Centromerkur

Centromerkur Review

This once magnificent art nouveau building, dating from 1903, is the oldest department store in town. Most of the structures in Ljubljana built at this time borrowed from the Viennese Secession, making this building—which draws its inspiration more from Parisian art nouveau—a relative rarity. The entrance, off Presernov trg, bears a flaring iron butterfly wing and is topped by a statue of Mercury, the god of merchants. A 2010 renovation caused a lot of controversy when the building became the Galleria Emporium and most of the interior was gutted to make way for brand-name kiosks. However, there are still interesting architectural details on the exterior that, along with its history, make it worth a visit.