Slovenia
is a tiny beautiful country with a population of less than
2 million people.
The main cities of Slovenia are Ljubljana,
the capital, and Maribor, which is located among wine growing
hills just south to the Austrian border. Ljubljana is an architectural
gem, a city of Renaissance, Baroque, and especially Art Nouveau
facades that boasts the greatest exhibition of the architecture
of the master Jože Plecnik.
Slovenia was settled by Slavic tribes around
the 6th century, brought under Germanic rule in 748 and became
part of the Austro-Hungarian empire in the early 14th century
until 1918. As a matter of fact, a lot of the architecture
in the cities is built in the Austrian style.
After World War II Slovenia joined the Socialist
Federal Repulic of Yugoslavia and in the spring of 1990, Slovenia
become the first Yugoslav republic to hold free elections
and shed 45 years of communist rule. After a brief 10 day
standoff with the federal army in 1991, Slovenia gained independence
as a separate country and was formally recognized by the European
Union in 1992. Since May of 2004, Slovenia is a member state
of the European Union and today it is one of the most successful
of the former Yugoslav republics.
Its geography is quite diverse. Much of the
country is mountainous, with the highest mountains located
in the Julian Alps in the north-west part of the country.
Mount Triglav (2864 m) is the highest mountain and a favourite
destination for hikers. Bled is a fashionable resort town,
set on a beautiful emerald-green lake that has an island with
a church in the centre, overlooked by a dramatic castle.
The main Alpine chain continues along the
Austrian border and another mountain range stretches south
into Croatia. Due to its mountains and rivers, Slovenia has
become a favorite destination for adventure travelers and
outdoor enthusiasts. Skiing is also very popular in Slovenia.
In addition, Slovenia also has many thermal spas and health
resorts.
The main rivers in Slovenia are the Drava,
Sava and Soca River. The Soca River in particular is associated
with a very tragic chapter of history: it was part of the
infamous Isonzo front during WWI which claimed the lives of
an estimated one million people and was immortalized by Ernest
Hemingway in his novel A Farewell to Arms.
Between Ljubljana and Koper on the Adriatic
coast is a limestone plateau that contains the most extensive
network of karst caverns. The Postojna Caves are famous worldwide
for their interesting stalagmite and stalactite formations.
The Skocjan Caves, which are on UNESCO’s list of natural
and cultural world heritage sites, boast the 1400-meter long
and 150-meter deep underground canyon of the Reka River.
The Slovenian portion of the Adriatic coastline
is very small. It only has four villages: Koper, Strunjan,
Izola and Piran. Every kilometer of the Slovene coast is a
new surprise. There is a natural reserve with the unique,
eighty-meter Strunjan cliff, the highest flysch wall on the
Adriatic coast. The coastal area is called Capodistria and
in the 15th and 16th century this area was part of the Venetian
Republic.
The architecture in this area shows a definite
Venetian influence and the coastal villages are very picturesque.
The most famous beach resort is Portorož which is composed
of a strip of high-rise hotels, restaurants and bars as well
as a casino.
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