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Free booking and cancellationFree payment tour, no set price, booking and cancellation are free
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My name is Jure Vuga, I am a state-licensed guide since 2010 and I have been tour guiding in Slovenia and abroad since then. I hold a Ph.D. in Art History. I have studied in Ljubljana and Florence, and continued with my research in Rome, Venice, Milan and London. For the thesis about Botticelly’s Primavera I have received the highest acknowledgment for students in Slovenia, the Prešeren prize for students. If you like an infotainment type of tour, that might be a good choice for you.
Enjoy strolling around Ljubljana, see the main monuments of a small European Capital, deeply rooted in a millenary history; definitively a small but original civilisation, a blend of Slavic, German and Italian influences.
I will show you some old maps of the medieval and baroque towns and old pictures of some sights. You will find out about fascinating archaeological findings, the trade with mercury from the mines in Idrija, the legend about Jason and the Argonauts as founding fathers of Ljubljana, described by Johan Ludwig Schönleben in the 17th century.
You will learn about the expulsion of the Jews in 1510, the legacy of the protestant movement, the construction of a church financed by an alchemist, the records of witch charges (maleficium) and punishment methods for dishonest bakers like the ducking stool.
In few words I will present you some great scholars of the past and present like Valvasor, Hallerstein and Žižek. Being a great admirer of the architectural oeuvre of Jože Plečnik, now under UNESCO protection, I will share with you some insights in his renovation of the German Teutonic Order monastery (where he expressed his disapproval of the socialist regime in the crippled red star). I will show you a photo of the so-called Infernal courtyard with a myriad of convex lamps, positioned on the walls. Next we will visit Plečnik’s National and University Library. Have a look at the magnificent black marble staircase and hear the explanation about the allegory of spiritual elevation from ignorance to knowledge. I will also introduce you to the events of the Second World War and the following socialist period when in the National Library operated a special department for forbidden ideologically suspicious books (known as the Fond D) and much more. Having personally done some research, written and published some scientific articles, I will use visual material to introduce you to some fascinating iconographic elements, present in paintings from this territory: like an extremely rare depiction of an automaton from the 15th century.
If you like an infotainment type of tour, that might be a good choice for you.
Please note that this tour does not take place if it is raining heavily.
I will be standing in front of the anchor on the pedestal close to the center of the park in the Congress Square. I always have a green backpack, a green tour guide accreditation and a stick with a little white flag.
Free tours do not have a set price, instead, each person gives the guru at the end of the tour the amount that he or she considers appropriate (these usually range from €10 to $50 depending on satisfaction with the tour).
