Ljubljana (IPA /ljub'ljʌna/), German Laibach (/'lɑɪbax/), Italian Lubiana (/lʊb'jɑ:na/) is the capital of Slovenia, situated on the outfall of the river Ljubljanica into the Sava. Population: 269,824 (2001).

Historians disagree as to where the name comes from. Although it is commonly pointed out that it originates out of the Slovenian word ljubljena (a feminine form of beloved), this is not universally accepted. The name of an old Slavonic deity, Laburus , which was thought to have been the settlement's patron, may be looked upon as the source of the present-day name. However, the name may just as well have evolved from the Latin term for a flooding river, aluviana. Laibach, the German name for the city, may have borrowed itself from Laubach (a lukewarm beck, in German).

Although the Roman settlement Emona (Colonia Emona (Aemona) Iulia tribu Claudia) was erected in 15 AD, the first records mentioning Ljubljana by its modern name date to 1144 (by its German name Laibach) and 1146 (by name Luwigana).

After receiving its town rights in 1220, Ljubljana came under Habsburg rule in 1335, became the seat of the diocese in 1461, and developed into a Slovenian cultural centre during the late Middle Ages. The Habsburg rule was only interrupted by the Napoleonic wars, and between 1809 and 1813 Ljubljana was the capital of the French Illyrian provinces. In 1821 the city hosted Congress of Laibach.

With the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, Ljubljana became the seat of the Dravska banovina, and after World War II, the capital of the Yugoslav socialist republic of Slovenia. Ljubljana remained the capital city when Slovenia gained independence in 1991.

Ljubljana was devastated by earthquakes several times. After the earthquake in 1511, Ljubljana was rebuilt in the Renaissance style, and after the earthquake 1895 severely damaged the city, in Neo-Classicist and Secession (Art Nouveau) styles. The city's architecture is thus a mixture of styles. Large areas of city built between the two world wars feature the work of native architect Jože Plečnik.

In 1693, a scholarly society Academia operosorum Labacensis was established in Ljubljana, followed by the Philharmonic Society (Academia philharmonicorum) in 1701. Ljubljana got its university in 1919 and the National Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1937.

Slovenia | Municipalities of Slovenia

City municipalities: Celje | Koper | Kranj | Ljubljana | Maribor | Murska Sobota

Nova Gorica | Novo mesto | Ptuj | Slovenj Gradec | Velenje

Other municipalities: Ajdovščina | Beltinci | Benedikt | Bistrica ob Sotli | Bled | Bloke | Bohinj | Borovnica | Bovec | Braslovče | Brda | Brezovica | Brežice | Cankova | Cerklje na Gorenjskem | Cerknica | Cerkno | Cerkvenjak | Črešnovci | Črna na Koroškem | Črnomelj | Destrnik | Divača | Dobje | Dobrepolje | Dobrova-Polhov Gradec | Dobrovnik | Dol pri Ljubljani | Dolenjske Toplice | Domžale | Dornava | Dravograd | Duplek | Gorenja Vas-Poljane | Gorišnica | Gornja Radgona | Gornji Grad | Gornji Petrovci | Grad | Grosuplje | Hodoš | Hrastnik | Hrpelje-Kozina | Idrija | Ig | Ilirska Bistrica | Ivančna Gorica | Izola | Jesenice | Jezersko | Juršinci | Kamnik | Kanal | Kidričevo | Kobarid | Kobilje | Kočevje | Komen | Komenda | Kostel | Kozje | Kranjska Gora | Križevci | Krško | Kungota | Kuzma | Laško | Lenart | Lendava | Litija | Ljubno | Ljutomer | Logatec | Lovrenc na Pohorju | Loška Dolina | Loški Potok | Luče | Lukovica | Majšperk | Markovci | Medvode | Mengeš | Metlika | Mežica | Miklavž na Dravskem polju | Miren-Kostanjevica | Mirna peč | Mislinja | Moravče | Moravske Toplice | Mozirje | Muta | Naklo | Nazarje | Odranci | Oplotnica | Ormož | Osilnica | Pesnica | Piran | Pivka | Podčetrtek | Podlehnik | Podvelka | Polzela | Prebold | Postojna | Preddvor | Prevalje | Puconci | Rače-Fram | Radeče | Radenci | Radlje ob Dravi | Radovljica | Ravne na Koroškem | Razkrižje | Ribnica | Ribnica na Pohorju | Rogaška Slatina | Rogašovci | Rogatec | Ruše | Selnica ob Dravi | Semič | Sevnica | Sežana | Slovenska Bistrica | Slovenske Konjice | Sodražica | Solčava | Starše | Sveta Ana | Sveti Andraž v Slovenskih goricah | Sveti Jurij | Šalovci | Šempeter-Vrtojba | Šenčur | Šentilj | Šentjernej | Šentjur pri Celju | Škocjan | Škofja Loka | Škofljica | Šmarje pri Jelšah | Šmartno pri Litiji | Šmartno ob Paki | Šoštanj | Štore | Tabor | Tišina | Tolmin | Trbovlje | Trebnje | Trnovska vas | Trzin | Tržič | Turnišče | Velika Polana | Velike Lašče | Veržej | Videm | Vipava | Vitanje | Vodice | Vojnik | Vransko | Vrhnika | Vuzenica | Zagorje ob Savi | Zavrč | Zreče | Žalec | Železniki | Žetale | Žiri | Žirovnica | Žužemberk