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As you might expect in a country that geographically
and culturally forms a sort of European crossroads,
architecture in Slovenia is about as diverse as
the landscape it sits on. Although a Bronze
Age site in Ljubljana
is the only early excavation in Slovenia, the
4th-9th century AD site at Tinje is a marker for
the ethno-genesis of the Slovene people: the contact
between the Romanized indigenous population and
the immigrant Slavs with an enclosing Roman wall
with two towers enclosing the Slavs.
 Since
the Middle Ages,
solitary churches on hilltops have been a characteristic
feature of Slovenia, which the experts link to
pre-Christian religious groups and the high shelters
of the earliest inhabitants. Some of the churches,
which are today mostly in the baroque architectural
style, can be traced back to early pagan times.
The most illustrious example is the Church of
the Assumption on the island in the lake of Bled
in Gorenjska sub alpine region, whose story became
national
myth.
Renaissance
influences in church architecture emanated from
Carinthia (Barthaelma
Firthaler in Kranjska Gora) and Vienna
(The Church of Three
Magi in Slovenske Gorice). Coastal Slovenia
had closer links with the Italian Renaissance,
and in castle architecture these influences were
also quickly absorbed.
In the 17th
century Roman and Venetian Baroque
forms were introduced by Italian builders. Churches
were enriched with side chapels, and in 1613-15
the Jesuits rebuilt the medieval church of St
James in Ljubljana. The fusion of cultures can
also be seen in the 18th
century, a local master named Gregor Maček
and his son linked the northern Italian architectural
tradition with Venetian ideals (Ljubljana
City Hall, churches at Šmarna Gora,
Dobrova).
 The
devastating earthquake which struck the town of
Ljubljana in 1895 provided an architectural opportunity
to rebuild and re-model the city. A regulation
plan was prepared with the help of two top experts
in urban planning of the time in Vienna, Camillo
Sitte and Maks Fabiani. The image of Ljubljana
changed rapidly and the first developments in
the new Secessionist
style (art nouveau) appeared. "Secessionist
Ljubljana" developed mainly in the first
decade of the 20th century, and it is a synonym
for the entire town quarter between the railway
line and the old medieval core. The first real
secessionist work, Dragon Bridge by the architect
Jurij Zaninovič, was erected in 1901. The architecture
of Ljubljana was mainly influenced by the Vienna
Secession and its special variant of modern art,
accentuating more rational and geometric forms.
Maks Fabiani (1865-1962) and Jože
Plečnik (1872-1957) were co-founders of modern
art movement in Vienna. They returned to Ljubljana
and, while Plečnik contributed to the Secessionist
movement only in his early works in Vienna, Fabiani
gave an important character of the period to Ljubljana.
After Plečnik lost his position
in 1945, the influence of
Le Corbusier became predominant, particularly
in urban planning (plans for Velenje and Nova
Gorica). The leading post-war architect was Edo
Ravnikar (1907-1993), by whom most modern
Slovene architects were influenced. Another important
architect of the time was Janez Lajovic (1932),
who oscillated between Scandinavian and Anglo-American
influences as well as gaining inspiration from
the satellite towns of Paris.
In the 1980s
Slovene architecture was influenced by the Kras
group, who practiced a modern Venetian style of
architecture. Post Modernism was heralded by a
municipal building in Sežana (1979 by Vojteh
Ravnikar (b 1943) and others. Sadar in Vuga
arhitekti d.o.o. is a highly successful Slovene
project team from Ljubljana. Their architecture
goes beyond temporary trends. The main features
of their work are integral design, a bold, innovative
approach in construction and a refined transparency
of spaces.
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