In the heart of Ljubljana, in front of City Hall, a magnificent fountain acts as a baroque centerpiece of the capital’s Old Town. Designed in the 18th century by a talented Italian artist, the fountain has served as a beloved symbol of the city ever since.

The Robba Fountain was erected in 1751 to replace an older fountain in the center of town, once the location of the main market. The task had been entrusted to Francesco Robba, a Venetian who had arrived in Ljubljana to work with a local master craftsman – and ended marrying the craftsman’s daughter.

Robba decided to base his creation on Bernini’s famous Fountain of the Four Rivers in Rome. In his reinterpretation, Robba featured gods symbolizing the three major rivers (the Sava, the Ljubljanica, and the Krka) of the Duchy of Carniola, the central part of modern-day Slovenia. His entire creation is marked by the splendor of Italian Baroque – and topped by an imposing obelisk.

Robba worked on other projects in Ljubljana, as well as in Klagenfurt in modern-day Austria. Among other projects, he worked on the interior of Ljubljana’s Cathedral, to which he contributed a pair of impressive baroque angels. He also designed the outdoor statue of St. John of Nepomuk on the façade of St. Florian’s Church.
However, Robba’s fountain remained his most popular creation and it made him an honorary citizen of Ljubljana. With its reference to beloved Slovenian rivers, it was adopted as one of the symbols of the town, and remained unchanged through the years, through revolutions and military occupations, in periods of poverty, and times of prosperity. Even as architectural styles changed in Ljubljana, Robba’s magnificent fountain remained a timeless work of art, frequently gracing brochures, books, and even Slovenia’s first currency.

By the late 20th century, however, the condition of the Robba Fountain was deteriorating rapidly. Pollution, including acid rain, was slowly eating through the fountain’s stone – a combination of the famed Carrara marble and local varieties of marble. In response, the fountain was frequently boarded up in the winter.

In the 1970s, plans to replace the fountain with a replica were first put forward, but because of financial constraints, it wasn’t until 2006 that the original was moved to the National Gallery. An exact replica of the fountain, built by master Slovenian craftsmen, was then placed on the spot where Robba’s masterpiece had stood for centuries.