Kongresni trg Square

A small square originally stood here during the Baroque period, but it was extensively redesigned in 1821 for the Congress of the Holy Alliance, after which it was named.

On the southern side stands the University building (formerly the Provincial Palace), where the congress took place. Nearby is the Slovenian Philharmonic Hall, alongside a Biedermeier house that hosts Slovenska matica, Slovenia’s oldest publishing house, founded in 1894. The northern side is defined by the neoclassical Casino building.

At the square’s heart is Zvezda park with several attractions. Amid the remains of ancient Emona’s walls stands a replica of the gilded bronze statue of the Emonan patrician, discovered in 1836; the original is kept in the National Museum. Also in the park is a music pavilion, a decorative anchor monument placed in 1954 after Slovenia gained access to the sea, and opposite the Ursuline Church stands a replica of the Holy Trinity Column, attributed to Francesco Robba; the original is preserved in Ljubljana City Museum.