Butchers' Bridge (Mesarski most) is the wide footbridge over the Ljubljanica between the Central Market and the Petkovšek Embankment, halfway between the Triple Bridge and the Dragon Bridge in Ljubljana. It only opened in 2010, but the idea is much older: the architect Jože Plečnik drew a bridge on this very spot in the 1930s. Today it is known for two things that sit side by side on its railings: thousands of love padlocks and a set of unsettling bronze figures by the sculptor Jakov Brdar.
Butchers' Bridge at a glance
- Where: across the Ljubljanica, linking the Central Market and Plečnik's riverside colonnade with the Petkovšek Embankment (Petkovškovo nabrežje).
- Opened: 10 July 2010.
- By: designed by Jurij Kobe of the Atelier Arhitekti studio; sculptures by Jakov Brdar.
- What it is today: a pedestrian bridge about 33 metres long and 17 metres wide, with glass walkways along its edges and railings covered in padlocks.
- Time needed: 10–15 minutes, more if you stop to look at every sculpture.
A bridge Plečnik drew in the 1930s
In the late 1930s Jože Plečnik, the architect who shaped much of modern Ljubljana, planned a covered bridge here as part of his design for the Central Market along the river. The Second World War stopped the project, and the gap in the market colonnade, where the bridge should have landed, stayed empty for more than fifty years. The name recalls the butchers' stalls that once stood at this part of the market.
When the city finally built a bridge here, it chose a much simpler design than Plečnik's. Jurij Kobe of Atelier Arhitekti drew a broad, low steel crossing with glass strips along both sides, so that from the walkway you can look straight down into the river. It opened on 10 July 2010, and the sculptor Jakov Brdar was asked to decorate it with figures taken from Greek myth and the Bible.
What to look for
- Prometheus: the largest bronze, on the Petkovšek Embankment side, shows the Titan who stole fire from the gods.
- Adam and Eve: the first couple of the Bible, shown in Brdar's rough, expressive style.
- The satyr: a half-human, half-goat figure from Greek myth, another of the large bronzes on the bridge.
- The small creatures on the railings: frogs, shellfish and strange deformed beings perched along the top of the parapet. They are easy to miss, so look closely.
- The glass walkways: step onto the glass strips at the edges and look down at the green water of the Ljubljanica.
Love locks
Soon after the bridge opened, couples began fixing padlocks to its steel cables and throwing the keys into the river, the same custom known from bridges in Paris and elsewhere. The bridge is now one of the best-known places for it in Slovenia. The contrast is the point many visitors notice: romantic locks with names and dates on one side, and Brdar's tormented, sometimes grotesque figures right next to them.
Tips for your visit
- Come on a market morning, when the stalls of the Central Market are busy right at the end of the bridge; Saturdays are the liveliest.
- For the classic photo of the whole bridge, stand on the Petkovšek Embankment a little downstream, or look across from the Dragon Bridge.
- If you add a lock, do not throw anything else into the river, and leave space for others on the railings.
Nearby
- Dragon Bridge: Ljubljana's Art Nouveau bridge from 1901, guarded by four dragons, a short walk downstream.
- Triple Bridge: Plečnik's group of three bridges leading to Prešeren Square, a few minutes upstream.
- Central Market and Plečnik's colonnade: the open-air market and the long riverside arcade that the bridge was meant to complete.
- Ljubljana Cathedral: St Nicholas's Cathedral with its green dome and bronze doors, just behind the market.
See Ljubljana with World City Trail
Our Ljubljana scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around two hours, with about 27 minutes of walking. It includes the Dragon Bridge, the Franciscan Church and the Ursuline Church.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Ljubljana.
Play the Ljubljana scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Ljubljana →
Play the outdoor escape game in Ljubljana →
Facts checked in October 2026.