Vodnik Monument — Attraction in Upravna Enota Ljubljana

Valentin Vodnik was a Slovenian priest, poet, teacher and a journalist. He was born in Ljubljana in 1758. He studied in Novo mesto and Gorizia and became a priest of the Franciscan order. Later he worked as a priest in the towns of Sora, Bled and Ribnica. When he returned to Ljubljana at the end of the 18th century he started to work as a teacher. At that time he was also writing poetry. From 1797 to 1800 he was also the editor of the first Slovenian newspaper called "Lublanske novice". At the beginning of the 19th century he supported the French occupation of Slovenia and he praised Napoleon Bonaparte. After the end of the French rule in 1813 he retired from public life and died in 1819. The monument was made in 1889 by the sculptor Alojz Gangl in Vienna. It is made of bronze and it stands on a stone pedestal. It was unveiled on 30th June 1889 with a 3-day celebration. This was the first public Slovene national monument. In 1929 the letters "R" and "F" were added on the pedestal as a reference to the First French Republic. Also the laureal wreath and the inscription "Vodnik" were added at the same time. They were all a gift of the country of France. Once the monument, which is 2,5 m high, stood in front of a school building. This building was badly damaged during the earthquake in 1895 and later demolished. That is the reason why the monument now stands alone in the market square, named after...

Who wrote the first Slovene kookbook? It was this priest, journalist and poet. Vodnik was active in the late Enlightenment period around the 18th century.

You can find his statue easily at the entrance...

I could only give my namesake 5 stars, but I can understand if you rate it lower. Right next to Ljubljana castle tram so worth 10 minutes...