Centromerkur, Ljubljana

A narrow front with the entrance from Prešeren Square forms the main façade decorated by a flower canopy. The gable features a statue of Mercury, protector of merchants, leaning on a ship and a bale of goods. The Secession façade indicates the influence of Vienna, while the interior is closer to Parisian Art Nouveau, the influence of which can also be seen in the design of the canopy and the entrance.

Centromerkur is Ljubljana's oldest living department store, and it might really be best to think of it more as a museum exhibit than as a place for any serious shopping. The splendid Art Nouveau facade and foyer contrast all too starkly with the store's mediocre selection of goods, most of them, moreover, arrayed behind counters so that you have to point and ask. Clothing, sporting goods, household items and textiles are among the pickings here.