I visited Ljubljana after Christmas 2019 to spend New Years with friends who own an apartment in the city. Already then, before inscription, the town was overrun with tourists, mainly from Italy. Slovenia is not only a beautiful country but also cheaper then Italy to make a trip there attractive for Italians. 

I am not sure how much of its attraction the city owns to Plečnik. Perhaps the generosity of open spaces in the center may his main merit. His buildings with the pyramids and columns do not necessarily blend well with the medieval and baroque architecture of the city center, they seem often a bit inserted into the surrounding buildings as if they were taken from another city and placed here. The most interesting place was for me the Plečnik museum where you get access to his home and workspace and you get information about his buildings and, almost more interesting, into projects, mainly for Ljubljana, that were never realized like a HUGE stair case that should lead from that city to the castle and a big pyramid like building for the Slovenian parliament that should get around 200 meters high. Those buildings would have the townscape much more then the existing buildings do. 

'I find the title of the nomination very odd since "timeless" is certainly not the main characteristic for Plečnik's architecture. His stylized Neoclassizism leans on the Greek and Roman classic architecture but that doesn't make it timeless. In the opposite, it feels rather retrospective and did so probably already at the time when it was built. I do not think that his architecture had a far reaching influence beyond his students and it is hardly important on a European level, let alone on a global level.

This makes you once more wonder why Otto Wagners influence on Vienna is not even on the tentative list since his influence on the cityscape was much greater, more innovative and influenced architecture beyond Austria and Europe. His apartment buildings, his hospital buildings and mainly the design of the S Bahn down to the smallest detail really changed Vienna into a modern city and into the city we know today. After Plečnik has made it on the list the lack of  Wagners Vienna (with the possible inclusion of further architects like Josef Hoffmann and perhaps Joseph Maria Olbrich) is felt even more poignant then before. 

Ljubljana as a very nice small center with nice restaurants and nice promenades, but has hardly any must-sees. There are two places I found worthwhile that are perhaps not obvious immediately: The National Museum is a beautiful building and hosts an excellent archeological collection. Quite close to it is the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church with lovely (modern) frescoes. It may not be unique in any respect but I found this more enjoyable then the interiors of the Plečnik churches.