The Crown Above the City – Ljubljana Castle

The story of the renovation of the Ljubljana Castle that lasted more than half a century – about the architects who believed in the transformation, and about the space that was transformed from an abandoned fortress to a vibrant, inviting complex that is the pride of Slovenia’s capital.

screenplay Jasna Amalija Marin, director Domen Košir, producer Mateja Košir, narrator Primož Pirnat, production Matador produkcija d.o.o.

For many decades, the Ljubljana Castle stood alone above the city – closed, dark and almost forgotten. Locals and visitors avoided it. But within its crumbling walls, there was a hidden power just waiting to be recognised.

That moment came in 1969, when architect Edo Ravnikar Jr. won a public competition to renovate the Ljubljana Castle. One year later, together with Majda Kregar and Miha Kerin, he entered a space that, in Kregar’s words, had a “sad, abandoned and grim image”. The castle had experienced a long period of aggressive use, serving as a barracks, a penitentiary and social housing before finally being abandoned completely. Kregar adds: “This image provoked a passion to roll up one’s sleeves and deal with this sorrow.”

Through the testimonies of architect Majda Kregar, archaeologist and museum council member Martin Horvat, conservator Dušan Kramberger, urban planner Prof. Janez Koželj, historian Marko Brunskole, and Mateja Avbelj Valentan and Janja Rozman from the Ljubljana Castle Public Institute, the documentary film The Crown Above the City takes viewers behind the scenes of one of the greatest architectural transformations in the history of Slovenia.

The documentary film The Crown Above the City was created to mark this year’s 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Ljubljana Castle Public Institute, which also commissioned the film. Acknowledging all of those who persevered with the protracted transformation of the Ljubljana Castle, the film pays homage to the expertise and courage of the architects, conservators, archaeologists and builders, as well as the creators of the castle’s content today, and the unique relationship they built with each other and with the space. It is also a tribute to the city of Ljubljana, which is why the Ljubljana Castle is presenting the film to domestic and foreign visitors with a free screening on the big screen in the Castle Courtyard, the day before the start of the traditional summer cinema series Film Under the Stars.