Ljubljana

Ljubljana is the capital and largest city in Slovenia. The city of Ljubljana is the cultural, scientific, economic, political and administrative center of Slovenia. It is situated in central Slovenia, between the Alps and the Mediterranean. The city is divided into several quarters, formerly municipalities, the main ones being Šiška , Bežigrad , Vič, Moste , and Center, which also correspond to the main electoral constituencies of the city.

Its transport connections, concentration of industry, scientific and research institutions and industrial tradition underlie its leading economic position. Ljubljana is the seat of the central government, administrative bodies and all government ministries. It is also the seat of Parliament and the Office of the President of Slovenia.

History

The area had been populated since prehistory. The earliest known settlements, in the Bronze Age, consisted of wooden houses erected on stakes (palafites).

The Roman settlement Emona (full name: Colonia Iulia Aemona) was erected in 15 AD by the XV Legio Apollinaris; in 452, Aemona was sacked and devastated by the Huns, led by Attila.

The first records mentioning Ljubljana date to 1144 (referred to by its German name Laibach) and 1146 (by its Latin name, Luwigana).

The settlement received town rights in 1220, and in 1335 came under Austrian Habsburg rule, lasting until 1918. During this time Ljubljana was the capital of the duchy of Carniola. Ljubljana also became the seat of a diocese in 1461 and developed into a Slovenian cultural centre during the late Middle Ages. Ljubljana experienced an earthquake in 1511.

The Habsburg rule was shortly interrupted by the Napoleonic wars, and between 1809 and 1813 Ljubljana was the capital of the French Illyrian provinces. In 1821 the city hosted the Congress of Laibach. In 1849 Ljubljana witnessed the first train arriving from Vienna and in 1857 Ljubljana was connected to Trieste. Once again an earthquake damaged large parts of the city in 1895 and the following reconstruction gave Ljubljana its new contemporary image.

With the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, Ljubljana became the provincial seat of the Drava Banovina within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In April 1941 it was occupied by Italy and on February 23, 1942 Italians completely encircled it with 32 km of barbed wire. In 1943 the Italian occupation changed to German. For the achievements during this time Josip Broz Tito awarded Ljubljana in 1955 with the title "Hero City" (not to be confused with the Soviet title of the same name).

After World War II it became the capital of the Yugoslav socialist republic of Slovenia. Ljubljana remained the capital city when Slovenia gained independence in 1991 after a ten day war against the Yugoslav National Army.