CITY OF DRAGONS DRAGON BRIDGE A family climbs the Ljubljana Castle tower They take in a beautiful city view After walking the castle grounds they ride the funicular back into the city The family strolls across Dragon Bridge They take a picture next to one of the city’s dragon sculptures
THE DRAGON PROTECTOR A Slovene legend says a hero in Greek mythology fought off a dragon in Ljubljana Over time the dragon became a city symbol It protects Ljubljana and represents wisdom courage and power OTHER TOP SITES PREDJAMA CASTLE SKOCJAN CAVES TRIGLAV NATIONAL PARK TRIPLE BRIDGE For lunch they walk to a restaurant near the popular Prešeren Square They enjoy bograč stew made with meat and potatoes Then they visit the National Gallery They admire the paintings of famous Slovene artists Architecture delicious cuisine and art offer just a taste of Slovenia’s rich culture
LOCATION A FORMER REPUBLIC Slovenia used to be a republic of the former country of Yugoslavia In 1991 the six republics of Yugoslavia became independent countries AUSTRIA MARIBOR CELJE CROATIA LJUBLJANA SLOVENIA KOPER ITALY ADRIATIC SEA
S W E N HUNGARY Slovenia is a country in central Europe It covers 7,827 square miles 20,273 square kilometers In the southwest some of Slovenia forms a small part of the Istrian Peninsula This region also features the country’s only coastline It runs along the Adriatic Sea Italy is Slovenia’s western neighbor Austria lies to the north Hungary shares a short border to the northeast Croatia surrounds Slovenia to the east and south The capital Ljubljana is located in the central region It sits on the Ljubljanica River The peaks of the Julian Alps tower over the city
