Updated November 2022.
Do you know that there are Green Capitals in Europe?
Europe is often referred to as the old world, but hey, it is the old world,
true, but full of people with very modern ideas and views. Here is
the thing. Slovenia in southern Central Europe sits between Italy, Austria,
Hungary and Croatia. You will find the Alps, a limestone plateau region and
also a tiny strip of coast on the Adriatic Sea in Slovenia. For centuries it
belonged to the Hapsburg Empire and from 1918 on to Yugoslavia. The country
became independent in the summer of 1991, and that after going through very
turbulent times during the Yugoslav wars. In 2004 the country became an EU
member; its capital city is Ljubljana.
There are many reasons to visit Ljubljana
Roughly 280,000 people call Ljubljana home. It was in the
twenties and thirties of the last century, that the Slovenian architect Joze
Plecnik changed the look of Ljubljana. He designed and built the University
Library, the properties along the banks of the river Ljubljanica and the Three
Bridges (Tromostovje) in the town centre. It seems as if the socialist Yugoslav
years never happened, at least in the old town. Ljubljana has everything a
traveller can wish for. You find a medieval castle and the old town with enchanting
baroque-façades and lots of red and slightly crooked rooftops. Today cafes and
bars line the banks of the river Ljubljanica. There are more than 14 festivals per year and thousands and thousands of cultural events. There is also a great
street art scene.
Ljubljana the European Green Capital
Ljubljana is the green heart of Europe; in 2016 the town
is the winner of the European Green Capital Award. It is an award that was
launched by the European Commission in 2008 to honour cities that are leading
the way in environmentally friendly urban living. How marvellous is it that the
European Commission establishes and effectively manages such innovative
projects? The awards slogan is “Green cities – fit for life.”
There surely aren’t too many places where you can paddle through the city centre on a SUP board. City buses run on natural gas and drinking water is accessible to all. The town also has an outdoor library with more than seven locations in the city (open in summer) where books, comics, magazines and newspapers are available free of charge. Ljubljana consistently performs high environmental standards, and significantly improved its sustainability over the previous decade, especially in areas such as local transport and the pedestrianizing of the town centre. The focus still lies on public transport and on pedestrian- and cycling networks. Ljubljana doesn't stop there but wants to further improve its environmental and sustainable development. Towns like these act as a role model, and will surely inspire all other European cities to introduce the same environmental friendly measures.
Imagine that three quarters of the entire Ljubljana are green areas, including contiguous aquatic, forest and agricultural areas. The largest of five newly created parks is the Path of Remembrance and Comradeship, with 7,000 trees on one single avenue.
Thank you for being awesome friend
You really have to go and see Ljubljana for yourself. I’m head over heels
in love with this town. There are plenty of stores in the old town but I found two that are especially cute:
Smile Concept Store, Mestni trg 6 and Babushka Boutique, Stari
trg 18. Hours: 10am to 8pm. Both have a wide range of unique gifts, china, and
stationery. For dinner with fresh food, delicious local wine plus welcoming and
fun service I recommend Julija, Stari trg 9. Hours 11.30am to 12am.
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How to get to Ljubljana
There are direct flights from several European cities to Jože Pučnik airport which is only 20 km from Ljubljana, including from Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Istanbul, London, Paris, Prague, Rome, Sarajevo, Stockholm, Warsaw. For more info please check the website of the airport.
For train connections
please jump onto the website of Slovenske železnice. By car: 230 km from Venice, Italy. 380 km from Vienna, Austria. 400 km
from Munich, Germany. 460 km from Split, Croatia. 600 km from Mostar, Bosnia Herzegovina. 730 km
from Strasbourg, France.
From Berlin with love