National Assembly Building of the Republic of Slovenia
Encyclopedia
The National Assembly Building of the Republic of Slovenia is a modernist palace in Ljubljana
housing the legislature of Slovenia
.
Built between 1954 and 1959 by the Slovene architect Vinko Glanz, the National Assembly Building is located on the Republic Square in the center of Ljubljana
.
Despite its name, the building houses both the National Assembly
(lower house
) and the National Council
(upper house
) of the legislature; however, the upper house has a primarily advisory role. Before the constitutional reforms of 1992, the building was known as the Skupščina, after the name (Skupščina Socialistične Republike Slovenije) of the tricameral communist-era legislature. It is also colloquially referred to as the Parlament.
On May 18, 2010, the front façade (made of rare green tonalite) of the parliament building was severely damaged by students who threw granite rocks removed from nearby pavement at the building's main entrance. The incidence happened during the student protest against the proposed law on the introduction of mini jobs that would curb student work.
marble, with green Oplotnica
granite below the windows. The only decorative element is the main portal, supported by five pilasters enclosing four double oak
doors, which supports a mass of intertwined sculptures by Karel Putrih in Zdenko Kalin, depicting peaceful scenes from everyday life, focusing on industry and family.
The center of the building is occupied by the 422 m²
, 150 seat Great Hall, where the upper house convenes. Formerly rectangular, it was renovated into an amphitheater in 2000. The Small Hall on the ground floor houses the upper house.
for a Slovenian Parliament was designed by the architect Jože Plečnik
in the late 1940s, and continues to enjoy considerable awareness among Slovenes. Periodic public interest in the construction of the Plečnik Parliament has so far failed to result in any action.
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
housing the legislature of Slovenia
Slovenian Parliament
The Slovenian Parliament is the informal designation of the general representative body of the Slovenian nation and the legislative body of the Republic of Slovenia....
.
Built between 1954 and 1959 by the Slovene architect Vinko Glanz, the National Assembly Building is located on the Republic Square in the center of Ljubljana
Center (Ljubljana)
The Center District or simply Center is a city district in the center of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It has an area of about . Its major thoroughfares are Slovenian Street , Čop Street , Cankar Street , Wolf Street , Trubar Street , and Miklošič Street , and the major squares are Congress...
.
Despite its name, the building houses both the National Assembly
National Assembly (Slovenia)
The National Assembly is the general representative body of the Slovenian nation. According to the Constitution of Slovenia and the Constitutional Court of Slovenia, it is the major part of the distinctively incompletely bicameral legislative branch of the Republic of Slovenia. It is unicameral...
(lower house
Lower house
A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
) and the National Council
National Council (Slovenia)
The National Council is according to the Constitution of Slovenia the representative of social, economic, professional and local interest groups in Slovenia and has a legislative function working as a corrective mechanism of the National Assembly, although it does not itself pass acts. It may be...
(upper house
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
) of the legislature; however, the upper house has a primarily advisory role. Before the constitutional reforms of 1992, the building was known as the Skupščina, after the name (Skupščina Socialistične Republike Slovenije) of the tricameral communist-era legislature. It is also colloquially referred to as the Parlament.
On May 18, 2010, the front façade (made of rare green tonalite) of the parliament building was severely damaged by students who threw granite rocks removed from nearby pavement at the building's main entrance. The incidence happened during the student protest against the proposed law on the introduction of mini jobs that would curb student work.
Architecture
The four-story building is externally austere. The facade is faced with KrasKras
Karst ; also known as the Karst Plateau, is a limestone borderline plateau region extending in southwestern Slovenia and northeastern Italy. It lies between the Vipava Valley, the low hills surrounding the valley, the westernmost part of the Brkini Hills, northern Istria, and the Gulf of Trieste...
marble, with green Oplotnica
Oplotnica
Oplotnica is a small town and municipality in eastern Slovenia. It lies on a stream with the same name, a left tributary of the Dravinja River, to the north of Slovenske Konjice. The area was part of the traditional region of Lower Styria...
granite below the windows. The only decorative element is the main portal, supported by five pilasters enclosing four double oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
doors, which supports a mass of intertwined sculptures by Karel Putrih in Zdenko Kalin, depicting peaceful scenes from everyday life, focusing on industry and family.
The center of the building is occupied by the 422 m²
M²
m2 may mean:*Square metre, an SI measure of area*m2 , the ambient project of German electronic musician and DJ Mathis MootzM2 may mean:*M squared, a measure of laser beam quality*M2 , by Marcus Miller...
, 150 seat Great Hall, where the upper house convenes. Formerly rectangular, it was renovated into an amphitheater in 2000. The Small Hall on the ground floor houses the upper house.
Future
An unrealized projectPlecnik Parliament
Plečnik Parliament is the colloquial name of two designs for a building intended to house the legislature of the People's Republic of Slovenia within the second Yugoslavia...
for a Slovenian Parliament was designed by the architect Jože Plečnik
Jože Plecnik
Jože Plečnik , was a Slovene architect who practised in Vienna, Belgrade, Prague and Ljubljana.-Biography:...
in the late 1940s, and continues to enjoy considerable awareness among Slovenes. Periodic public interest in the construction of the Plečnik Parliament has so far failed to result in any action.
External links
- Slovene Parliament building. Virtual panoramas. Burger.si. Accessed 28 February 2011.