In Ljubljana, City of Literature by Unesco and the World Book Capital 2010, there are a number of memorial houses where visitors get an insight into the lives and minds of the artists.
Levstik’s house (distance from Urban hotel 30 km): the memorial collection of the writer and poet Josip Stritar is interesting especially because of numerous items and documents, donated by Stritar’s grandchildren. The collection comprises Stritar’s statue by Alojz Gangl, original Stritar’s letters, his academic preparations, seal and original wall paintings from his house in Vienna.
Tiporenesansa Studio (walking distance from Urban hotel 12 minutes): conceived as a living history museum, houses a reconstruction of a 50-year old printing house specializing in relief printing, a now abandoned technique of printing by means of type pieces made of lead and wood. Visitors can buy souvenirs, attend demonstrations of printing methods and techniques, and take part in printing workshops.
National and university library (walking distance from Urban hotel 10 minutes): the building’s exterior reflects Italian influences. Its characteristic façade, combining bricks and stone blocks in variable finishes, was modelled on Zuccari Palace (Palazzo Zuccari) in Rome. Each of the two handles on the main entrance door is decorated with a head of Pegasus, a winged horse symbolically guiding visitors to the realm of knowledge. From the vestibule, a door leads to the famous monumental central staircase with 32 pillars of black Podpeč marble and further on to the library’s grand reading room. The reading room’s most outstanding details are Plečnik’s chandeliers and a couple of glass walls allowing light to reach wooden reader desks and books from two sides.
More: https://www.visitljubljana.com/en/visitors/poigroup/art-and-culture/literary-trails/
