Situated near the Southern Limestone Alps in the Ljubljana Basin of Central Slovenia, Ljubljana is the capital and largest city in the country. The area where the city is located has had human settlement since at least Roman times. During the Middle Ages it came under Hapsburg rule until the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. After World War II, Slovenia was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, becoming an independent country in 1991 following the disintegration of Yugoslavia into smaller states. Today, the city serves as the political, cultural, educational and economic center of Slovenia. Ljubljana is quite lovely, and has a well-maintained Old Town section, a medieval castle and museums galore.