The capital and largest city of Slovenia is located between Vienna and Venice, in the Ljubljana Basin, on the banks of the amazingly clean Ljubljanica River. It is the political, economic and cultural center of Slovenia.
The area of the city is only 163.8 square kilometers - it is three times smaller than Prague, to which Ljubljana is often compared.
According to data for 2014, the population of Ljubljana is almost 259 thousand people, the vast majority of whom are Slovenes. Slovenia has been a member of the European Union since 2004. Many Slovenes speak English and understand Russian.
In the first century AD on the site of today's Ljubljana was the Roman city of Emona. In the 5th century the settlement was deserted, and only 7 centuries later people began to settle here again.
From the beginning of the 14th century to the beginning of the 20th century, the city was called Laibach and belonged to the Habsburg Empire. In 1918 it received a new name and became the capital of Slovenia. The city owes its name to the Ljubljanica River.
There is also a more romantic version of the foundation of Ljubljana. According to the legend, Prince Jason and his Argonaut friends found themselves on the Ljubljanica River. Here they were hiding from King Aeetes, from whom they had stolen a golden fleece. From a swamp near Ljubljanica, Jason was attacked by a sea monster, which he defeated in a fair fight. In honor of this event, Jason founded a new settlement.
