Cop Street
Encyclopedia
Čop Street is a major thoroughfare in the center of Ljubljana
, Slovenia
. The street leads from the Main Post Office on Slovenian Street to Prešeren Square
and is lined with bars and stores, including the oldest McDonald's restaurant
in Slovenia. It is a pedestrian zone is and regarded as the capital's central promenade.
The street is named after Matija Čop
, an early 19th-century literary figure and close friend of the Slovene Romantic poet
France Prešeren
. Until the late 19th century, the street was known as Elephant Street in memory of the first elephant
present in the city since Roman times
. A gift from the Ottoman sultan, the animal had been traveling in the entourage of Emperor Maximilian II
on his way back from Spain to Germany, and had been stabled at what is now the upper part of the street in 1550, where the Slon Hotel now stands. In 1892, the name of the street was changed to Prešeren Street . In 1949, it was renamed Čop Street as part of a large-scale renaming of the streets and squares in Ljubljana by the postwar authorities.
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. The street leads from the Main Post Office on Slovenian Street to Prešeren Square
Prešeren Square
Prešeren Square is the central square in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. The square and surroundings have been closed to traffic since 1 September 2007. A scale model of the square is exhibited at Mini-Europe in Brussels in a proportion of 1:25 to the original.-Description:Prešeren Square was...
and is lined with bars and stores, including the oldest McDonald's restaurant
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
in Slovenia. It is a pedestrian zone is and regarded as the capital's central promenade.
The street is named after Matija Čop
Matija Cop
Matija Čop , also known in German as Matthias Tschop, was a Slovene linguist, literary historian and critic.- Biography :...
, an early 19th-century literary figure and close friend of the Slovene Romantic poet
Romantic poetry
Romanticism, a philosophical, literary, artistic and cultural era which began in the mid/late-1700s as a reaction against the prevailing Enlightenment ideals of the day , also influenced poetry...
France Prešeren
France Prešeren
France Prešeren was a Slovene Romantic poet. He is considered the Slovene national poet. Although he was not a particularly prolific author, he inspired virtually all Slovene literature thereafter....
. Until the late 19th century, the street was known as Elephant Street in memory of the first elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
present in the city since Roman times
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. A gift from the Ottoman sultan, the animal had been traveling in the entourage of Emperor Maximilian II
Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian II was king of Bohemia and king of the Romans from 1562, king of Hungary and Croatia from 1563, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation from 1564 until his death...
on his way back from Spain to Germany, and had been stabled at what is now the upper part of the street in 1550, where the Slon Hotel now stands. In 1892, the name of the street was changed to Prešeren Street . In 1949, it was renamed Čop Street as part of a large-scale renaming of the streets and squares in Ljubljana by the postwar authorities.