This is part of the Slovenian song "Šuštarski most" (or Cobbler's bridge) that every citizen of Ljubljana and every Slovenian knows. It is the Slovenian version of Jason Crest's "Waterloo Road". Bridges are thus part of the nostalgic and youthful atmosphere of the Slovenian capital. The Ljubljanica river gives a special character to Ljubljana with its interesting bridges and picturesque embankments in the old city centre.

The Ljubljanica river, extending from the Ljubljana marshes all the way to its outflow into the Sava river, features as many as 35 bridges. It is believed that the first bridge over the Ljubljanica river was built in the Roman period. The bridges are divided into three groups: the first group includes bridges over the Ljubljanica river from Špica to its confluence (18 bridges). The second group consists of the bridges from the confluence of the Ljubljanica river and the Gruber Canal to the confluence with the Sava river and the Kamniška bistrica river (8 bridges), while the third group consists of bridges and footbridges over the Gruber Canal (9 bridges). The new Fish Footbridge represents the latest acquisition of Ljubljana.

The architectural appearance of Ljubljana was decisively influenced by the architect Jože Plečnik when he planned the river banks in the old city centre and designed the walking paths shaded with trees planted along them. Even today Trnovski pristan embankment is adorned with weeping willows, and you can enjoy a walk down the cascading walkways along the Ljubljanica river. Plečnik also initiated the reconstruction of bridges over the Ljubljanica river and its tributaries: from Trnovo and Cobbler's Bridge to the central Triple Bridge, which contribute to the today's unique architecture of Ljubljana.

Plečnik's Triple Bridge - the king of bridges
Ljubljana has a wide variety of bridges. Some of them are intended for railway use and others for pedestrians and motor vehicles. Plečnik's Triple Bridge is considered to be the king of the bridges of Ljubljana. Dragon Bridge and Cobbler's Bridge are also very enchanting. These three bridges, which are also very appealing to tourists, are located in the city centre. And what do these three most famous bridges in Ljubljana look like? The central bridge of the Triple Bridge, which is made of stone, was built in 1842 and stands on the site of a former strategically important medieval wooden bridge connecting the North-Western European countries with South-Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Between 1929 and 1932, the side bridges, intended for pedestrians, were added to the original stone bridge to a design by the Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik, who thus created a unique architectural gem of Ljubljana.

The Triple Bridge has a key position on the crossing of Plečnik's two urban axes, the river axis and the axis running between the Rožnik and castle hills. The Dragon Bridge was built to replace the former wooden bridge called the Butcher's Bridge, which was built in 1819. Built in the years between 1900 and 1901, the Dragon Bridge was Slovenia’s first bridge with an asphalt paving. It is one of Ljubljana’s most representative examples of Art Nouveau architecture, the city’s first reinforced concrete bridge, and one of the first bridges of the kind in Europe. The medieval Ljubljana boasted a bridge called the New Bridge, which was located at the site of the present Cobbler's Bridge. This bridge represented one of the main city hubs. In 1867, the former bridge, which provided space for cobbler's workshops, was replaced by one of cast-iron.

The people of Ljubljana love their bridges
As it is evident from the lyrics of the Slovenian song "Over the Cobbler's Bridge", there are many things to do on the bridges of Ljubljana. Tourists can meet young people chatting there, artists who perform their mini performances, and even women selling flowers. Bridges and their embankments are also the perfect place for a first date, and therefore a place of eternal memories of youth. The Ljubljanica river embankments are regarded to be the "living room of the city". Tourist boats offer an opportunity to experience the old town with its famous bridges, picturesque façades and embankments from a different perspective.

Any new bridge is a great asset for Ljubljana. It should therefore be noted that a new Fish Footbridge was built in Ljubljana recently, connecting Hribar embankment and the Fish square. Its special feature is a steel-glass construction, which replaced the wooden construction. The story of the Fish Footbridge has just begun. Maybe a song will be written about it once, similar to the above-mentioned song about the Cobbler's Bridge. The lyrics might go something like this: "over the Fish Footbridge, over the Fish Footbridge..."

Tanja Glogovčan, SINFO