Ljubljana, << `lyoo` blee YAH nuh >> (pop. 276,133), is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is located in the central part of the country.
Ljubljana is the cultural center of Slovenia. It is the home of the University of Ljubljana and several museums. The museums include the National Museum, the Slovenian Natural History Museum, and the Ethnographic Museum. The chief products manufactured in Ljubljana include electronics, machinery, paper products, and textiles.
The first settlements in the Ljubljana area date from about 3000 B.C. Ljubljana was under Austrian control during most of the period from A.D. 1276 to 1918. The city had become an important wine-producing center by the 1700’s. In 1918, it was made capital of Slovenia, a part of a country called the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. This country was renamed Yugoslavia in 1929. Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, and Ljubljana became capital of the new country.
