivals set up inside the courtyard of the former Monastery of the Holy Cross. It is located at French Revolution Square (''Trg francoske revolucije'') no. 1. It was created by

Jože Plečnik Jože Plečnik () (23 January 1872 – 7 January 1957) was a Slovenian 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 a ...

in the 1950s within the confiscated former monastery especially for the Ljubljana Festival and the Secondary School for Design and Photography. Ljubljana Festival holds major events on the open-air stage, while other venues include the Baroque-style Križanke Church, the Knights' Hall (''Viteška dvorana'') and the Devil's Courtyard (''Peklensko dvorišče''). The amphitheatre-like southern courtyard with its large retractable canopy has since proved to be a superb venue for classical, jazz, and rock concerts. The venue is managed by the Festival Ljubljana Public Institute and is available for hire. The part of the former monastery premises, which is occupied by the Secondary School for Design and Photography, is used to host students interested in photography, graphics design, fashion, industrial arts and an art gymnasium. Because of the lack of space the school is also based on another location, on Roška cesta 2.

History

Construction of the original Monastery of the

Order of Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

at Križanke is believed to have commenced in 1228. The

1511 Idrija earthquake The 1511 Idrija earthquake ( or ) occurred on 26 March 1511 with a moment magnitude of 6.9 and a maximum EMS intensity of X (''very destructive''). The epicenter was near the town of Idrija (now in Slovenia), although some place it in ...

severely damaged the monastery buildings and they were partly rebuilt between 1567 and 1579. The original church was completely rebuilt in Baroque style between 1714 and 1715; it was designed by Venetian architect Domenico Rossi in a shape of a Greek cross, and was the first church of its kind in Slovenia. It has an ornate exterior and the gate area is accentuated with pilasters and a distinctive undulating dome. Slovene masters participated in the building process, including

Gregor Maček Sr. Gregor is a masculine given name. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: * Gregor (musician) (1898–1971), Armenian bandleader * Gregor Abel (born 1949), Scottish footballer * Gregor Adlercreutz (1898–1944), Swedish e ...

, who designed the current city hall. The

City Museum of Ljubljana The City Museum of Ljubljana () was established in 1935. It is housed in Turjak Palace at 15 Gentry Street () in the centre of Ljubljana. The museum offers various pedagogical activities for children and students between the ages of 5 and 18 and ...

keeps the original model of this church. The Knight's Hall was also built during the 18th century. Križanke continued to serve as a monastery until 1945, when the complex was nationalised. In 1952 representatives of the city of Ljubljana asked the architect

to remodel the now derelict monastery into a venue for Ljubljana Festival. Plečnik's last major contribution to the city (the works were completed in 1956) transformed the empty monastery into an open-air theatre and festival space. The complex's original Gothic details were gradually subsumed by Renaissance and Baroque elements, as can be seen in the main courtyard, which features shallow archways and exuberantly-coloured sgraffiti.

Music performances and festivals

A variety of musical performances take place at the Križanke, including Druga Godba, a festival of alternative and world music, from late May to early June.Steve Fallon Lonely Planet Slovenia 2010 Page 88 "Druga Godba (http://festival.drugagodba.si), a festival of alternative and world music, takes place in the Križanke from late May to early June."

References

External links

Ljubljana Festival websiteAbout Jože PlečnikApocalyptica in Križanke - article from ''Beat a go go'', and interview with Perttu KivilaaksoDruga Godba website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krizanke Buildings and structures in Ljubljana Jože Plečnik buildings Center District, Ljubljana Buildings and structures completed in 1956 20th-century architecture in Slovenia