Association of Significant Cemeteries of Europe: Žale Cemetery

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WDEC 2024 at Žale Cemetery

During the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2024, Žale d.o.o. will organise free guided tours at Žale Cemetery.

Free guided tours

The guided tours will take place from 27 May 2024 until 2 June 2024 inclusive. The guide will meet you in front of Plečnik's propylaea at 17:00.

You will visit the famous Plečnik's Žale, which has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will also see the final resting place of Jože Plečnik and other famous Slovenians, the works of famous architects and sculptors, and other important parts of the Žale Cemetery, which is actually an open-air museum.

About Žale Cemetery

Žale Cemetery is one of Europe's most beautiful cemeteries, thanks to its high cultural, historical and artistic value. Many important personalities are buried in Žale Cemetery: poets, writers, sculptors, painters, composers, architects, actors, engineers, politicians, sportsmen, etc. It also contains many cemeteries from World War I. and World War II., as well as other memorials to famous architects and sculptors. It is also important as the city's second largest park and it is interesting in all seasons.

WDEC in Žale cemetery, Ljubljana

A free guided tour around the cemetery.

During the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries (WDEC), which takes place within the framework of the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe (ASCE), this year we will organise free guided tours around the Žale cemetery.

Guided tours of the cultural heritage of the Žale cemetery will be held twice a day from 30 May 2022 to 5 June 2022.

The guide will be waiting for you in front of the administrative building at Plečnikovih Žalah (Plečnik's propile) at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m..

During the guided tour you will visit the famous Plečnik's Žale, the graves of well-known Slovenians, the works of famous architects and sculptors, and other important parts of the Žale cemetery, which is actually an outdoor museum.

Cemeteries as a cultural heritage are an important part of our history and art, and therefore are the tourist attractions of cities where one can feel the history and culture of the local population.

One such is also the Žale cemetery. Due to its high cultural, historical and artistic value, it is one of the most beautiful European cemeteries. Many giants of our history are buried at the Žale cemetery: poets, writers, sculptors, painters, composers, architects, actors, engineers, politicians, athletes, etc.

There are also many cemeteries from the I. and II. World War II in the cemetery and other memorials.

The cemetery is also important as the second largest city (Ljubljana) park and is interesting in all seasons of the year.

Plečnik's Žale on the UNESCO list

Plečnik's Žale were recognized as a site of exceptional universal value and were included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The 44th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which began on 16 July 2021, confirmed the entry of selected Plečnik's works in Ljubljana on this prestigious world list. In addition to the complex of the Plečnik's Žale - Garden of All Saints, located at Žale Cemetery, six of Plečnik's other works in the City of Ljubljana (known today as Plečnik's Ljubljana) have been added to the list of world cultural and natural heritage.

About Plečnik's Žale

Plečnik's Žale - The Garden of All Saints is a part of Žale Cemetery in Ljubljana and was built according to the plans of the famous Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik in the years 1937 to 1940. The entrance to the Garden of All Saints is designed monumentally, like the mighty Propylaea. The central building of the mourning complex is the Chapel, around which are arranged mortuary chapels or chapels dedicated to various saints and patrons of Ljubljana parishes. These are surrounded by an exceptional park arrangement of various trees, bush fences, a fountain, pillars and lamps. At the end of the Garden of All Saints, Plečnik placed a building of carpentry workshops, which is decorated with frescoes.

Sites of exceptional universal value

The selected buildings, complexes and spatial arrangements meet the criterion “to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history.” At the same time, they meet the requirements for authenticity and integrity and have a regulated legal protection and management system. All three represent the essence of the concept of so-called exceptional universal value, which is justified on a global scale.

The Plečnik's Žal area has so far been a registered area of cultural heritage and enlisted in the Register of Immovable Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia. In addition, Plečnik's Žale is a cultural monument of national importance, and also bears the European Heritage Label from the intergovernmental initiative.

*Source: https://www.zale.si

Virtual and mobile app visit to Žale cemetery in Ljubljana during WDEC 2020

On the occasion of this year's Week of Discovering European Cemeteries, we will present the Žale cemetery to visitors a little differently than in previous years due to the emergency caused by the new COVID-19 virus, namely in virtual form.

On 1 September 2019, at the monument to Russian and Soviet soldiers who died on Slovenian soil in World War I and World War II, inaugurated in 2016 by the Presidents of Russia and Slovenia, Vladimir Putin and Mr. Borut Pahor, an »eternal flame« lighting ceremony was taking place.

