Slovenian Littoral

Slovenian Littoral in Slovenia

The Slovenian Littoral (Slovene: Primorska, pronunciation (help·info); Italian: Litorale; German: Küstenland) is a traditional region of Slovenia. Its name recalls the historical Habsburg crown land of the Austrian Littoral, of which the Slovenian Littoral was a part.

The region comprises two traditional provinces: Goriška and Slovenian Istria. The Goriška region takes its name after the town of Gorizia (Gorica in Slovene), now in Italy. It comprises those areas of the former County of Gorizia and Gradisca that were assigned to Yugoslavia (Slovenia) after 1947, as well as the Vipava and Idrija municipalities. Slovenian Istria comprises the northern part of the Istria peninsula and provides, at the port of Koper, the country's only access to the sea.

Yugoslav postage stamp for the occupied zones of the Julian March (1945-1947). The inscription reads "Istria - Slovenian Littoral" in both Slovene and Italian.

History

During the period of Austrian rule, the region was known as the Austrian Littoral, and was divided into Istria, the Imperial Free City of Trieste, and the autonomous Crown Lands of Gorizia and Gradisca.

In 1918, the whole area was occupied by the Italian army. In 1920, it was officially annexed to Italy with the Treaty of Rapallo. Italianization, which began in the first years of Italian occupation, itensified after the Fascist takeover in 1922. A policy violent Fascist Italianization continued until 1943.

After World War II, the area was split between Yugoslavia, which got the majority of the region, and Italy, which kept the urban centres of Trieste and Gorizia. As a result, new urban centres on the Slovenian part of the border developed. Today, the main urban centers of the Slovene Littoral are Koper and the Nova Gorica–Šempeter conurbation.

After Ljubljana, the Slovene Littoral is the most developed and economically most prosperous part of Slovenia. The western part of the Slovenian Istria (the coast) is a bilingual region where both Slovene and Italian can be used in education, legal and administrative environments.

Photo gallery

Mount Krn in the Julian Alps
Kozjak Falls in the Soča (or Isonzo) Valley
The Goriška Brda wine region
The town of Nova Gorica
The Nanos plateau rising above the Vipava Valley
Rihemberk Castle near Branik
Rural architecture on the Karst plateau
A sheep herd on the Karst plateau
Škocjan Caves
Landscape in Slovenian Istria
The Adriatic town of Piran/Pirano
The Praetorian Palace in Koper (Capodistria)

Slovenian Littoral

History

Photo gallery

See also