STA, 22 March 2021 - After a five-month break, Ljubljana Castle can again be accessed by funicular, but before buying a ticket, those yearning for a great view of Ljubljana have to prove that they are not infected with coronavirus, the city of Ljubljana's company operating the funicular said in a release.
The funicular was stopped on 24 October when the government tightened coronavirus restrictions as Slovenia entered the second wave of the epidemic, and except for five days in December, it remained closed until today.
The city of Ljubljana used the time for maintenance, thoroughly checking the entire funicular and the track.
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Following the check, the Ljubljanski Grad company obtained a permit and the funicular could resume operations today under the conditions valid for cableways.
Passengers have to produce a negative PCR or rapid test result not older than seven days, a certificate of vaccination, or a certificate of having recovered from Covid-19 not older than six months.
However, the company would like the funicular to be subject to rules applying to public transport where passengers do not have to prove their coronavirus status.
It has addressed a request to a relevant ministry but is still waiting for a reply.
Last year, Ljubljana Castle, one of the city's most popular sights, was closed for three and a half months, and visitor numbers plummeted by 76.5% to roughly 314,000 over 2019. The funicular, which was closed slightly longer, saw an even steeper drop, that of 83% to 97,600.
A rise in domestic tourists was recorded, yet foreign tourists still represented almost 60% of the total figure, the majority from Italy, Germany and the Netherlands.
