Galerija Emporium

The Emporium gallery, a jewel of Art Nouveau

The Ljubljana audio-guided tour draws your gaze to a building with an elegant façade, whose entrance is topped by a glass and metal canopy typical of Art Nouveau: the Emporium gallery, also called Urbanc House. It is the oldest department store in the city.

A jewel of the Vienna Secession

Built in 1903 for the merchant Feliks Urbanc, in the dynamic of reconstruction that followed the great earthquake of 1895, the Emporium is a jewel of the Vienna Secession, that variant of Art Nouveau which marries refinement and fantasy. The façade, adorned with elegant curves and sculpted details, already announces the richness of the interior, where a masterpiece awaits the visitor.

What there is to see

Even if shopping is not your passion, it is worth pushing the door to admire the interior of the store: its grand staircase, its ironwork and its perfectly preserved Art Nouveau decor. The entrance canopy and the sculptures of the façade already make it one of the finest buildings of Prešeren Square, to be contemplated from the outside as from the inside.

Practical information

The Emporium gallery is on Prešeren Square, in the heart of Ljubljana. An active department store, it welcomes the public according to its own opening hours; access is free. The façade and the canopy can be contemplated freely from the square.

When was the Emporium gallery built?

In 1903, for the merchant Feliks Urbanc, in the reconstruction that followed the 1895 earthquake; it is the oldest department store in Ljubljana.

What is the style of the Emporium gallery?

The Vienna Secession, a variant of Art Nouveau, recognisable by its glass and metal canopy and its refined decor.