German

THE ADRIATIC COAST

It is only an hour by car from the capital of Slovenia to the warm Adriatic Sea and the Bay of Trieste. Although the Slovene coast is only forty-seven kilometers long, for Slovenia it represents a true gateway to the world. Koper boasts a major port that is also used for both incoming and outgoing goods by neighbouring countries including Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. According to the amount of container traffic, it is the second largest Adriatic port after Venice, and Slovenia’s rapidly improving rail and road links make it the most economical choice for shipments to Central and Eastern Europe.

North of Koper on the Debeli rtic cape, there is a large children’s convalescence and rehabilitation center.

To the south of Koper, the former island fishing town of Izola has maintained its traditional activity, and in addition to a fish cannery it also has a shipyard, a toy factory, and a fully-equipped marina. The seaside health resort at Strunjan offers a wide variety of brine-related therapies.

At the end of a small peninsula, Piran is one of the best preserved and most picturesque medieval towns in Slovenia. Nearby Portoroz, a modern tourist paradise with hotels, amusement centers, a casino, a large marina, and an airport, lies in a sheltered site below the coastal hills. It is the home of the Slovene shipping company, Splosna plovba Piran, and its Maritime College and College of Tourism form the beginnings of a third university center for Slovenia. Through its annual fair of boats and nautical equipment, Portoroz has gained recognition as a fair town, and it is a major international congress and convention center as well. In the southernmost part of Piran Bay near the Croatian border, the Secovlje Saltworks still produce salt using traditional methods. A section of the saltworks has been made into a museum, and its marshy fringes are a protected sanctuary for migrating birds.

The hilly landscape of the coastal interior with its rich cultural heritage is occasionally compared to French Provence. Characteristic Mediterranean vegetation flourishes under the hot Mediterranean sun, and much effort is devoted to the production of olive oil and wine; indeed, the vineyards extend practically to the shoreline. This region supplies the rest of Slovenia with early fruits and vegetables.

After World War I, Italian administration replaced the previous Austro-Hungarian administration in this part of Slovenia. In 1947, the Paris Peace Conference established the Free Territory of Trieste that was later divided between Italy and Yugoslavia by the 1954 London Memorandum. Trieste with its completely Slovene surroundings was annexed to Italy, while the ethnically-mixed area to the south went to Yugoslavia.

Most of the Italian population subsequently emigrated. Following Slovenia’s independence, the new Slovene constitution guaranteed the autochthonous Italian minority in the coastal region all the basic human rights, special representation in parliament, and its own educational and cultural institutions.

Secovlje saltworks

Piran

Portoroz