Description of the attraction
The Grubber Palace was named in honor of its creator, a Jesuit monk, a high-class engineer and architect Gabriel Grubber.
The author is in himself an entertaining historical character, known far beyond the borders of Slovenia. From the age of 15 he was a member of the Jesuit Order, studied philosophy, mathematics, navigation, architecture and hydrodynamics. In the last two subjects, he became a fairly prominent specialist. He was even invited by the Austrian emperor Joseph II to the post of chief architect. It was by order of this ruler that the palace was designed and built. The construction took eight years, while Grubber was engaged in the construction of another important object in Ljubljana - the drainage canal, which changed the landscape of the city. Initially, it was supposed to place the School of Hydraulics and Mechanics in the building. In fact, an astronomical observatory has settled there.
In 1781, the beautiful three-storey building in the late Baroque style was completed. For the decoration of the interiors and the facade, plaster was used in the floral style that was fashionable in the 18th century. Thanks to her, the majestic building also looks elegant, confirming the status of the palace.
In this remarkable architectural monument, the internal staircase stands out - of an unusual oval shape, leaving, as if "flying up", under the very dome of the palace. The dome was painted later, but the metaphorical drawings fit very well into the theme of the building. The author of these scenes from the life of traders and artisans is the Slovenian artist Andrei Janez Harlein. And the walls of the prayer room, which was provided by the priest-architect, were painted with biblical motives by the famous Austrian religious painter Kremser Schmidt.
Today the National Archives of Slovenia is located here.
