In Turjaška 1, the National and University Library was built between 1936 and 1941 from designs by the architect Joze Plecnik. It stands where the baroque Ducal Palace once stood from the seventeenth century and until it was destroyed during the earthquake of 1895. The facade combines red bricks and Podpeč limestone. The hard skeleton is softened by the glassy walls of the large reading room, highlighted by columns with unusual capitals in spirals in between the windows. The building’s interior showcases a monumental staircase and the 32 column black marble peristyle which leads to the large paneled reading room. The latter is decorated with furnishings of exceptional beauty and is striking for its refined details. A bronze statue of Moses by the sculptor Lojze Dolinar stands over the side entrance. Along the building there are traces of Roman or medieval walls. Plečnik erected memorials above the former city walls, consisting of busts of important Slavic characters. The library houses medieval manuscripts, incunabula, Renaissance prints and rare books of literature printed in the city during the occupation of 1941-1945.