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Venue
Slovenia is one of the youngest countries in Europe. Slovenia straddles Eastern and Western Europe. Many of its cities and towns bear the imprint of the Habsburg Empire and the Venetian Republic, while up in the Julian Alps you'd almost think you were in Bavaria. The 2 million Slovenes were economically the most well off among the peoples of what was once Yugoslavia, and the relative affluence of this country on the "sunny side of the Alps" is immediately apparent.
Ljubljana originates as the Roman town of Emona, and legacies of the Roman presence can be seen throughout the city. The Habsburgs took control in the 14th century and later built many of the pale-coloured churches and mansions that earned the city the nickname "White Ljubljana". From 1809 to 1814, Ljubljana was the capital of the Illyrian Provinces, Napoleon´s short-lived springboard to the eastern Adriatic. Despite the patina of imperial Austria, contemporary Ljubljana has a vibrant Slavic air all its own. The approximately 50.000 students who attend Ljubljana University keep the city young. The University of Ljubljana was established in 1919 on the foundations of a long-established pedagogical tradition. The first advanced courses in technology were organised, beginning on May 19, 1919 with the formal opening lecture "The engineer, the philosopher, and the machine-giant", given by the already famous electrical engineer, Dr. Milan Vidmar. Prof. Vidmar had a very strong influence on advanced electrical-engineering studies for over 30 years. He was the founder and first chairman of the electric power research institute, which later took his name and became Elektroinątitut Milan Vidmar (EIMV).
The Symposium will take place at Cankarjev dom, the biggest cultural and congress centre in Slovenia (http://www.cd-cc.si/congress).
Sightseeing
Ljubljana is a starting point for a wide range of excursions: to the Postojna caves, to lake Bled, to Lipica, to original home of the famous white Lippizaner horses, to the vineyard country where wines have been produced since Roman times.
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Lake Bled |
Lipizzaners |
Postojna cave |
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