Robba Fountain

The Robba Fountain, Robbov vodnjak, is the finest Baroque monument in Ljubljana. It stands in front of the Town Hall in Mestni trg, in the old town, as a replica, while the original has been moved indoors to protect it from weather and pollution and is on display in the National Gallery on Cankarjeva cesta. The fountain was made in the middle of the eighteenth century by Francesco Robba, a sculptor born in Venice who settled in Ljubljana and became the most important Baroque sculptor of Carniola, and it is his best-known work. It is also known as the Fountain of the Three Carniolan Rivers, a title that explains its subject.

The design is based on a famous prototype in Rome, the Fountain of the Four Rivers by Bernini, and Robba reworked it for a smaller town. A tall obelisk rises from a rocky base, and around it sit three figures, reclining and dynamic, that personify the three main rivers of Carniola: the Sava, the Krka and the Ljubljanica. They are shown with their traditional attributes, such as urns from which water pours, and with a sense of movement and drapery that is typical of the Baroque. The figures are shown in expressive poses, and the sculptor's skill in carving stone to look like flowing cloth and water is easy to see. The fountain was commissioned by the city council and installed in the 1750s, and it quickly became a landmark of the town.

The work is made of local limestone, and when new it must have looked striking. Over the following centuries the stone suffered from frost and acid rain, and in the early twenty-first century the original was removed, restored and placed in the National Gallery, where it can be seen in good light and at close range, while a faithful replica took its place on the square. The two locations give the visitor a choice: the replica for the setting, among the buildings of the old town, and the original for the quality of the carving.

Mestni trg and the area around it are among the most attractive parts of the old town. The Town Hall, with its Baroque courtyard, stands beside the fountain, and narrow lanes lead toward the river, the castle and the market. Cafes and shops line the streets, and the area has an unhurried feel.

The fountain suits history and art lovers and anyone walking through the old town. Viewing the replica is free at any time, while the National Gallery has its own opening hours and ticket arrangements, so check them before going.