The Robba Fountain (), since the first half of the 20th century also known as the ''Fountain of the Three Carniolan Rivers'' (), is the fountain that stands in front of

Ljubljana Town Hall Ljubljana Town Hall (, also known as or simply or ) is the town hall in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, is the seat of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located at Town Square in the city centre close to Ljubljana Cathedral. The or ...

Town Square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

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

, the capital of

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 ...

. It was originally made in 1751 by the Italian sculptor Francesco Robba and is one of the city's most recognisable symbols.

History

The fountain was commissioned to Francesco Robba in 1743, but was unveiled only in 1751. In its creation, Robba was inspired by

Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, ; ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor ...

's '' Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi'' (Fountain of the Four Rivers) at Piazza Navona during a visit to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, but he modelled it after '' Fontana del Pantheon'', the fountain by Filippo Barigioni at Piazza della Rotonda. In 2006, the original fountain was renovated and moved into the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

, whereas at Town Square it has been replaced by a replica.

Description

The fountain consists of three male figures with jugs, which came several years after the fountain's creation to supposedly represent the gods of the three rivers of

Carniola Carniola ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Although as a whole it does not exist anymore, Slovenes living within the former borders of the region still tend to identify with its traditional parts Upp ...

: the

Ljubljanica The Ljubljanica (), known in the Middle Ages as the ''Leybach'', 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 ...

Sava The Sava, is a river in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. From its source in Slovenia it flows through Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally reac ...

and Krka, and later as well the three territorial units of Carniola:

Upper Carniola Upper Carniola ( ; ; ) is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The largest town in the region is Kranj, and other urban centers include Kamnik, Jesenice, Jesenice, Jesenice, Domžale and ...

Lower Carniola Lower Carniola ( ; ) is a traditional region in 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 an ...

, and

Inner Carniola Inner Carniola ( ; ) is a traditional region of Slovenia, the southwestern part of the larger Carniola region. It comprises the Hrušica (plateau), Hrušica karst plateau up to Postojna Gate, bordering the Slovenian Littoral (the Goriška, Gor ...

. Steps that lead up to the fountain represent the Carniolan mountains. The water pool has a shape of a shell. In the center of the fountain stands a

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

. The sculptural part of the fountain is made of Carrara marble, the obelisk is made of the local Lesno Brdo marble and the pool is made of local Podpeč limestone.

Cultural significance

After Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia, the Robba Fountain was portrayed by Rudi Španzel on the 5,000 Slovenian tolar banknote. It was in circulation from December 1993 until the introduction of the

euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

in January 2007. Since 2001, the fountain has been protected as a cultural monument of national significance.

References

External links

* {{Ljubljana Buildings and structures in Ljubljana Buildings and structures completed in 1751 Fountains in Slovenia Center District, Ljubljana Cultural monuments of Slovenia Baroque architecture in Slovenia Baroque sculptures