Ljubljana has a lot of beautiful doors. From the grandiose to the graffiti-scrawled, I’ve been appreciating them for years, and have finally got round to photographing some of my favourites.

Many of Ljubjana’s doors are works of art in themselves; ornate, carved wooden doors which serve as gatekeepers to long-established institutions. Supremely-fashioned art-deco apartment block doors with metal curves in all the right places. And some doors are of the shabby-chic variety, worn and neglected, but with a good deal of charm.

Sometimes it’s not the door itself but its setting that’s interesting; the stone surround, the bright paint of the building. Sometimes a door’s beauty is in the details; an unusual hinge, an exquisite handle, a fine piece of ironwork.

In these 101 pictures of Slovenian doors, I’ve selected (in no particular order) those which I think are Ljubljana’s most interesting and most beautiful doors. Which is your favourite? Add a comment below.

1. Let’s start with one of Slovenia’s most famous doors; that of the pink Church of the Annunciation in Prešernov square. Whilst a worthy door in itself, it’s the surrounding stairs, pillars and sculptures framing this door that make it one of Ljubljana’s best.

2. Though not famous, this old, wooden door is one of my favourite in Ljubljana. It’s the worn appearance and the fine detail of the hinges, letterbox and keyhole surround (which I learned is called the ‘escutcheon’) that makes this an excellent piece of door art.

3. This door is attractive enough in itself, but it’s the lettering of ‘Lekarna’ (pharmacy), the stone frame, and the potted plants that flank it that make this a worthy addition to my collection of Ljublana’s best doors.

4. They don’t make ’em like this anymore. An interesting and unusual metal (copper?) door on an art deco block of flats in Ljubljana.

5. This graffiti-covered door is close to the site of the former Rog bicycle factory. Long abandoned since its closure in the early ’90s, it had become a sort of ‘autonomous’, anarchist zone, an illegal, unsanctioned community of alternative art, squatters and sculptures. After a long fight, the entire Rog site has now been demolished to make way for a new community centre and apartments. Which is a shame as it was an interesting place.

6. This metal door is a real shabby-chic beauty. Not only is the carved stone surrounding exquisite but the lion door knockers and other door furniture, along with the rusty patina make this a piece of triple X rated Slovenian door porn.

7. This door is typical of many of the classic apartment buildings and offices in Ljubljana. A wood and glass combination, with some fine ironwork for added security.

8. Sometimes it’s not the door but what’s on it that catches the eye.

9. Sliding doors, as seen on a Slovenian train in Ljubljana train station.

10. A beautiful, old and thick wooden door in the centre of Ljubljana. The mosaic tiles above once spelt out a name, presumably of the person or business who resided here.

11. A blue beauty, this Ljubljana door is capped by an odd figurehead. It overlooks the marketplace where Ljubljana’s ‘Odprta Kuhna’ (Open Kitchen) is held each Friday during the spring and summer.

12. Door hunting will lead you off the beaten path. I spotted this lovely metal door gate on a tiny backstreet in Ljubljana which I had never seen before.

13. This once-glorious, now derelict, door fronts a beautiful but abandoned building close to Ljubljana’s city centre. With the utmost irony, the building is part of a larger complex which houses the offices of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, having originally been the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Royal Home Guard barracks. Apparently, the building is protected, so we can only hope that it will at some stage be restored to its former royal glory.

14. This beautiful yellow and white door is a rare treat in Ljubljana, where the use of bright colours on doors is not so common.

15. One of Ljubljana’s most holy doors, leading into a church. The words ‘pridite molimo’ over the door means ‘come, we pray’.

16. If you’re a lover of beautiful ornate wooden doors, then this is the door for you. I often marvel at the time and expense that has gone into creating such doors which are works of art in their own right.

17. I love a good bit of ironwork. This mighty metal door-within-a-door is beautifully enhanced by the red metal detail, which contrasts nicely against the grey stone surround. Bravo to its creator.

18. Open door policy; some more fine blacksmithery on this giant gate in Ljubljana city centre.

19. Double-lion door knockers, and exquisite carving. This is my kind of door.

20. Stone steps led to this simple, dark church door near Ljublana’s Tivoli park.

21. Another beautiful example of Slovenian craftmanship on this finely carved wooden door in Ljubljana.

22. Why have just one beautiful Slovenian door, when you can have three? This triplet provides entry and exit to Ljubljana’s Natural History museum.

23. A slightly dungeon-esque door leads into the ‘Hedgehog’ cafe in Ljubljana.

24. This door earns its place in the best doors of Ljbubljana list, purely due to its bizarre copper helmet. Worn like some sort of Slovenian door knight of the round table, it seems somewhat out of place in the glass environment.

25. A simple, wooden, double door set in a magnificent frame.

26. This shot is not about the door, but about what leads you to it. I love the pair of friendly octopi that welcome children to this pediatric clinic in Ljubljana.

