On Friday, June 3, the Mega-day will be just one night away. Let’s spend the evening before so anxiously awaited day together at a Community Celebration Event from 18.00 to 21.00 on the terrace of Tivoli Castle. It sits at the end of a long promenade that starts in the heart and terminates in the lungs of the city. From the Triple Bridge, it leads you past the National and Modern Galleries in almost a straight line (assuming that the Jakopič underpass will be open again by then) to the foot of Rožnik Hill.
Tivoli is the largest park and most beautiful park in Ljubljana that stretches right into the city centre. It was designed in 1813 when Ljubljana was the capital of French Illyrian Provinces and was named Tivoli in the second half of the 19th century. Several notable buildings and works of art are part of the park. With Rožnik Hill above it, the park has been protected as Tivoli–Rožnik Hill–Šiška Hill Nature Park since 1984. Scenic Jakopič Promenade, stretching from the castle to the underpass at the Modern Gallery, was designed by the architect Jože Plečnik. It has become a popular outdoor venue for exhibitions of large-format photographs, open throughout the year.
The castle itself was built in 17th century atop the ruins of older structures. It was renovated in Neoclassicist style in mid 19th century by the Austrian field marshall Joseph Radetzky (of the Strauss Radetzky March fame), who received it as a gift from Austrian Emperor. Today, it is the home of the International Centre of Graphic Arts.
What to expect?
Meet and greet the organizers, collect your Event Store purchases, gather tips and tricks from the locals and mingle with the geocachers from near, far, and very far in a relaxing atmosphere. A short opening speech with the overview of the event weekend and short history of the park will not spoil the evening. Castle cafe will be open just for us. They have a wide selection of beverages and sweets (cakes, pies and gelato).
Where to geocache?
There are several geocaches in the park, including the third oldest Ljubjana geocache on the Rožnik Hill. Final locations of several multi caches and (more or less) headbanging puzzles can also be found in the park, as well as locations of various Adventure Lab adventures.
Other activities
Tivoli Park is a place of usual park activities. It’s a popular place for relaxing walks with or without canine company, for bird and squirrel feeding, picnics on the grass (all the picnickers should keep their clothes on) and everything else you can think of that relieves the daily stress. The large children’s playground will, unfortunately, stay closed for renovation during the time of the event. There is a smaller playground near the parking in the northern corner of the park. And there is a small playground with a climbing wall at the event location.
International Centre for Graphic arts is a well-known spot for Invader hunters. It hosted an internationally acclaimed exhibition of this street artist in 2021. There are several Invaders in the offices inside the building that are not generally open to the public. We will do our best to arrange the flashing of those Invaders for geocachers that might be interested in it (we know there are more than just a few).
Practical information
Tivoli Park is easily accessible from the city centre through three underpasses (at the time of publication of the event, the central underpass near Modern Gallery was closed). All public transport buses that stop in the city centre are OK. If you come by bus from the north, exit at the bus stop Hala Tivoli. In the unlikely event of coming by train, alight at the Ljubljana Tivoli train stop.
The location of the event is not accessible by car. You will have to leave it at one of the parkings nearby and walk through the park. It is generally not regarded as an unpleasant experience. The worst that can happen is an encounter with predatory brown squirrels. They consider you to be a self-propelled food container and take no prisoners. Or you can ramble into a particularly charming corner of the park and forget about the event. Of course, you can also come by bike.
See the map below for practical waypoints and points of interest.