Leonardo da Vinci, »A Step Further«
ETrŠ Brežice, April, 2012
D
ISCOVER SLOVENIAN CAPITAL - LJUBLJANA
So today you are visiting Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. We won't guide you in a
typical way. There won't be a tourist guide waiting for us in Ljubljana to present us
the city in the most boring way possible. YOU will be your own guides today. We
prepared some instructions (please, follow them so you don't get lost) and exercises
that you will have to solve. So first things first, some Ljubljana's most recognizable landmarks are:

The Dragon Bridge - (Slovene: Zmajski most) is a road bridge located in Ljubljana. It is
situated in the northeast of Vodnik Square (main Ljubljana market)
across the Ljubljanica River. It was built in the beginning of the 20th
century; the bridge is today protected as a technical monument. The
Greek legend about Jazon, who stole the golden fleece, tells us a story
how he and his Argonauts killed a dragon in Ljubljana on their way back
to Greece. Another legend says that the dragons wag their tails when
an adult virgin woman crosses the bridge.

Ljubljanica – the river with seven names. The capital of Slovenia,
Ljubljana, is situated on the river. It is a karstic river and disappears seven times
underground and each time it reappears with a different name as Trbuhovica, Obrh,
Stržen, Rak, Pivka, Unica, and finally Ljubljanica. It is 41 km long and
flows into the Sava River.

Ljubljana market - Designed by architect Joze Plecnik between 1940
and 1944, the central complex consists largely of elegant Renaissanceinfluenced arcades that follow the river flow.

The Town hall - (Slovene: Mestna hiša, also known as Rotovž or
Magistrat) in Ljubljana is the seat of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It
is located on the Town Square in the city centre close to the St. Nicholas Cathedral. In the
mid 1920s, a monument to the Serbian and first Yugoslav king Peter I was
erected at the entrance of the Town Hall. The monument, designed by the
architect Jože Plečnik, was removed and destroyed by the Fascist Italian
occupation authorities of the Province of Ljubljana in April 1941.

The Robba fountain - or the Fountain of three rivers of Carniola is the
most famous well in Ljubljana with its sculptures made of white marble,
completed in 1751. The author of the well, Francesca Robba, almost went
bankrupt because of expensive material and long-lasting work. It used to be
placed in front of the Ljubljana town hall in the city square, on the crossroad of
three of city streets. A replica has replaced the original since August 2008. The
original is in the national gallery.

Triple bridge - (Slovene: Tromostovje) across the Ljubljanica river connects the
Ljubljana's historical, medieval town on one bank, and the modern city of
Ljubljana on the other. In order to prevent the 1842 stone arch bridge from being
a bottleneck, two additional pedestrian bridges on both sides of the central one
were added in 1932 designed by a notable Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik. All
three bridges are now part of the pedestrian only zone from 2008.

Prešeren square and statue - (Slovene: Prešernov trg) is the central square in Ljubljana.
Prešeren Square is a major meeting point in Ljubljana, where concerts,
sport events, political events and other types of events take place. The
square and surroundings have been closed to traffic since 1 September
2007. Only a tourist train leaves Prešeren Square every day, transporting
tourists to the Ljubljana Castle. A statue of the Slovene national poet
France Prešeren with a muse stands in the middle of the square. The
Leonardo da Vinci, »A Step Further«
ETrŠ Brežice, April, 2012
Prešeren Statue was created by Ivan Zajec in 1905. The statue faces the window where
Prešeren's "muse" used to live.

Ljubljana castle - (Slovene: Ljubljanski grad) is a medieval
castle in Ljubljana. It is located on Castle Hill (Grajski grič)
overlooking the old town.
Let's get started. First we will visit Ljubljana castle. We will get there
with the funicular. There will be a guided tour of the castle. In the castle you will have to find an
icon of a dragon and take a photo of it. Take a picture of the city from the viewing terrace. We will
have a contest to select the best photo.
From the castle we will head down to the city, where you will be your own guides. You’ll have 2
hours time to explore the city. All students are divided in five groups by the colour of paper (so
every group has its own colour of paper). You have to discuss tasks in English.
From Ljubljana market you go to the Dragon bridge (check your map, it’s number 20). There you
will take a few photos of it. You know the legend of the Dragon, but do the locals know it? Ask the
passers-by about the legend of the dragon, and write down their answers. Or, if they agree you
can also film them.
Return to the Ljubljana market (number 18), where you can buy some typical Slovenian
souvenirs. There’s another task for you – ask people passing about typical Slovenian souvenirs
that they know and they would recommend you to buy. Write down their answers. Or, if they
agree you can also film them.
Take a walk to the Triple bridge (number 17 on your map). You’ll have to be innovative.  Take a
picture of your group or individuals in the funniest and most interesting way possible. Capture
your ‘’photo shooting session’’ on camera (someone should film it).
From there, move on to the Town market. You’ll take a few photos of the Robba fountain which is
in front of the hall and also a few of the hall.
And the last thing to do is to go to t Prešeren square (number 15 on the map). There you learn
the Slovenian anthem ‘’Zdravljica’’ in Slovenian. You’ll stand in front of the statue of Prešeren and
sing it. Again, you’ll film it. 
Živé naj vsi naródi,
ki hrepené dočakat' dan,
da, koder sonce hodi,
prepir iz svéta bo pregnan,
ko rojak
prost bo vsak,
ne vrag, le sosed bo mejak!
God's blessing on all nations,
Who long and work for that bright day,
When o'er earth's habitations
No war, no strife shall hold its sway;
Who long to see
That all men free
No more shall foes, but neighbours be.
You will need all the materials for workshops tomorrow. Do not forget the camera, connection
wires… Some materials will be uploaded on the project web site and we are going to spend
wonderful time working together.