Weather Pavilion

In 1926 the Laško Beautification Society erected a weather pavilion in the park by the railway station. This slightly unusual little structure has been telling visitors about the weather for a century. It was installed at a time when weather forecasts were not yet part of everyday life. For Laško, already an important spa town, keeping track of the weather mattered greatly because many experiences of spa guests depended on it.

The pavilion is believed to have been designed by Jože Plečnik or his circle, although no original plans have survived. Its simple but characteristic form, five columns and semicircular metal roof recall Plečnik's architectural language. Plečnik also designed a similar, though somewhat different, weather pavilion on Congress Square in Ljubljana.

Inside, original analogue measuring instruments with German labels have survived. These small devices once recorded changes in temperature, atmospheric pressure and other weather conditions — and, remarkably, despite their age they can still be useful in observing the weather.

Today the pavilion is a precious reminder of a time when people literally read the weather from instruments. The Municipality of Laško restored it comprehensively, preserving its wooden elements, roof and old measuring devices. It now stands in a small park, perhaps easy to overlook, but well worth discovering.