Žale Cemetery

One of the most unique and beautiful cemeteries in Europe, Zale is of extreme cultural significance in Slovenia. The largest cemetery in Ljubljana, Zale (an old Slavic word for cemetery) was founded in 1906 and is still in use today. In the 1930s municipal authorities decided to convert the Holy Cross Churchyard and make Zale Ljubljana's main cemetery. When architect Ivo Spincic's plans failed to please them, guess who got the nod? Plecnik's complex included Ljubljana's first chapels of the dead, a monumental entry arch with two-levels of balustrades (a Plecnik fave), the Pathway of Memory and Companionship which runs through the cemetery's middle and a lot more than we can describe here. Plecnik aside, the importance of the cemetery also lies in the tombs of notable Slovenians, whose tombstones are the works of important Slovenian artists.