Kongresni Trg (Congress Square), Ljubljana

Congress Square was created in 1821 for the Congress of Laibach, a diplomatic meeting attended by European rulers and representatives of the Holy Alliance. The site once contained a Capuchin monastery, which was cleared before the square was built. During the socialist period, it was renamed Revolution Square and later Liberation Square, before its original name was officially restored in 1990.

The square has witnessed several major political events. In 1918, large crowds gathered here during the creation of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. Josip Broz Tito, the leader of socialist Yugoslavia, addressed crowds from the university in 1945, while the human rights demonstrations of 1988 helped drive the Slovenian Spring. Nearby landmarks include the Ursuline Church, Kazina Palace, the university, and the Slovenian Philharmonic, where Austrian composer and conductor Gustav Mahler worked during the 1881–1882 concert season.

Star Park occupies much of the square, with geometric paths and mature plane trees shaped by a redesign carried out in the late 1930s by Jože Plečnik, Slovenia’s most influential modern architect. Visitors can see a music pavilion, the 1954 Anchor Monument, and a gilded replica of the Roman Citizen of Emona statue. The park also hosts concerts, festivals, and public events.