The University of Ljubljana and the Provincial Diet Mansion
Following the devastating earthquake that struck Ljubljana in 1895, one of the buildings that was so damaged that it had to be demolished and rebuilt was the former Carniolan Provincial Assembly in Congress Square (Kongresni trg). Construction began in 1899, and the building was completed in 1902 to serve as the seat of the Carniolan Provincial Assembly and the Provincial Committee.
Designed as a Renaissance palace, the building has a ground floor and three floors on Gosposka ulica and an elevated ground floor and two floors on the other sides, due to the differences in ground levels. Situated on the representative first floor, in the wing facing Congress Square, there is a conference room opening onto a balcony – the former conference room of the Provincial Governor. On the opposite side, towards Židovska steza, lies the Chamber Hall, which is also accessible by a staircase from Vegova ulica. There are other richly decorated rooms on the first floor, while the second includes a particularly fine reception hall of the Provincial Governor, which was connected to his apartment.
Between 2000 and 2004, the interior and exterior of the former Provincial Diet Mansion was renovated on the basis of a study by Prof. Peter Fister and students from the Faculty of Architecture. Since the building is listed as a cultural monument, the aim of the renovation was to restore it to its original appearance as much as possible.
In 1919, the building became home to the first Slovenian university, which grew from the initial five faculties into a community of twenty-three faculties and three art academies with a rich tradition. The University of Ljubljana is renowned for its high-quality study programmes in the social sciences, natural sciences, humanities, engineering and arts, and is Slovenia’s central and largest educational and research institution, with a strong presence throughout Ljubljana, which prides itself on being a “university city”. Its central building is the symbol of the University of Ljubljana, and the basis of its visual identity.