The works of Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana – Human Centred Urban Design

I already had some postcards from Ljubljana, but none of them showed the works of Jože Plečnik. Now, thanks to Anja, I have two!

Triple Bridge

This postcard was sent from Croatia by Anja

The Triple Bridge is a group of three bridges across the Ljubljanica River. It connects Ljubljana's historical medieval town on one bank and the modern city of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, on the other.

There is mention of a wooden bridge in this location from 1280. It was at first called the Old Bridge (Stari most) and later the Lower Bridge (Spodnji most), in contrast to the Upper Bridge that was built in the location of the nowadays Cobblers' Bridge in the same century.

In 1842, the Lower Bridge was replaced by a new bridge designed by Giovanni Picco, an Italian architect from Villach, and named Franz's Bridge, (Frančev most) in honor of Archduke Franz Karl of Austria. (...) The essentials of the bridge have been preserved until today, which is evidenced by the inscribed dedication to the archduke above its central pier, reading in Latin "ARCHIDVCI. FRANCISCO. CAROLO. MDCCCXLII. CIVITAS.", which means "To Archduke Franz Karl in 1842 by the Town."

In order to prevent the 1842 stone arch bridge from being a bottleneck, the architect Jože Plečnik designed in 1929 the extension of the bridge with two footbridges at a slight angle on each side of it. In collaboration with his student Ciril Tavčar, who drew the plans, he published the proposal in the same year in the journal Ljubljanski zvon. Construction started in 1931 and continued until spring 1932. The bridge was opened for traffic in April 1932. - in: wikipedia

Plečnik's market building 

This postcard was sent by Anja

The Ljubljana Central Market is a market in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The riverside market building, sometimes referred to as Plečnik's Market, was designed by Jože Plečnik between 1931 and 1939.

The present market building, designed by the architect Jože Plečnik, was built between 1940 and 1942 by Matko Curk's company.

The design of the complex reflects Renaissance influences. It was conceived as a two-storey market hall following the curve of the river. On the side overlooking the river the market halls have large semi-circular windows, while the street side is defined by a colonnade. In order to provide views of the river, the building is interrupted with two open-columned loggias. The roof is covered with concrete tiles.

Since August 2021, the Ljubljana Central Market has been inscribed as part of Plečnik's legacy on the UNESCO World Heritage List. - in: wikipedia