The dragon is the emblem of Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia. Legend has it, the city was founded after a dragon living in the surrounding marshlands was vanquished.

We spent three nights in Ljubljana at the end of our international trip last summer. The city was Europe’s Green Capital of 2016, and environmental initiatives can be seen around the city.  Trash, recycling, and composting containers connect to an underground system of waste removal in the downtown, much of which is pedestrian-only. The winding banks of the Ljubljanica River are lined with cafés and restaurants and sidewalks packed with foot traffic. The iconic Triple Bridge, off limits to cars, traverses the river. Designed by Slovene architect Jože Plecnik, father of the modern face of the city, the bridge connects the medieval center of the city with the expanded city limits. Towering over the bridge is the pink facade of the 17th century Franciscan Church of the Annunciation. And looming over the entire city center is Ljubljana Grad, the city’s medieval castle.

In the Ljubljana Castle, we visited the Museum of Puppetry, and learned about Slovenia’s deep puppetry heritage.  Ljubljana is culturally rich, and we only had time to scratch the surface of all the city has to offer in the arts. We viewed two photography exhibitions: Sebastião Salgado’s masterful Genesis, and National Geographic’s Rarely Seen. As part of the Ljubljana festival, we saw the Slovene Philharmonic String Orchestra perform Bach’s Goldberg Variations inside of Križanke Church.

The location of Ljubljana in Slovenia, and the coat of arms of Ljubljana.

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Besednjak~commonswiki, Karte Ljubljana si, CC BY-SA 3.0

DancingPhilosopher, Blason ville si Ljubljana (Slovénie), CC BY-SA 4.0