Hotel Slon
A landmark of central Ljubljana whose name (the Elephant) reaches back to a 16th-century inn, but whose present building is a 1937 modernist hotel by architect Stanislav Rohrmann.
At a glance
Hotel Slon stands at Slovenska cesta 34, on the corner with Čopova ulica in the heart of Ljubljana. Its name means elephant in Slovenian and commemorates a 16th-century episode, but the building visitors see today is not medieval: it is a four-storey modernist hotel erected in 1937-38 to plans by architect Stanislav Rohrmann, replacing an older structure on the same site that was demolished that year. When it opened it was called the most beautiful and most modern hotel in Ljubljana.
Key facts
- Historic name and site: the name traces to 1552, when Archduke Maximilian II of Austria passed through Ljubljana with an elephant named Suleiman; the inn near the site became known as Pri slonu (At the Elephant).
- Historic site: in 1765 Ferdinand Mrvec opened a tavern here with an elephant sign above the door, fixing the Pri slonu name.
- Current building: the present hotel was built in 1937-38, after owner Anton Koritnik decided in 1937 to demolish the older structure and build anew.
- Current building: designed by architect Stanislav (Stanko) Rohrmann, a four-storey building in the modernist fashion of the 1930s.
- Current building: praised on completion as the most beautiful and most modern hotel in Ljubljana.
- The Hotel Slon company was formally established on 30 June 1947.
- Today operated as the Best Western Premier Hotel Slon; the ground-floor lobby and former arcade were refurbished in a 2017 renovation.
History
Hospitality on this corner is documented from the 18th century: in 1765 Ferdinand Mrvec opened a tavern here whose elephant signboard gave it the name Pri slonu, itself echoing the 1552 visit of Archduke Maximilian II and his elephant. The site was rebuilt and expanded across the 19th century (the earlier hotel building survived the 1895 earthquake). The current building, however, is a 20th-century structure: owner Anton Koritnik, who had bought the property in 1917, decided in 1937 to tear down the old hotel and replace it. The new four-storey hotel was built in 1937-38 to plans by architect Stanislav Rohrmann in the modernist idiom of the decade. The Hotel Slon company was established on 30 June 1947 and still runs the hotel, now as a Best Western Premier property.
What you see
A four-storey 1937 modernist hotel block on the corner of Slovenska cesta and Čopova ulica, with a street-level frontage along Slovenska cesta (the former arcade area, reworked in the 2017 renovation). The plain, regular 1930s facade reflects the modernist taste of its build date rather than the older inn it replaced.
Practical information
- Address: Slovenska cesta 34, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia — a working hotel (Best Western Premier Hotel Slon), so interiors are accessible to guests and café/restaurant patrons.
- Central location on Slovenska cesta, Ljubljana's main north-south axis, now an eco-mobility zone for buses, cyclists and pedestrians.
- The hotel name and history are part of the experience; ask at reception or read the hotel's own history page for the elephant story.
- Combine with a short walk to the nearby Secession/Art Nouveau quarter around Prešeren Square and Miklošičeva cesta.
Getting there
Slovenska cesta 34 is in the very centre of Ljubljana, a 5-10 minute walk from Prešeren Square and roughly 1 km from the main railway and bus station to the north. Slovenska cesta is served by city buses and is a low-speed zone closed to general car traffic, so arrival on foot, by bike or by bus is easiest.
Nearby
- Cooperative Business Bank (Vurnik House), Miklošičeva cesta — Ljubljana's most celebrated Secession building, with a tricolour-coloured facade by Ivan and Helena Vurnik; about 400-500 m north toward Prešeren Square.
- Hauptmann House, on Prešeren Square — a corner building renovated in 1904 in the Secessionist style by architect Ciril Metod Koch; about 350-450 m from the hotel.
- Dragon Bridge (Zmajski most), built 1900-1901 — a Vienna Secession-style bridge with its famous dragons; roughly 700-900 m east.
Sources
- History — Best Western Premier Hotel Slon, official (https://www.hotelslon.com/history/)
- Hotel Slon — Zgodovina na dlani (https://zgodovinanadlani.si/en/hotel-slon/)
- Mesto skozi čas: Hotel Slon — Delo (https://old.delo.si/novice/ljubljana/mesto-skozi-cas-hotel-slon.html)
- Ljubljana's most beautiful Art Nouveau buildings — Visit Ljubljana (https://www.visitljubljana.com/en/visitors/in-focus/stories/be-amazed-by-ljubljanas-most-beautiful-art-nouveau-buildings)
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