Tivoli
With its slopes and overgrown forest, the Tivoli Park makes up part of the Tivoli regional park, and the Rožnik and Šiška hills.
Initial designs for the Tivoli Park were outlined in the period of the Illyrian provinces. The park gained its present appearance between 1921 and 1939 (architect Jože Plečnik was in charge of the restoration project), and later in the second half of 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 , the Jakopič lane (promenade), the pond, the botanical garden, the greenhouse, and a playground, as well as numerous fountains and statues. Yet, one should not forget about 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, home to the National Museum of Contemporary History, whereas the Tivoli Castle now hosts the International Centre of Graphic Arts and a coffee shop.
Rožnik
The name was already mentioned in the 15th century when it was said to have been grown with vineyards and later with orchards, rather than with a forest.
For a certain period of time, Rožnik served as a shelter for lepers, but with times changing ceaselessly, plague soon brought the better-off residents of Ljubljana to the hilltop.
Nowadays, together with the Šiška Hill, Rožnik stands as an excellent recreational area for the residents of Ljubljana and visiting tourists.
The Rožnik Hill (or rather the area below it) is also home to the Ljubljana ZOO.
The Tivoli Hall
The Tivoli sports hall comprises two halls:
- the larger ice hall serves 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 also occasionally 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 on 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 goes 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 serve 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.
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.
The memorial room at Restaurant Rožnik
Ivan Cankar lived in Restaurant Rožnik from 1909 to 1917. The City Museum of Ljubljana designed a room in his memory .
Rožnik Inn
In 1747, a first small inn called Pri Matiji, was built below the church. A huge land with meadows, orchards and a garden belonged to the inn. A new inn opened its door to the guests in 1869 and is known today as Rožnik Inn.
In 1905, Carinthian Slovenian, Karel Bergman, bought the inn and five years later, writer Ivan Cankar settled and lived there until his death in 1917. The present owners and managers take care of the cultural heritage of the house and its surrounding. Slovenian cuisine is served at the inn.
The Church of Visitation of Mary at Rožnik
The Church of Visitation of Mary is located at the top of Rožnik, at Cankarjev vrh Hill. It is seen from the southern side of Ljubljana and the Ljubljana Marshes already from the distance, because of its position, its red façade and the lightning during the night.
The church was built already in the 16th century and got its today Baroque image in the 18th century (by the architect Candido Zulliani).