12 day Private Tour Croatia and Slovenia

The Dragon Bridge, adorned with famous dragon statues, appears in the most recognizable images of Ljubljana. If you haven't been photographed next to a Dragon Bridge dragon, you can hardly claim that you have visited Ljubljana. The four dragon statues, which look slightly terrifying and almost real (if, of course, you believe that dragons might be real), are a masterpiece which has been exciting imagination since the bridge was built.The attraction of the dragons aside, the bridge is a unique creation considered to be an extraordinary piece of technical heritage and a superb example of Art Nouveau architecture, which flourished at the turn of the 20th century. Constructed between 1900 and 1901, it was Ljubljana's first reinforced concrete structure and one of the largest bridges of its kind to be built in Europe. At the time of its opening, it was called the Jubilee Bridge of Emperor Franz Joseph I. According to original designs, it was supposed to be adorned with winged lions instead of dragons. It was the first structure in Slovenia to be paved with asphalt. The construction plans for the bridge were prepared by Professor Josef Melan, a famous engineer specializing in reinforced concrete bridges and the father of the theory underlying static calculations for large suspension bridges.The Dragon Bridge was given its Art Nouveau appearance by the Dalmatian architect Jurij Zaninović, who studied under the famous Viennese architect Otto Wagner, one of whose pupils was also Ljubljana's great architect Jože Plečnik. Zaninović designed the concrete slabs in which the reinforced concrete structure is clad, the balustrades, and the sheet-copper dragon statues. The bridge's original decorations also include the parapet lamps, once powered by gas.The Dragon Bridge replaced an old wooden bridge called Butchers' Bridge, which had stood on its site from 1819. The municipal authorities decided on modern design and reinforced concrete structure mainly for economic reasons as construction in reinforced concrete was far less expensive than construction in the then more common stone.

The Triple Bridge (Slovene: Tromostovje, in older sources also Tromostje is a group of three bridges across the Ljubljanica River. It connects the Ljubljana's historical, medieval, town on one bank, and the modern city of Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia, on the other. The central bridge is partly built from Glinica limestone. Other parts are built from concrete. The balustrades with 642 balusters are made of artificial concrete.[clarification needed] The platform is covered with granite blocks laid in 2010. Previously, it was covered with asphalt.

Prešeren Square is one of the crossroads in Ljubljana. It is named after the Slovenian poet France Prešeren. It is located above the left bank of the Ljubljanica River near Tromostovje, opposite the medieval town center.Due to its location, Prešeren Square is one of the most transit points in Ljubljana. It is connected by the following roads, streets or roads. embankments: Cankarjevo, Adamič-Lundrovo, Hribarjeva and Petkovškovo embankments, Wolfova, Čopova and Trubarjeva streets and Miklošičeva road.An important position on the square is occupied by the Prešeren Monument, the work of Ivan Zajc and architect Maks Fabiani. It was discovered on September 10, 1905.

Lungomare is a 12 km long coastal promenade connecting places on the Opatija Riviera - Volosko, Opatija, Icici, Ika and Lovran.The promenade began to be renovated in 1885 and coincides with the opening of the first hotels in Opatija (Grand Hotel Kvarner, 1884 and Hotel Imperial, 1885). It was completed in 1889 when Opatija was declared a health resort and merged with Lovran in 1911 at the time of the largest expansion of tourism on the Riviera.Along the promenade, memorials were erected to prominent figures who lived in Opatija: the writer Henrik Sienkiewicz (above the port of Opatija), Doctor Theodore Billroth (on the wall of St. James's Church), General Joseph Pilsudski (in the park in front of the Art Pavilion "Juraj Šporer"). .Part of the Lungomare promenade also passes through the famous central Opatija park.