Trije metliški trgi
Aleksander Ostan je za arhitekturno revijo Outsider (št. 11, letnik 3) zapisal takole: »Prelivanje treh trgov v mestnem jedru Metlike Srednjeveško mestno jedro Metlike, izpostavljeno na naravnem pomolu ter obdano z dvema izviroma in njunima potokoma, je še danes zelo dobro ohranjeno. Na svoji posebni topografiji je mesto skozi čas razvilo čudovito kompozicijo treh trgov, »trotržje«, unikatno tripartitno strukturo mestnih javnih prostorov (Mestni trg, Trg svobode, Partizanski trg), ki se prelivajo drug v drugega, nad njimi pa bdi dominantna grajska struktura.
Na Mestnem trgu z značilno srednjeveško obliko se nahajajo najpomembnejše stavbe zgodovinskega dela mesta, cerkev sv. Nikolaja, komenda in proštija. Trg svobode na najvišji točki zaključuje grad.
Najmlajši trg v starem mestnem jedru je Partizanski trg, saj stoji na območju, ki je bilo v srednjem veku že izven obzidja.
Vsako leto v drugi polovici maja trije metliški trgi gostijo največji vinski festival v Sloveniji, Vinsko vigred. Vsak Vuzemski ponedeljek pa Metliška folklorna skupina Ivan Navratil na osrednjem Trgu svobode uprizori »Metliško obredje«, splet Vuzemskih iger in plesov, ki so od 2013 vpisani v Register žive kulturne dediščine.
Ko se sprehajate po treh trgih starega mestnega jedra, bodite pozorni na vrata starih hiš in se dotaknite umetelnih reliefov.
Three Squares of Metlika
In the architectural journal Outsider (no. 11, year 3), Aleksander Ostan wrote the following: “The melding of the three squares in Metlika’s city centre, Metlika’s medieval town core, exposed on a natural promontory and framed by two sources and their streams, remains very well preserved to this day. Due to its special topography, the town gradually developed a wonderful composition of three squares, a “threesquarity”, a unique tripartite structure of urban public spaces (Mestni trg, Trg svobode, Partizanski trg), that flow into one another with the castle structure watching over them.
Mestni trg with its characteristic medieval shape comprises the most important structures of the medieval part of the town, St Nicholas’ Church, the commandry, and the provosty. At its highest point, Trg svobode concludes with the castle. Old town centre’s youngest square is Partizanski trg, located in the area which fell outside the medieval town walls.
Each year in the second half of May, Metlika’s three squares host Slovenia’s largest wine festival – Vinska vigred. In the central Trg svobode square, each Easter Monday Metlika’s folklore group Ivan Navratil puts on »Metliško obredje«, a combination of traditional Easter games and dances, which has been entered in the Slovenian Registry of Living Heritage in 2013.
When walking through the squares of the old town centre, pay attention to the doors of old houses and touch their artful reliefs.