Cities
Slovenia`s cities and towns offer more than history, monuments, churches, museums, and restaurants with delicious food and drink; they are also the venues of numerous events, from minor festivities only found on the local calendar to traditional world-renowned events. Our cities and towns not only offer the ancient cores where their life began millenniums ago but also serve as starting points for excursions into the immediate and more distant surroundings where many historical and natural sites wait to be discovered.
Ljubljana
As its inhabitants and numerous visitors will tell you, Ljubljana is, indeed, a people-friendly city. Categorised as a medium-sized European city, it offers everything a metropolis does yet preserves its small-town friendliness.
The capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, is situated at the altitude of 296 m above the sea level, in a hollow cut through by Ljubljanica River. The city has a population of about 280,000 and is an important political, cultural and geographical center of the country.
This little but very beautiful city is situated on the two banks of Ljubljanica. The Old Town on the right bank of the river, which has been preserved since the medieval times, is most well-known because of its castle, “Ljubljanski Grad,” founded between the 10th and 11th century and rebuilt in the 17th century in the baroque style which dominates this part of Ljubljana.
Maribor
Maribor is wonderfully nestled in the embrace of the green Pohorje Mountains on one side and the picturesque wine-growing hills on the other. The city is located by the Drava River and in its centre grows the oldest – over 450 years old – vine in the world. This is definitely the most important wine-growing area in Slovenia. The beautiful plant of respectable age is certainly one of the many reasons why the Maribor – Pohorje, Slovenian Styria destination is worth a visit.
The Old Vine was planted towards the end of the Middle Ages, when Maribor was facing Ottoman invasion. It survived the furious fights between the invaders and the defenders of the city, as the Old Vine House used to be a part of the city wall. Today, the Old Vine is the only plant with its own museum in the Old Vine House.
Celje
Celje – diverse and rich experiences in a small area. Romantic streets in the historic city centre, small corners for secret conversations at the city park, architecture that unveils the richness and diversity of the past and rich content provided by museums, galleries and theatres. All of that in the city centre and only a few steps away.
The appearance of Celje discreetly combines Antique and Medieval heritage and a modern urban environment. Well-preserved paved Roman streets, magnificent castles and the remnants of the Medieval walls in the city centre bear witness to its rich history that dates back to the Celts and Romans. Because of a favourable geographic location and living conditions, the area was settled about 300 B. C. by the Celts, who established a powerful Celtic settlement Keleia.
Ptuj
Ptuj, an architectural chronicle at the crossroads of sunny Italy and the vastness of the Pannonian lowland, Alpine valleys and the expanse of the Balkans, begins its story in the distant Late Stone Age.
From the very beginning, its fate was determined due to its important position predicting that Ptuj would be involved several times in historical events of European importance. And that is why Ptuj, the most picturesque continental town in Slovenia, nowadays boasts the richest heritage of the past.
A logical consequence of these exceptional natural features was the development of a strategically and economically important settlement with a communication function at the river crossing of the amber-road. The settlement often played a significant historical role in the fields of politics and administration, as well as in the fields of arts and culture.
Škofja Loka
Škofja Loka is situated under the green foothills not far from the south-facing slopes of the Julian Alps, at the entrance to two valleys. This is a picturesque old town well-known in Slovenia and abroad. The name Škofja Loka derives from the medieval times and it was originally named Loka, which means wet, grassy area near water. However, at that time there were many Lokas in Slovenia, and there had already existed a rural settlement named Loka not very far from the town, therefore later on Škofja was added to the name Loka. This adjective is linked with the donation of the Loka region to the Bishops of Freising, and the town of Loka was thus renamed to Škofja Loka.
There is a Negro with a crown in all symbols of Loka, which relates to the legend about the land lord Abraham and his servant. The legend says that they were travelling along the Poljanska dolina valley and they met a big bear in dark woods. Bishop Abraham stopped, but the Negro drew a bow and shot the bear. Abraham had the head of the Negro pictured in the town coat-of-arms in order to thank the servant for having saved his life.
