Tivoli
The Tivoli Park with its slopes and an overgrown forest, and the Rožnik and Šiška hills make up the Tivoli Regional Park. Initial designs for the Tivoli Park were outlined in the period of the Illyrian provinces. The park got its present appearance between 1921 and 1939 (architect Jože Plečnik was in charge of the restoration project), and later in the second half of the 20th century when several sports complexes (the Tivoli Hall, the indoor swimming pool complex with a fitness studio and a bowling court, the boules court, the roller-skating park, the mini-golf course, and tennis and basketball courts) were added to the landscape.
Recreational areas of the park comprise chestnut-tree lanes and other tree-lined lanes , , , , the Jakopič tree-lined lane (promenade), the pond, the botanical garden, the playground, and numerous fountains , and statues , , . Yet, one should not forget about the animal and plant species following our steps through the park , , , .
The park also hosts an outdoor swimming complex (built in 1929) and the Ilirija gym located in a somewhat remote spot due to the railway running along the edge of the park.
There are also two castles (the Tivoli and the Cekin castles) currently serving different purposes. Namely, the Cekin Castle is home to the National Museum of Contemporary History, whereas the Tivoli Castle now hosts the International Centre of Graphic Arts and a coffee shop.
The Tivoli Hall
The Tivoli Sports Hall comprises two halls:
- the larger ice hall serving as the ice-hockey and ice-skating hall, whereas the ice rink is covered with a parquet for the purposes of hosting other sporting events (basketball, handball, volleyball, gymnastics, table tennis, etc.). The hall is occasionally also used for various other events (e.g. concerts);
- ball games are organised in the smaller hall.
An open-air ice-skating rink, which now serves other entertainment purposes, used to operate in front of the Tivoli Hall .
A discotheque makes up part of the broader purpose of the Tivoli Hall.
The Cekin Castle
The Castle is standing at the spot of a former mansion from the 17th century that was substituted with the present-day Baroque Castle. After the Second World War, several apartments were arranged in the Castle; since 1955, it has been home to the present-day museum. The Castle was renovated in 1992 when a steel extension was added to the main building.
Cekin Castle also known as Leopoldsruhe was the Šiška residence of Ljubljana castellan Pavel Konig in the 17th century. Other owners of the initially modest castle were also the Barons of Raumschussel and Stroblhoff, who also owned Bokalce Castle. Count Leopold Karl Lamberg bought the castle in the beginning of the 18th century and built (today's) Baroque castle in 1720. Ivana Lamberg, who married Lovrenc Szogyney, got the castle as her dowry in 1787. The people simplified the owner's name (Zegini), which resulted in the today's name for the castle - Cekin Castle.
The castle had many owners since; one of the last ones was Peter Kozler, the author of the Map of Slovenian Land and Regions. The castle was nationalised after World War II and also housed a school. The National Museum of Contemporary History has moved there in 1951.
The Tivoli Castle
The Tivoli Castle is older than the Cekin Castle. The beginning of the Castle dates back to the 13th century when a tower stood at a spot slightly above the present-day castle. The tower was substituted with a court, which was pulled down and built anew when the building changed its owner in the 17th century. The process would nowadays be called a replacement construction. Throughout its rich history, the building used to operate as a monastery, a hospital, a warehouse, a military post, the residence of the bishop of Ljubljana, and the home of Marshall Radetzki; after the Second World War, the castle was home to various city officials and tenants. Following a complete renovation, the castle became home to the International Centre of Graphic Arts.
The Jakopič tree-lined lane
In his designs for the renovation of the Tivoli Park, architect Jože Plečnik foresaw a reconstruction of the Latterman tree-lined lane that was designed during the construction of the Tivoli Park and used to connect the centre of Ljubljana with the Tivoli Castle. When the railway track cut the Tivoli Park in two, the area on the southern part was gradually developed, and the tree-lined lane was turned into Cankarjeva Street. Plečnik turned the northern part of the tree-lined lane into a promenade, illuminating it with streetlamps made of artificial stone in the style of Ionian columns. With the underpass beneath the Tivoli Street and the railway track, the tree-lined lane now starts by the Museum of Modern Art and the statue of Jakopič where the Jakopič Gallery used to stand.
The Jesenko educational track
The entire educational track runs through the regional park. A visitor walking along the trail gets information about 30 types of trees.