At this event, the Slovenian delegation was represented by the President of the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia Mr. Alojz Kovšca, Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs, and Equal Opportunities Ksenija Klampfer, Minister of Culture Mag. Zoran Poznič, Mayor of the City of Ljubljana Zoran Janković, parliamentarians, representatives of ministries and departments, mayors of municipalities and urban municipalities of Slovenia, leadership and members of veterans' organizations, Slovenia-Russia associations, and Russian countrymen's associations.

The Russian delegation was led by the Vice-President of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Mr. Piotr Tolstoy. Members of the Russian delegation included representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Culture, Defence (responsible for memorial projects), the Russian Historical Society, the Russian Military-Historical Society, the Russian Federation of Veterans, and the Friendship and Cultural Relations Association with Slovenia. The Ambassador of Russia in Slovenia, Dr. Doku Zavgajev, has also been present.

The ceremony began with anthems of the Republic of Slovenia and the Russian Federation, followed by an address by the Mayor of the City of Ljubljana, Zoran Janković. After the mayor's speech was over, the Russian delegation's leader lit the eternal flame, which was followed by a minute of silence.

The ceremony continued with the address of the Head of the Russian Delegation - Vice-President of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Mr. Tolstoy, followed by an address by the Head of the Slovenian Delegation of the President of the National Council of Slovenia, Alojz Kovšca, an address by a Slovenian veteran, and an address by the Ambassador of Russia to
Slovenia, Dr. Doku Zavgajev.

After the speeches were completed, delegations laid wreaths at the monument and other participants laid flowers.

More photos from the ceremony can be viewed in this album.

WDEC in Ljubljana, Slovenia

#EuropeForCulture During the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries (WDEC), which takes place within the framework of the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe (ASCE), this year we will organise free guided tours around the Žale cemetery.

Symposium: Digital technologies at cemeteries

The visualisation separately includes Žale Cemetery, the other 17 cemeteries managed by our company and Plečnik's Žale Cemetery, where users can also see the virtual interior of the mortuary.

In the next week, when there is the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries, we will have several activities at Žale Cemetery in Ljubljana.

Company Žale d.o.o. invites you to attend free guided tours at Žale Cemetery in Ljubljana (Slovenia).

Myths and legends. Buried and ready to be discovered.

On November 1st, TV Slovenia broadcast the programme about tourism »Na lepše«.

Žale, which is an old Slavic word for a cemetery, is the main cemetery of the city of Ljubljana.

About the cemetery

It was founded in 1906 and is still in use today. In the years 1938/40 its design was made by architect Jože Plečnik (1872-1957), who was undoubtedly the most important figure in the history of Slovene architecture.

Behind a symmetrical entry building, which is a combination of two wings joined by a peristyle, is a park with individual chapels and signs. The central alley ends with the funeral room. Beside this exceptional complex of Plečnik, the importance of the cemetery lies also in the tombs and tombstones of notable Slovenian personalities, which are works of the most important Slovenian artists.

Through the cemetery runs the Pathway of Memory and Companionship, in memory of a barbed wire fence, which surrounded the city from 1942 until 1945. After the war it was developed into the 30 km track around the city with the aim to provide a green recreational facility.

The new part of the cemetery was designed in 1988 by architect Marko Mušič. Design for this city of the dead shows his respect for Plečnik's work and his orientation towards classical tradition of antiquity and ancient Egypt.

Cemetery Žale is of great significance to Slovenian culture. At the same time its high artistic quality presents it also as unique among European cemeteries.

*Photo source: www.visitljubljana.com

Contacts

ŽALE Javno podjetje, d.o.o.
Med hmeljniki 2,
Ljubljana,
Slovenia

Mail: info@zale.si
Tel: 00386 1 420 17 00

Web: www.zale.si

Opening hours

In summer: 6.00 to 21.00
In winter: 7.00 to 20.00

Funeral hours

Monday to Saturday: every hour from 9.00 till 16.00

Bus to reach the cemetery

Bus Nr. 19 - Tomačevo

Ljubljana Tourist Board

Gregorčičeva 7
1000 Ljubljana

Phone: (+386 1) 426 71 14
252 34 15 , 252 34 45
Fax: +386 1/425 33 58

E-mail: info@ljubljana-tourism.si

Tourist information

www.visitljubljana.com
www.ljubljana.si
www.burger.si/Ljubljana/Ljubljana.htm

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