As its inhabitants and numerous visitors will tell you, Ljubljana is a people-friendly city. Categorised as a medium-sized European city, it offers everything a metropolis does, yet preserves its small-town friendliness. It is the political and cultural heart of the Slovene nation, an important European commercial, business, exhibition and congressional centre as well as the transport, science and education centre of Slovenia
To date, historians have not yet agreed about the origin of the city's name. Those who - like the playwright and historian Anton Tomaž Linhart - are fond of the city believe that its name can only derive from the Slavic word "luba", meaning beloved. In Ljubljana the old meets the new; and it seems that history has spent all of the settlement's five millennia preparing it to become the nation's capital. It has managed to retain traces from all periods of its rich history; from the legacy of Roman Emona; through to the Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau periods characterised in the house fronts and ornate doorways of the city centre, the romantic bridges adorning the Ljubljanica river, the lopsided rooftops and a park reaching deep into the city centre. Here eastern and western cultures met. The city owes its present appearance partly to Italian baroque and partly to Art Nouveau, which is the style of the numerous buildings erected immediately after the earthquake of 1895. In the first half of the 20th century, modern Ljubljana was shaped by the style of Jože Plečnik, a great European architect and a local of Ljubljana. All the different facets of Ljubljana blend harmoniously into a single image.
Ljubljana is a city of culture. It is home to numerous theatres, museums and galleries, and boasts one of the oldest philharmonic orchestras in the world. The first music society in Slovenia, the Academia philharmonicorum, was founded in 1701. Its honorary members included such renowned composers as Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms, and distinguished musicians such as the violinist Nicolo Paganini. For the people of Ljubljana culture is a way of living and thinking and is very much a part of everyday life. Over 10,000 cultural events take place in the city every year, among which there are 10 international festivals. In warmer months, the tables and chairs of the numerous cafés fill the banks of the Ljubljanica and the old city markets.
Ljubljana is also home to over 50,000 students, who give it a special vibe. Today scientists are drawn to the city because of its high-calibre institutes and university, as are artists due to its world-famous graphic biennial, art academy and countless art galleries. International businessmen, economists and experts from all fields frequently attend the city's many business and congressional meetings, exhibitions and trade fairs. The Slovenian capital is within easy reach and easy to negotiate. The Central Airport is roughly 20 km (12 miles) from the capital of Slovenia. Ljubljana has direct flights to and from all major cities in Europe: Frankfurt, Munich, Paris (Charles de Gaulle), Moscow (Sheremetyevo), London (Gatwick and Stansted), Zurich, Istanbul, Copenhagen, Brussels, Warsaw, Rome, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, etc. Most of the highways in Slovenia are new, and if you travel by bus or by train, you are likely to have a walking distance to your hotel. Namely, the bus and railway station are located in the centre of the capital.
Food and drink in Ljubljana are reasonably priced. A cup of espresso would cost you one Euro (1.3 USD); a good lunch would cost you about 15 Euro (19.5 USD). A glass of good wine you can get for about 2.5 Euro (3.25 USD).
In short: Ljubljana is a city that people often return to, be it because of work or because of pleasant memories of previous visits. It is similar to a number of other pleasant European cities - yet it is those small differences that makes it attractive, time and again.
