Town Square (Mestni trg)
Town Square (Mestni trg) features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Ljubljana. Give it roughly ~20 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type square
- Suggested visit ~20 min
- Ljubljana Ljubljana guide
About Town Square (Mestni trg)
Three marble river gods recline over a fountain everyone calls a Bernini and no one should: this cobbled square hides a case of mistaken identity and a secret swap.
Mestni trg, or Town Square, is the historic civic heart of Ljubljana's old town, running in front of the Town Hall along the foot of Castle Hill. The Town Hall, the Mestna hiša or Rotovž, was first built around 1484; its present Baroque form, with a Venetian-influenced arcaded courtyard, dates from a 1717 to 1719 remodelling by the master builder Gregor Maček. The square's centrepiece is the Fountain of the Three Carniolan Rivers, carved in white marble by the Venetian-born sculptor Francesco Robba and completed in 1751. Though inspired by Roman Baroque fountains, it is Robba's own composition, not a work by Bernini. A marble replica was installed in 2006 to protect the weathered original, which went on display inside the National Gallery of Slovenia in 2008. Pastel Baroque townhouses line the car-free, cobbled square, which forms one continuous pedestrian axis with Stari trg and Gornji trg.
Did you know? The fountain everyone treats as a Bernini is a stand-in. The weathered original moved indoors to the National Gallery in 2008, and what pours water on the square today is a 2006 marble replica.
How long is a visit to Town Square (Mestni trg)?
Set aside roughly ~20 min for Town Square (Mestni trg). That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Town Square (Mestni trg) worth your time?
Town Square (Mestni trg) is among the 15 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Ljubljana, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Ljubljana
Day 1 of the Ljubljana in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Town Square (Mestni trg)
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