Prešeren Square, where Ljubljana arranges to meet

The poet of the anthem

The statue is of France Prešeren, Slovenia’s greatest poet, who lived in the first half of the 19th century. According to the Tourist Board, his work did a great deal to strengthen the Slovenes’ sense of nationhood and cultural identity, and after independence his poem «Zdravljica», a toast, became the country’s anthem.

His life comes with a love story that Ljubljana enjoys telling. Prešeren first saw his muse, Julija Primic, in front of the church in Trnovo, and dedicated one of his masterpieces to her, the «Wreath of Sonnets». By the river, the Tourist Board also recalls another of his poems, the tale of proud Urška and the Water Man.

The Franciscan church, the pink one

The building that gives the square its colour is the Church of the Annunciation. It was built by the Augustinians, who had been in Ljubljana since before 1314. After several earlier churches, the present one went up between 1646 and 1660 thanks to a donation from Baron Konrad Ruessenstein, first under the architect Francesco Olivieri and, after his death in 1655, under Francesco Rosina. It was consecrated in 1700 while still unfinished; the main façade came after 1704 and the towers around 1720.

In 1784 Emperor Joseph II dissolved the Augustinian order and the Franciscans moved into the friary; the following year they also took over the church, which became a parish. They are still there, and the parish describes it as one of the most visited churches in the city.

Pink church and museum opening hours

It opens Monday to Friday from 10:45am to 3:45pm and from 4:45pm to 6pm, on Saturdays from 10:45am to 6pm and on Sundays from 12:30pm to 3:30pm and 5pm to 6pm. Entry costs €3, and residents of Ljubljana and nearby municipalities, children under 14 and members of religious orders go free. Next door, at number 4 on the square, the friary’s museum and library open daily from 11am to 6pm, for €6.

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From the Triple Bridge to the old town

The square opens onto the Ljubljanica river and the Triple Bridge, which leads into Ljubljana Old Town and the town hall. Close by stand the central market and the cathedral. The Urban tourist train also passes through on its loop of the centre.

In December the square hosts the official switch-on of the lights. The countdown happens by the Prešeren Monument, the mayor says a few words and every street lights up at once; I cover it with the other dates in Christmas in Ljubljana. Prešeren also wrote the national anthem, the seventh verse of «Zdravljica», which I cover in Slovenia’s flag and symbols.

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