This is the text to a special report I was putting together with video footage but being a new year and an important time of reflection I will add the text here now with pictures and then the video when it is completed.
Save Kolizej
‘You don’t know what you got till it’s gone’
This is Kolizej palace.
Built in 1845, and originally used to house both enlisted troops and officer quarters.
At the time it was built it was on the edge of the city but now as the city’s grown it has become a part of Ljubljana’s vibrant city center.
Like much of this city it has gone through the last two hundred years when most of this city was new or being rebuilt after the devastating earthquake of 1895. It went on to see three wars and a city siege come and go.
It is still here.
Some might say barely, it has new trendy neighbors and a few small tenants but mostly it is just a casualty to the evolution process of this city, and more currently the capitalist influx the country of Slovenia is experiencing now that it is a member state in the European Union.
You see, as big and historical as this is in the big picture this building is not up to the times. Developers can build cheaper then to renovate, so this sits, for now.
It is currently in private hands and this real-estate is set to go through the roof in the coming years meaning that it is just a matter of time before these walls see the broad end of the wrecking ball or hear the hiss of the explosives, and just like that, history will be over.
There are already plans in the works for a shopping mall and cinema to rise here in it’s place.
You might wonder why any city would not cherish this building more. The only conclusion is that there is so much here in Ljubljana that this one sadly means so little.
The city of Ljubljana’s attractions read like the perfect wish-list any city would dream of having in their gates, here are a few examples.
Countless buildings showcasing the glory and splendor of early 20th century architecture.
One of the oldest train stations in the region.
A grand post office dating back to 1846 – that’s when the mail still came with horses’ attached.
A beautiful river (the Ljubljanica) running through the old town.
A medieval hilltop castle.
Even Three Bridges for the price of one.
These are just a few of the things to see around here, but can we really fully celebrate them knowing that other historical sites are not as celebrated to their potential?
I wonder what wiser men would think.
With vision, ideas and proper care, past history and future successes can live side-by-side. They can co-exist.
It is possible to leave history in tact for future generations, if for no other reason then to show them that we care. That the beginning of the 21st century is not just about making big money and globalization.
That is the greatest legacy one can leave on a city and its inhabitants.
That is the lesson of Kolizej Palace. Will it take learning it the hard way?
They say you don’t really appreciate something till you no longer have it. An 1800’s Mansion blown to smithereens and carted off as land-fill seems like a pretty expensive way to learn historical appreciation.
There is another way, it’s called save Kolizej!
This site encourages all constructive comments, criticisms or alternate views on these writings. Please feel free to express your feelings on this article for other readers by leaving a comment, thank you. – Justin W.
kolizej je stara podrtija brez kakšne pomembne zgodovinske vrednosti in kot taka le zaseda dragocen prostor v centru Ljubljane. tako kot še nekaj “podrtij”, ki si niti slučajno ne zaslužijo nekega zgodovinskega varstva ampak le čim hitrejšo rušitev in gradnjo kakšne uporabne stavbe ali česarkoli že. sploh ne vem kater bebec se je spomnil, da je kolizej nekaj tako pomembnega, da se nanj obešajo s spomeniškim varstvom. namesto da čas in denar zapravljajo s tako nepotrebnimi bedarijami bi prenovili mestno središče in stavbe ki dejansko dajejo podobno stari ljubljani, ljubljanski grad itd.. kolizej je pa direkt samo za podret.
[...] and find solutions for historical or social problems I’ve seen here in Slovenia be they old buildings, the youths disinterest in anything more then temporal materialism, or intolerance for Muslims and [...]
Joj kakšen sentimentalističen jamer!!! Dej poglej mal kolizej in okolico. Ta stvar je že bila ubita in to zdavnaj. Izgleda da so jo odpisali že ko so pozidali okoliške stavbe ker so ji vzeli prostor v katerem bi dihala. Kolizej in njegovo funkcionalno (če temu sploh lahko tako rečemo) zemljišče je slepo črevo becirka v katerem stoji. Pa nima s tem pogledom “gnili kapitalizem” nič opravka. To področje je enostavno blokirano zaradi kolizeja, kar kaže na to da je bil odpisan že takrat ko se je ljubljana razširila do njega. Življenje enostavno ne teče v tem koncu mesta, tako kto bi lahko. Mislim da je najbolj fer da tej umirajoči živali dajo milostni strel. Stavba ni ne lepa, ne funkcionalna, niti ni bila prav kvalitetno zgrajena.
Pri teh jamrih bi bilo dobro da ni samo nekaj na splošno – če je nekdo tako zagrizeno prijateljski pri ohranjanju nečesa kar je skozi čas kljub naseljenosti stavbe taako klavrnoi propadalo, bi bilo fino da potem predstavi kako revitalizirati prostor in kako spraviti v funkcijo to stavbo. Ker obnova in vrnitev v originalno stanje sta neumnost. To pomeni skupna stranišča stanovanja ki za današnji standard niso vredna človeka (pa že ob izgradnji ni bilo kaj posebvnega). Stavba pa stoji na elitni lokaciji, vložiti bi bilo treba veliko sredstev zato, da nihče ne bi hotel iti živeti v to skrpucalo.
Justin,
we intend to publish a book in favor to protect Kolizej.
I invite You to contact and to participate!