I was hoping to find some examples of Socialist Modernism on my recent trip to Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia, and spotted this glorious concrete structure, initially from the bus to Lake Bled. Upon return to Ljubljana we doubled back to pay homage to this example of peak ‘Soc Mod’. ‘Petrol’ by noted architect Milan Mihelič was built between 1967–1968 and is located on a main road, Tivolska cesta, that skirts the north of Ljubljana city centre. It was the first of a sequence of modernist petrol stations around the city.
The central pillar blossoms out into this giant radial petal with eyes looking down on the forecourt. From underneath it’s quite overwhelming. Viewed from the corner its form seems less organic and more like an alien space craft stranded on the roadside waiting to return to its home planet. It’s one of the most majestic structures I’ve ever seen.
The architect Milan Mihelič (1925 – 2021) was a notable architect of post-war Slovenia, when it was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He was president of the Union of Architects of Slovenia in 1963 and 1967, and designed a number of important buildings across the country.
On the way to find the magical Petrol station we passed this striking tower block and residential complex nearby. It turns out to also have been designed by Milan Mihelič. The S2 Office Tower, Ljubljana was designed in 1963 and from what I can find online construction spanned from 1968 – 1980. I’m not sure if Mihelič also designed the blocks of what appear to be apartments behind the tower.
The next notable example of socialist modernism in Ljubljana we again stumbled upon quite by accident after taking a boat tour along the Ljubljanica River. A ‘business and residential complex’ Ferant Garden was designed by Slovenia’s most prominent post-war modernist architect Edvard Ravnikar, who had taught Milan Mihelič in his studio in the late 1940’s/ early 1950’s. Ravnikar in turn had been a student of the great Slovene architect Jože Plečnik who is credited with introducing modern architecture to Slovenia in the pre-war period, designing some of its most famous buildings such as the Triple Bridge and the Central Market. Ferant Garden has been seen by some as both a bold statement of (socialist) modernism and a critique of the failures of modern urban planning. Intriguingly it’s built on the site of Jože Plečnik’s place of birth.
We allowed ourselves to drift, spotting a number of interesting apartment buildings that to my eye had modernist tendencies. And then we strolled across Republic Square, designed by Edvard Ravnikar and built between 1960 – 1983. The scene was very much set by a man with a deep voice stood at the foot of the Monument to the Revolution reading out a statement with his words booming out across the open concrete space. I have no idea what he was saying but it seemed quite profound (click on the video below).
These strikingly colourful blocks of flats at Brilejeva ulica, were also spotted on the coach journey to Lake Bled. They feature in architectural guides to Ljubljana but I can’t seem to find the name of the architect.
And below we have an assortment of buildings that we saw on our strolls around the beautiful and beguiling city of Ljubljana that had modernist features. I still haven’t recovered from standing beneath the canopy of Milan Mihelič’s Petrol station.
