What Is the Tallest Building in Ljubljana?

Ljubljana is a beautiful city with a lot of magnificent buildings to discover. It is also the capital, which means it is the best place in Slovenia to find skyscrapers and tall buildings, especially in the business center. When visiting a capital, we are used to seeing big buildings, and since Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia, you might wonder what Ljubljana’s tallest building is.

The tallest building in Ljubljana is the Crystal Palace, in the commercial center. It is followed by the Intercontinental Hotel Ljubljana, the World Trade Center Ljubljana, the Situla, the Tivolska 50, and the Neboticnik. The last one is very symbolic, considering it was the tallest building in Yugoslavia.

If you are a tourist in Ljubljana, and especially if you are interested in architecture, you will need to know more about the tallest buildings in the capital (and in Slovenia). Let’s take a look at where and what are the tallest buildings in Ljubljana.

The Crystal Palace: The Tallest Building in Ljubljana

The tallest building in Ljubljana, and Slovenia, is located in the giant mall BTC City in the Nove Jarše district. It the Crystal Palace, which is 89 meters (290 ft) and 20 stories tall. It has a floor surface of 46,000 m2 (495,140 sq ft). Its owner is Skai Palace.

The Crystal Palace was built in 2009. It is recognizable by its distinctive shape and immense size from the other side of BTC City.

The building is a skyscraper with housing on higher levels. However, it is mainly a business center where you will find a congress hall for conventions, business offices, as well as a fitness and wellness center and a shopping arcade.

The congress hall can welcome around 200 people in a theater-style room that can be divided into two parts. You will also find wireless Internet, three simultaneous interpretation booths, a few large-screen monitors, and event recording in the hotel.

On the second floor of the Crystal Palace, you will find the Green Terrace, which is a park-like open-air platform often used as an event space.

Finally, on the top floor, you will be able to eat at a gourmet restaurant, the Crystal Caffe. 

Crystal Caffe
Adress: Ameriška 8, 1000 Ljubljana
Phone: +386 40 544 423 

The construction of the Crystal Palace began on May 15th, 2009, and was completed in May 2011, with a budget of 54 million euros. It was built by the architects Brane Smole & Denis Simčič from Atelje S.

The building was built in multiple parts, and the first one was the most challenging. It consists of columns supporting the construction and shooting out till the second floor. After this first part that took one year to be finished, each story was built in eight days.

The Crystal Palace’s initial height was supposed to be 100 meters (330 feet), but it was not possible. The idea was to put a helipad on top of the Skyscraper, but it is very challenging due to Slovenia’s air traffic regulations.

What is new with this building is its environmental commitment. It has first-class technological and ecological materials and a solar power plant. 

Crystal Palace
Address: Šmartinska cesta 152, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Phone: +386 (0)1 585 13 40
Email: kongresna@kristalna-palaca.com

Other Tall Buildings in Ljubljana

The Intercontinental Hotel Ljubljana

This is the second tallest building in Ljubljana and the tallest hotel in the city. It is a luxury hotel with an indoor swimming pool and a wellness center called Saruna Wellness with a beautiful view on the Julian Alps from the 18th floor.

You will necessarily love the glass walls, stunning rooms, marble bathrooms, and a gourmet rooftop restaurant. You can also take a drink at the Bloom Lounge or the exclusive Club InterContinental. For business meetings, you will find boardrooms on the 19th floor.

There are also many events organized at the hotel, such as fairytale weddings in one of the city’s most beautiful hotels.

The hotel is very well placed. It is close to the center as well as Tivoli Park. However, you will need a bit of your savings to stay there because simple room costs at least 100,00 € per night. It is not very inexpensive, but you will absolutely love the hotel if you can afford it. 

Another plus of the hotel is its location. It is near the train station, very close -if not- in the city center, and at a few minute’s walk from the beautiful Tivoli Park, the green heart of Ljubljana’s city center.

Intercontinental Hotel Ljubljana
Address: Slovenska cesta 59, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Phone: +386 591 28000

The World Trade Center Ljubljana

The World Trade Center Ljubljana was built in 1993 and is 75 meters (246 feet) tall. There are 18 floors. It is a modern building with a glass facade. The architects were Andrej Černigoj, Dejan Bevc, Jadranka Grmek, and Janez Kuzman.

The building is mostly used as a commercial center and for business offices. It is a symbolic and prestigious business center in Ljubljana. It is located on the corner of the ring road and Dunajska, and easily accessible from the city center by car.

The building is also close to many restaurants, cafes, as well as a hotel, which makes it perfect for offices and business meetings.

World Trade Center Ljubljana
Address: Dunajska cesta 156, 1121 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Phone: +386 (0)1588 11 00 

The Situla

The Situla building is relatively new in Ljubljana; however, it is already the fourth tallest building of the capital. It is also a business and office center.

The building is intended for business and catering establishments or activities, and it is possible to rent offices there.

Situla
Address: Dunajska cesta 117, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
+386 1 580 41 44

The Tivolska 50

The Tivolska 50 was built in 1980 and finished in 1981 by the architect Milan Mihelič. It is about 72 meters high and has 15 floors. It can also be called Euro Center. It is used as a commercial center and a governmental office.

The name of the building, “Tivolska 50,” comes from where it is located, on Tivolska cesta 50. It is located right next to the Intercontinental Hotel Ljubljana, close to the train station, Tivoli Park, and the center.

Tivolska 50 (Euro Center)
Address: Tivolska cesta 50, Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia

The Neboticnik: the tallest building in Yugoslavia

The Neboticnik is not the tallest building in Ljubljana; however, it was the tallest of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. You will find the Skyscraper in the city center of Ljubljana. It is one of the most recognizable and symbolic buildings in the capital and its first Skyscraper ever.

The Neboticnik was built in 1920. It is 70 meters high and was the tallest building in Yugoslavia in 1933.

At the top of the Skyscraper, there is an excellent and relatively cheap rooftop bar for you to enjoy. It is also one of Ljubljana’s best viewpoints to see the city center, the Castle, and the Julian Alps.

This bar is one of the best in town, and there is also a restaurant on the level below. The 360° view of the city offers breathtaking landscapes, no matter when you go. You will see the city in broad daylight in the middle of the day, and when the sun is setting, you will discover Ljubljana in a new and orange light.

The Skyscraper is extremely easy to find. It is up the main street, Slovenska cesta. However, you might find it more challenging to find the entrance. You will need to enter the hall and take the elevator to get up to the bar.

The restaurant is also on the second to last level. You can eat over there for about 12€ on average. It is a nice restaurant, but we would advise going to the rooftop bar rather than the restaurant.

When you go to the restaurant, or if you have time to stop by the restaurant’s floor, take a look at the beautiful spiral staircase. It takes a while to go up, but it does deserve a picture from the top!

The Night Club and the Cafe are open from Sunday to Wednesday between 9 am and 1 am. From Thursday to Saturday, they are open from 9 am to 3 am.

The restaurant is open from Monday to Saturday between 12 am and 10 pm. It is closed on Sunday and public holidays.

Neboticnik (Bar rooftop)
Address: Štefanova ulica 1, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Phone: +386 40 601 787

In The End

One of the most important things to know how big a city is knowing how tall its buildings are and what is their story. Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia, and it has a few skyscrapers. The taller one is the Crystal Palace, which is symbolic of the city. The other main tall building in Slovenia is Neboticnik because of its history. It was the tallest building in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.