Nebotičnik, High-rise building in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Nebotičnik is a 13-story high-rise in Ljubljana that rises 70 meters above the surrounding roofline. The building houses residential apartments, offices, shops, and dining venues across its floors.
Construction began on 19 April 1931 on the site of a medieval monastery, where workers found a 13th-century well; the Pension Institute commissioned Vladimir Šubic, and the building opened on 21 February 1933. It was then the tallest building in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the ninth-tallest in Europe. Oton Župančič's verse was cut into the foundation stone.
The name Nebotičnik joins nebo ('sky') and tikati se ('to touch'), so it means 'the one touching the sky'. The café on the eleventh floor opened with fittings by Bojan Stupica modelled on American and Vienna cafés, with Karst polished stone walls, a gold meander on a blue ceiling and velvet curtains; drinks were first served only in crystal and silver.
Two fast lifts go to the café floors, while a third, slower lift serves the residential levels. The spiral stairway in the centre stops at the tenth floor. The upper pavilion and terrace are reached by lift.
The spiral stairway in the core stops at the tenth floor, so the café and terrace above are reached only by the two fast lifts. The four bronze heads in the marble lobby are by France Gorše and depict penates, the Roman household guardians.
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