27. A backstreet door find, the green and red colour scheme really works.

28. The doors to the Slovenian parliament are probably Ljubljana’s most famous doors.

29. This simple but striking metal door caught my eye. Clean detailing, interesting hinge-work and a nicely contrasting frame. Superb doorsmanship.

30. Open metal doors on the Cukrarna art gallery (which used to be Ljubljana’s old sugar factory) that sits on the bank of the Ljubljanica river in Ljubljana. Fun fact: these doors were designed by the creator of Črno Zrno (see door: 74).

31. This strange message reads ‘transport for my own account’. Even my Slovenian friends didn’t really understand the meaning; it’s possible it could be a joke. The colour scheme caught my eye.

32. Some more art-deco styling on this beauty of a wooden door.

33. This entrance to Ljubljana’s Galerija Emporium earns a place on the list because of its fancy hat.

34. Lovely bit of shabby-chic dooring here, as seen on a narrow backstreet in Ljubljana’s centre.

35. More fantastic art deco metalwork on this green giant in Ljubljana. This is one of my favourites.

36. This door has it all; fine wooden panelling, copper kick-plates, ornate stone surround and some greenery on the flanks.

37. This colourful door shutter in Ljubljana is the entrance to Stripolis ‘striparna’ – a comic book store.

38. A spectacular entrance to the Greek embassy in Ljubljana.

39. Now this is some real fine door work right here; triple width, carved wooden panelling, wrought-iron detailing and a window right through the building.

40. Not a classically beautiful door, but the lines, colours and ornate red railings earn this garage door a place on the list.

41. It’s not the door, but the grand doorway that makes this entrance to the Breg restaurant (no connection) in central Ljubljana very easy on the eye.

42. The lovely grain of this wooden door is enhanced by the etched glass, and the contrasting colour and smooth texture of the building’s stone.

43. Double-wood in baby-blue.

44. Some very fine door carving on these huge, wooden, double doors in central Ljubljana.

45. A great gate bars entry to these stone steps that lead to this wood, iron and glass door.

46. I always like doors-within-doors, like this grey example spotted just outside the city centre.

47. Although this wooden beauty is the door to an apartment block, I think the arch gives it a church vibe.

48. This is another of Slovenia’s most famous doors. It’s as much sculpture as it is gateway. Located on the Ljubljana cathedral, these bronze beasts (there are two of them) were fitted in 1996 to celebrate the visit of Pope John Paul II.

49. This clean and grand glass door is framed nicely by the orange building. It serves as the entrance to Pops pizza – a popular spot right by the Ljubljanica river in Ljubljana.

50. This door is so old, it even had its own plaque. It’s part of St Joseph’s church in Ljubljana. Nice hinges.

51. Classic Slovenian door; carved wooden detailing, black marble surrounds, and double lamp lighting.

52. More art deco dooring, this time in wood. As seen on an apartment block in central Ljubljana.

53. This ornate oriental gate leads to one of Ljubljana’s Chinese restaurants.

54. A mighty Slovenian doorway of copper and stone.

55. The doorway to a small theatre in Ljubljana, with posters and flyers advertising forthcoming plays.

56. Doors on doors. An advert for a car sits on the side of these bus doors in Ljubljana.

57. Small details can make a door beautiful.

58. A big, bronze door on the national library in Ljubljana.

59. An arched metal door is a gateway to Ljubljana’s Roman ruins.

60. This wooden art deco door fronts a building housing several businesses, including an advertising agency and a lawyer’s firm.

61. More fine metalwork on this gateway entrance to a tourist agency’s office.

62. I like the simple but attractive design of this red gate which has an oriental feel.

63. The layered arch produces an interesting depth to this door, as seen on the Church of St. Joseph in Ljubljana.

64. This simple but attractive wrought iron gate leads to a walled garden just outside Ljubljana’s city centre.

65. This door is the entrance to one of Ljubljana’s most famous buildings: Vurnik house or the Cooperative Business Bank building, famed for its pink colour and striking art nouveau patterns.

66. Several of the Gimnazija (type of high school) in Ljubljana have pretty special doors, like this studded bronze one.

67. It’s seen better days, but this classic, arched wooden door still has plenty going for it. Note the door-within-a-door on the right.

68. Gotta appreciate the wood and metal combo here, not to mention the stone figurehead watching over those who enter and exit.

69. Sometimes it’s just a small detail that makes a great door.

70. Some fine glass etching on this door to the Union Hotel in Ljubljana.

71. These doors would be unremarkable were they not sitting below a piece of street art created by French artist – Invader. He has installed various pixelated pieces around Ljubljana; this one depicts fruit and veg alongside his trademark ‘space invader’ character, which is apt as it overlooks a small marketplace in a suburb of Ljubljana. You can see more of Invader’s excellent Ljubljana street art here.

