The most vibrantly decorated building in downtown Ljubljana, the Cooperative Bank was designed by Ivan Vurnik (1884-1971)m a Radovljica-born architect who studied under Otto Wagner, the doyen of Viennese Art Nouveau. Vurnik was keen to develop a Slovenian national style of architecture by blending traditional folk motifs with the best in modern design; this building is his ideological statement.
Begun in 1921, it represents a unique mixture of ethnographic detail and Art Nouveau, with jazzy chevrons and zig-zags weaving around the oriel windows on the facade. Rich in blues, yellows and brick-reds, the decorative scheme is inspired by the embroidery of rural Slovenia. Vurnik clearly, was also influenced by folk-art patterns found throughout Slavic Europe.
The Cooperative Bank now houses the Ljubljana Land Registry Office.*
*From the Eyewitness Travel Guide to Slovenia
thanks for showing me such a unique little portal into some beautiful places,
Jennifer
Thanks Jennifer, I am glad you enjoy them
So much care taken with this, Cherie
It is very unusual.
this is just brilliant, CP. i would have liked it if that smear on the second space from the right was not there.
It is a shame that is there. The graffiti seemed to be everywhere.
Oh, this is absolutely stunning! I like the art nouveau style and especially so on this building.
It is very detailed
So colourful!
I really like this building.
It stood out in contrast to the surrounding buildings.