PPAC: Ljubljana train station

• Manja Maksimovič

Okay, painted trains are not all that unique and are visible from afar, but there is a little hidden something too that nobody ever notices and now you will.

J

a

m

e

s

.

J

o

y

c

e

I had intended to search it out and photograph it for a long time, but it was only while searching for the vaccine station last Monday that I found myself at the central train station with all the eight platforms of my life. I spotted a waiter and he looked like a Yugoslav waiter of my youth, all-knowing and willing to share. So I asked.

Alas, his eyes glazed over when I said “James Joyce”. Better ask at the info point, he said. That one was closed and all three foreign tourists had to manage, including me. A ticket seller knew. “Look down when you reach the stairs,” she said, “right there at the top of the staircase. It’s on the ground.”

It certainly is. Looking like a spittoon or a boot scraper or a manhole cover doesn’t help. You must look really closely to see the words and even closer to spot another plate with the following inscription in Slovenian and English: “On October 19, 1904, James Joyce spent the night in Ljubljana.” He and Nora thought that their train had reached Trieste and went off and the train continued without them. Imagine their joy at finding out they still had 100 km to go.

The (bilingual) words on the monument, from Ulysses, I had to find online as they are barely legible: “He swept the mirror a half circle in the air to flash the tidings abroad in sunlight now radiant on the sea.” The author, sculptor Jakov Brdar who created several sculptures around Ljubljana, hopes that you like his extreme style. The monument was unveiled on Bloomsday – James Joyce celebration day – in 2003. I needed only almost twenty years to locate it.

Quite by chance there is a monument from the gardens of the Miramare castle near Trieste in my today’s blogging memories below. Unlike then, nowadays it is quite impossible to reach Trieste by direct train from Ljubljana.

  • Ljubljana Central train station behind the building. The central bus station in front. Convenient.
  • The vaguely ski jump hill-lookalike building. That’s where I got my vaccine.
  • “Crossing forbidden”
  • A faraway look. At first I thought I could find the monument myself but had to give up and ask.
  • I was in a hurry to get vaccinated or I’d approach and take more photos.
  • I liked this triple Ljubljana view.
  • I find painted trains a joy to the eye and a positive improvement. Now, if only they went to places like Trieste…
  • One more critter, looking perplexed.
  • After I made my inquiry, I knew where to look. Here we go. Does it look like a monument to you?
  • Three lines in Slovenian, four in English. I could read only a few words.
  • The smaller tile telling about James Joyce spending one night in Ljubljana.
  • With a train and a chain.
  • The central train station is in for major modernisation and restructuring. Not many take trains anymore though.
  • A final look. Good luck, James and trains. You need more audience.

For Photographing Public Art Challenge (PPAC) hosted by Cee at Cee’s Photo Challenges

This day in my blogging history

24 thoughts on “PPAC: Ljubljana train station”

  2. This was very interesting, Manja. I’m glad you took the time to ask. It’s great finding things like this,

    There’s a small plaque embedded in one of the stairs to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. It’s at the spot where Martin Luther King was standing when he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. It took me three visits to find it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Ohh, our trains are nothing like ICE (I’m sure, even though I don’t know how ICE looks like. In Italy they have freccia trains). The entire Slovenian railways are falling to pieces. Sad to see. And I’m really glad you showed my trains to your son. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. You don’t see such painted trains in the UK – any graffiti is washed off immediately by the authorities. A shame, as done well I rather like them 🙂

    That tiny ‘monument’ is fascinating, I’m so glad you searched it out. Maybe your photos make things look clearer as I didn’t have any real problems reading the inscription (the English one that is, naturally!) But finding it must have been quite a challenge – it looks just like a regular drain grating until you look closely!

    Like

    Reply
  8. Pingback: Lens-Artists PC: Back door road – Manja Mexi Mexcessive

  9. I’ve always been a fan of trains. I like how brightly they are painted–our graffiti artists aren’t nearly that creative or colorful.

    Yes that monument needs a better setting. (K)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. That monument has to be the strangest one I’ve ever seen. I’m sure I would have missed it. I love your painted trains, too. Thanks for joining us, Manja You gave me a lesson in public art! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Yes, one of the rules of monumentality should be a required minimal height. LOL Of course that would rule out all the Stars in Hollywood, bricks on pathways in people’s honor, grave markers, and manholes, just to name a few things. Maybe I should rethink those rules. Yours was a fun find! 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

Happy to learn the first thing on your mind.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.