Jože Plecnik. .Plecnik's influence was so powerful that he even held sway over buildings planned by other architects. In 1933 the Art Deco building called "the skyscraper" was the tallest building in Central Europe. But, before it could be built, it had to have approval by Plecnik. He said yes, as long as the plans changed from twelve stories to nine. The architect did something that I really liked. He agreed to the nine stories and then went ahead and built the twelve. He also knew that it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. However, ever since then, the building has been considered cursed. Restaurants atop the building tend to go bankrupt. And, since it has such an amazing view of the city, it has also become the most popular place in the country for suicide attempts. No surprise that you can't go to the top of it any more.

One final building that stood out was designed by Ivan Vurnik. He wanted to create a distinctive national style after the Hapsburg Empire broke up at the end of World War I. It had red, white, and blue colors like the Slovenian flag zig-zagging across a loud pink background. I don't think he was very successful. There was only one building that looked like it, and when you see it, you know you haven't seen anything else like it any where else.

MARTIN