72. These attractive painted doors are the entrance to one of my favourite coffee shops in Ljubljana: Črno Zrno. Run by a Colombian who imports speciality beans from his homeland and roasts them in Slovenia, it’s the place to try coffee like you never tried before.

73. Very intricate metalwork on the gates of the Slovenian high court.

74. Grand glass doors front the entrance of Ljubljana University’s music faculty.

75. Snazzy blue with a nice band of yellow on this ‘Slovenian Railways’ carriage at Ljubljana train station.

76. Although not entirely circular, this beautiful rounded door design reminds me of the one on Bilbo Baggins’ Hobbit hole. I would love to have a door like this on my house.

77. No collection of Ljubljana doors would be complete without a door from Metelkova. Like Rog (see door no. 3) Metalkova is a semi-legal artist squat with a lot of excellent street art, some performance spaces, music venues and people generally hanging out smoking weed. It’s well worth a wander through to see a very different Ljubljana aesthetic.

78. A triplet of gorgeous wooden and glass doors set against yellow brickwork is the entrance to Ljubljana’s Philharmonic hall.

79. You may be wondering what this tatty, battered, graffiti-scrawled portacabin is doing on a list of Ljubljana’s most interesting doors. Well, this ain’t no ordinary portacabin. It’s an iconic K67 Kiosk, a Slovenian designed modular kiosk from the ’60s which became extremely popular and can still be seen around Slovenia (and many other countries). So loved was the K67 design that one even made it to the New York Museum of Modern Art.

80. Stark yet stunning red metal gates guard Ljubljana’s indoor marketplace.

81. Chunky and exquisite carvings on this dark double door.

82. This slim entrance to an apartment block in Ljubljana is interesting because of the curled up fox, spray-painted on the wall beside it. These graffiti foxes can be seen all around Ljubljana and apparently are the work of the ‘ENS’ Crew. I like these lovely little pieces of street art which still seem to be popping up.

83. A marvellous wisteria-adorned entrance to this beautiful but somewhat dilapidated mansion in Ljubljana.

84. A suitably impressive door fronts the entrance of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Architecture.

85. An attack of colour from stickers and graffiti on this door in Metelkova (see also door no. 77).

86. Simple, classic and regal.

87. Two for the price of one here, with a finely smithed gate that compliments an exceptionally ornate carved wooden door.

88. One of my favourite finds, this door leads to the Ljubljana’s ‘kajak-kanu’ club.

89. This sparse but imposing metal door is found within Ljubljana’s Tobačna complex. As the Tobačna also houses the dreaded Ljubljana uprvna enota (the source of all pain for foreigners living in Slovenia), I normally associate this part of town with unfond memories. However, the Tobačna, which is Ljubljana’s former tobacco factory and maker of Ljubljana’s iconic ’57 brand’ cigarettes (see my t-shirt design inspired by the packet) also houses some art zones like the Cirkulacija lab above.

90. This door makes me sad. Up until early 2022, it was the gateway to a great bar called Čin Čin. It appears to have closed its door permanently, most likely a casualty of the Covid pandemic. RIP Čin Čin.

91. This could be Ljublana’s greatest door. There’s a lot going on with the blue and white tiling, the art nouveau archway, the beautiful ironwork and glass, and the blue door itself.

92. This attractive but functional door is the back entrance to a restaurant in central Ljubljana. The top left panel was been removed to allow a fan to extract air. I’m appreciating the hingework on this one.

93. Nice chunky carved panels and unusual grey finish on the handles.

94. A smiley cat on the roller shutter that protects this vinyl record store that sits alongside the river in Ljubljana.

95. This door, or the building at least, is dated 1839, making it over 280 years old.

96. The shuttered door to Ljubljana’s Sax Pub. Note the selection of English and Irish beers on the menu.

97. This door caught my attention because it’s a rare example of a new door in a classic style. (Or it’s possible it’s an original door that has been restored). Seeing all these beautiful doors in Ljubljana, I wondered who (if anyone) still makes them?

98. These modern, sliding doors house a DPD centre (parcel delivery company) in Ljubljana and boast of their ‘delivery without emissions’.

99. This interesting little door seems to front a hidden garden. I especially like that it has its own mini roof tiles along the top of the wall.

100. There’s something intriguing about these peeling yellow gates that presumably once served the ‘Mercator Bar’ depicted by the sign. Mercator is a Slovenian supermarket chain; judging by the way this bar went, it’s probably best they stick to the shopping.

101. It’s rare to see what’s behind the door, but in this shot we get a glimpse of what’s inside; a hidden courtyard.

And that completes my collection of Ljubljana’s most interesting doors. Which are your favourites? Add a comment below.