Ljubljana

It was the Roman town Iulia Aemona

Ljubljana, the capital of the Republic of Slovenia, is the political, cultural and economic centre of the country. Ljubljana has a population of 330,000 and is known for its diverse cultural life, fine architecture, and heritage. Ljubljana castle dominates the cityscape - a document from 1112 to 1125 mentions a castle built on the hill in the ninth century. The city emblem is the green dragon on the castle. 
The city is located centrally in the vast Ljubljana basin, the region called Central Slovenia, at the intersection of the route from northern Europe to Italy and the Adriatic Sea, and from western Europe to the East.  Slovenia has newly regionalised into twelve divisions: Primorska, Notranjska, Goriška, Central Slovenia, Dolenjska, Zasavje, Posavje, Savinjsko, Koroška, Poravje, Pomurje.
It has a legacy from all periods of its history; from Roman Emona; to the Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau periods. In the 20th century, Ljubljana was shaped by the architecture and urban design of Jože Plečnik.
There is evidence of village settlements (the Copper Age, 2,300-1,800BC) in the marshes of Ljubljana, where lake-dwellers lived. The world’s oldest wheel was found in the marshes in 2002, dating between 3250 to 3100BC. It was first known as the Roman town Iulia Aemona (Emona) around 50AD. Ljubljana was one of the main commercial centres on Hapsburg territory, as the capital of Carniola during the fourteenth century. It was ruled by the Hapsburg monarchy, from 1335 until 1914. After 1918 when Slovenia became a member state of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, cultural and educational bodies were founded; the National Gallery in 1918, and the University of Ljubljana in 1919, and the Academy of Sciences and Arts (1938). Over 10,000 cultural events take place in the city every year, among which there are ten international festivals. The Cankarjev Dom Cultural and Congress Centre alone hosts annually around 1,000 cultural events.

Learning activities

1. Design a tour map
Text-type: map
Linguistic element: noun  - proper
Using the map of the city draw a tour plan for a day’s walking tour of the city centre - indicating the names of the landmarks to be visited
http://www.ljubljana-calling.com/#

2. Write a tour program
Text-type: tour program
Linguistic element: noun - locative case
Write a complete two days tour program of the highlights of the city
http://www.ljubljana-calling.com/#

3. Produce a tourist brochure
Text-type: tourist brochure
Linguistic element: tourist brochure
design a brochure on the many attractions of the city
http://www.ljubljana.si/en/tourism/

4. Write a letter
Text-type: letter/email
Linguistic element: verb - past tense
Write a letter to a friend about your sight-seeing in Ljubljana
http://www.ljubljana.si/en/tourism/

5. Script a telephone call
Text-type: telephone call
Linguistic element: adjective
Script a phone-call of a talk with a friend about performances and events which are listed at Cankarjev dom 
http://www.cd-cc.si/_Cankarjev_Dom/prvastran/index.php
 
6. Record a diary entry
Text-type: diary
Linguistic element: preposition
In a diary entry, write about your  experiences as a visitor in Ljubljana
http://www.ljubljana-calling.com/

Comprehension - Reading and Responding

Read the Slovenian version of texts  ‘History of Ljubljana’ from the web site, ‘Ljubljana’
History of Ljubljana

Answer the following questions in English.
1. When were the Ljubljana marshes settled by the lake-dwellers?
2. What is the earliest name of present day Ljubljana?
3. Which books did Primož Trubar publish in 1550, and what was their significance?
4. What does Congress Square commemorate?
5. What occurred in Ljubljana during Napoleonic rule?
6. What is the name of the new political state of Yugoslavia in 1918?
7. When did Slovenia gain full independence?

Resources

Websites
http://www.arhmuz.com/eng/index.htm
http://www.cd-cc.si/_Cankarjev_Dom/prvastran/index.php
http://geocities.com/ljubljanalife/index.htm
http://www.ijs.si/slo/ljubljana/
http://www.ljubljana-calling.com/
http://www.ljubljana.si/
http://www.ljubljanskigrad.com
http://www.napovednik.com/
http://www.randburg.com/si/ljubljana.html
http://www.ravespace.net/party.html
http://www.slovenia-tourism.si/
http://www.thezaurus.com/sloveniana/index.htm
 
Videos
Kamniti Pygmalion, Jože Plečnik, RTV Slovenija, 1992

Books
Božič, D, Zakladi Tisočletij, Modrijan, Ljubljana, 1999
Čepič, T, Urban Development of Ljubljana, Municipal Museum of Ljubljana, 1997
Čopič, S, Ljubljansko kiparstvo na prostem, Državna založba Slovenije, Ljubljana, 1991
Drnovšek, Marjan, Ljubljana na starih fotografijah, Zgodovinksi arhiv Ljubljana, 1985
Fallon, S, Slovenia, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, 2004
Gosar, A, Jeršič, M, Slovenia, the Tourist Guide, Mladinska knjiga, Ljubljana, 1999
Kladnik, D, Ljubljanske Metamorfoze, LUXURIA, Ljubljana, 1991
Kladnik, D, Sto Muzejev na slovenskem, Prešernova družba, Ljubljana, 1998
Krečič, P Jože Plečnik - moderni klasik, DZS, Ljubljana, 1999
Krečič, P, Plečnik's Ljubljana, Cankarjeva založba, Ljubljana, 1991
Mihelič, B, Ljubljana in okolica A - Z: priročnik za popotnika in poslovnega človeka, Pomurska založba, Murska Sobota, 1996
Mihelič, B, Ljubljana City Guide, DZS, Ljubljana, 1994
Skoberne, P, Ljubljanica - vodnik, Mladinska knjiga, Ljubljana, 2004
Stanonik, M, Bela Ljubljana, Kmečki Glas, Ljubljana, 2001
Šumi, N, Po baročni spomenikov Slovenije, Zavod Republike Slovenije, Ljubljana, 1992

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