Funicular Railway

The municipality Ljubljana connected Ljubljana Castle with the old city core at the end of year 2006 by an urban means of transport – a funicular railway. The topography of the delicate location imposed certain spatial limitations and demands in regard to design, so the best solution proved to be a funicular railway.

The idea, the wish and now also the need to build a funicular railway that would connect the old city core and Ljubljana Castle have not appeared in the last five years - they are more than hundred years old.

Every 10 minutes.
Lower station of funicular railway is located at Krek Square, near the Central Market.

Pricelist JH-LJ for the furnicular

Dr. Ivan Hribar, the Mayor of the capital Ljubljana, wrote in his letter to the Austro-Hungarian authorities: "The Castle would have many visitors, particularly on summer evenings, since the view from these premises is charmingly beautiful and since the existing shadowy courtyard could be well used to attract visitors who will pay ten kreutzers or a smaller fare if only we build an elevator to the top".

In the letter which contains the Mayor's initiative to repurchase the Castle, he also writes about the agreement for the final inspection regarding the construction of an elevator. It was 1897.

The layout was determined in accordance with the conservators. Though it is built alongside its walls, the funicular railway does not interfere with the spatial arrangement of the medieval city.
The construction of the railway revealed the remains of the wall which were solidified and presented throughout the layout. Similarly is preserved the moat along the walls at the entry platform where later on houses were built.
At the top the railway ends at the foot of the castle, which enables roofed access to most of the castle's tracts.

It is located at Krek Square at the height 291 m; it will serve also as a garage for the cabin when the funicular is not operating. The station consists of the platform, the ticket office and the operation room.The lower station is situated between the building of the Civic Hall (the Šentjakob Theatre) and the medieval periphery of Krek Square from house number 3 to 7.
The materials used in building of the entry platform were natural concrete, neutral glass and inox.
The special attention was paid to the design of its roof. The covered platform opened to all sides required a large roof. The triangular ground plan of the platform was determined by the shape of the urban microspace and its function.

The funicular railway has been selected because its thin line of rails on low supports entails minimal burdening of environment.The span of the supporting columns is considerable, they are designed so as not to disfigure the overall image.

The upper station of the funicular railway is leaned against the outer walls of Ljubljana Castle. The platform is placed above the engine room, which is connected with the Castle's interior. The courtyard is accessible through the lapidarium, the stairways and a small elevator, this route is suitable also for disabled persons.
The uncovered remains of the city walls and the output of the palaeontological research and its finds during the construction were integrated into the exit platform, thus enriching the historical character of the site.

The preparations of the entire project strictly followed all valid legislation and the EU Directives (Directive 2000/9/EG Cableway installations designed to carry persons) and the Law on cableway installations designed to carry persons (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia 126/2003), as well as the Law on building objects (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia 110/2002); we are particularly concerned to preserve natural resources and cultural heritage of the Ljubljana Castle and the old city core.

The cabin's design is unique, it is made by the state of the art technology combining glass and thin steel framework, the transparent glass roof and the floor both allows ventilation. The cabin is visually not imposing, it is transparent and suits its panoramic function.

INVESTOR and CONCESSIONAIRE: the Municipality of Ljubljana
ICENSEE: Ljubljana festival
PROJECT: AMBIENT d.o.o.
ARCHITECTURE and DESIGN: Miha Kerin BSArch., Majda Kregar BSArch, Edo Ravnikar BSArch and his colleagues: Smiljan Buzeti, Brane Kregar, Irena Predalič BSArch
STATICS: KONSTATBIRO d.o.o. Edo Štok BSArch and MEKONI d.o.o., Štefan Tasič BSCE, Peter Grošelj
TECHNOLOGY: GARAVENTA AG
CONSTRUCTION: SCT d.d.