Jože Plečnik was the architect responsible for many of Ljubljana’s most iconic and well-known features, like Triple Bridge and the Market Arcades, or Križanke and Shoemaker’s Bridge. But despite the grand projects that Plečnik was able to complete, in Slovenia and abroad, there were other plans that remained even grander, and unrealised.
Starting on 18 October and running until 26 January, 2020, visitors to the Plečnik House (Karunova 4–6, Ljubljana 1000) will have a further delight to go with the many they’ll find when touring the great man’s home, designed to his own demanding specifications and full of characteristic touches. In these months the museum is hosting an exhibition titled Plečnik’s Unrealised Projects for Ljubljana, which will show how the city would have looked if the architect had been able to build four of his major works: New Town Hall, Butchers’ Bridge (on the site where the one with "lovers locks" now crosses the river), a monumental octagon with a tower on the Castle Hill and the Cathedral of Freedom in Tivoli Park.
While sketches of these works have long existed, the displays for this show utilised 3D modelling, visualisation and 3D printing, bringing them to life in the context of the city today, as seen in the following images.
New Town Hall: Nejc Bernik, ZRC-SAZU
New Town Hall: Nejc Bernik, ZRC-SAZU
Plan for New Town Hall. Source: MGML
Butcher's Bridge: Nejc Bernik, ZRC-SAZU
Butcher's Bridge: Nejc Bernik, ZRC-SAZU
Plan for Butcher's Bridge. Source. MGLM
An addition to Ljubljana Castle. Nejc Bernik, ZRC-SAZU
Plan for an addition to Ljubljana Castle. Source: MGML
Plan for an addition to Ljubljana Castle. Source: MGML
The Cathedral of Freedom, Tivoli Park. Source: Nejc Barnik, ZRC-SAZU
The Cathedral of Freedom, Tivoli Park. Source: Nejc Barnik, ZRC-SAZU
Plan for the Cathedral of Freedom. Source: MGML. If you have a 10-cent coin you might be able to see this on one side - one of Slovenia's contributions to the visual image of the euro...
The exhibition is free to enter with a ticket to the Plečnik House, which also includes a very informative guided tour of the building, as written up here. Tickets are €6 for adults, €4 for the over 60s, students, and children. The place is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, and closed on Monday. More details here.
