Archaeological park Emona

A Brief History of Emona

By 14 AD, the Roman colony of Julian Emona (Colonia Iulia Aemona) already stood on the site of present-day Ljubljana's city centre. This is evidenced by an inscription referring to a donation granted to the city by Emperors Augustus and Tiberius. Thanks to its strategic location, Emona played an important role in the defensive system of the Roman Empire and flourished from the 1st to the 5th century AD. Built according to Roman urban design and governed by Roman political and religious structures, the city was home to an estimated 5,000 settlers engaged in farming, trade, and crafts.

Emona's Legacy in Modern Ljubljana

The City Museum of Ljubljana offers individual visits and guided tours of Arheopark Emona, an urban archaeological park featuring ten heritage sites. Highlights include the Early Christian Centre with a baptistery and mosaics, as well as the Roman Wall at Mirje, which was restored in the 1930s following the plans of architect Jože Plečnik.

Emona once covered a large part of what is now central Ljubljana. Its forum, or main square, stood near today's intersection of Slovenska cesta and Rimska cesta. In Zvezda Park on Congress Square, where a replica of the bronze statue of an Emonan citizen is on display, the suburb with its cemetery was located.

Key Sites

• The Emonan House
• Early Christian Centre
• Roman Wall at Mirje