Preseren Square

Prešeren Square, Prešernov trg in Slovene, is the central square of Ljubljana and the natural meeting point of the city, a place where people arrange to meet under the clock, where tours begin and where the daily flow of the old town seems to come together. It lies at the foot of the Triple Bridge, on the left bank of the Ljubljanica, on a site that was once a medieval crossroads and the area outside the old town gate. Over time the open ground in front of the Franciscan church became the city's main square, and today it is a pedestrian space of café terraces, shopfronts and street musicians, with a strong sense of everyday life.

At its centre stands the monument to France Prešeren, the poet who is regarded as the greatest in the Slovene language and whose poem Zdravljica supplies the words of the national anthem. The statue, by the sculptor Ivan Zajec, was unveiled in 1905 and shows the poet in a pensive pose with a laurel branch held by the muse above him. A famous detail makes the square a touch romantic: the poet's gaze is said to fall toward a bust of Julija Primic, the young woman he loved without success, which is set on the facade of a building across the square. The story of this unrequited love is part of the national mythology, and many guides tell it here.

The pink Franciscan Church of the Annunciation closes the square on its north side. Built in the seventeenth century in an early Baroque style, it has a broad plain facade painted in a warm red-pink, with a stone portal and a statue of the Virgin, and its interior has a fine high altar. The church gives the square a splash of colour and is open to visitors outside services. Around the square, many buildings date from the years after the earthquake of 1895, when the town was rebuilt in the fashions of the time, and Art Nouveau and Secessionist facades stand beside older houses. The Hauptmann House, with its colourful mosaic and ornament, is a good example.

The square is a hub from which paths lead in all directions. Across the Triple Bridge lies the market and the old town below the castle, behind the church the shopping streets of the modern centre, and nearby are the Dragon Bridge, the Butchers' Bridge and the embankments designed by Jože Plečnik. Cafes spill out onto the pavement, and the square is lively day and night.

The square suits every kind of visitor and is free and open at all hours. Early morning is quiet and the best for photographs, while evenings are social and busy.