Koper (Slovene:[ˈkòːpəɾ]ⓘ;Italian:Capodistria) is thefifth-largest city inSlovenia. Located in theIstrian region in the southwestern part of the country, Koper is the main urban center of the Slovene coast. ThePort of Koper is the country's only container port and a major contributor to the economy of theMunicipality of Koper. The city is a destination for a number of Mediterranean cruising lines.
Koper is also one of the main road entry points into Slovenia from Italy, which lies to the north of the municipality. The main motorway crossing is atSpodnje Škofije to the north of the city of Koper. The motorway continues into Rabuiese andTrieste. Koper also has a rail connection with the capital city,Ljubljana. On the coast, there is a crossing at Lazaret into Lazzaretto inMuggia municipality inTrieste province. The Italian border crossing is known as San Bartolomeo.
Major sights in Koper include the 15th-centuryPraetorian Palace andLoggia inVenetian Gothic style, the 12th-centuryCarmine Rotunda church, and St. Nazarius' Cathedral, with its 14th-century tower.
The Italian name of the city was anciently written asCapo d'Istria,[2] and is reported on maps and sources in other European languages as such. Ancient names of the city includeÆgidia andJustinopolis.[3] Modern names of the city includeCroatian:Kopar,Serbian:Копар,romanized: Kopar, andGerman:Gafers. The Slovene population calls the cityKoper. The Slavic population, present in the area since at least thelate 7th century,[4] largely relied on oral tradition up to theinvention of printing. The Slovenian nameKoper was first attested in writing in 1557, but with the spellingCopper.[5]
The modifications of the environment around Koper since its beginning, showing the seashore prior to any land reclamation (red line) and the original island of Koper (light blue line on the left) and former island of Sermin on the right.Josip Broz Tito andHaile Selassie in Koper in 1959The island of Koper in 1781
Koper began as a settlement built on an island in the southeastern part of the Gulf of Koper in the northern Adriatic. CalledInsula Caprea (Goat Island) orCapro by Roman settlers, it developed into the city of Aegida,[2] which was mentioned by the Roman authorPliny the Elder in hisNaturalis Historia (Natural History) (iii. 19. s. 23).[6]
In 568, Roman citizens of nearby Tergeste (modernTrieste) fled to Aegida due to an invasion of theLombards. In honour of theByzantine EmperorJustinian II, the town was renamedJustinopolis.[2] Later, Justinopolis was under both Lombard andFrankish rule and was briefly occupied byAvars in the 8th century.
Since at least the 8th century (and possibly as early as the 6th century) Koper was the seat of adiocese. One of Koper's bishops was theLutheran reformerPier Paolo Vergerio. In 1828, it was merged into theDiocese of Trieste.
Trade between Koper andVenice has been recorded since 932. In the war between Venice and theHoly Roman Empire, Koper was on the latter side, and as a result was awarded withtown rights, granted in 1035 by EmperorConrad II. After 1232, Koper was under thePatriarch of Aquileia, and in 1278 it joined theRepublic of Venice. It was at this time that the city walls and towers were partly demolished.[7]
In 1420, the Patriarch of Aquileia ceded his remaining possessions inIstria to the Republic, consolidating Venetian power in Koper.[8]
Koper grew to become the capital of VenetianIstria and was renamedCaput Histriae 'head of Istria' (from which stems its modern Italian name,Capodistria).
CAPO d'ISTRIA on a 3 kreuzer stamp of the 1850 issue
The 16th century saw the population of Koper fall drastically, from its high of between 10,000 and 12,000 inhabitants, due to repeated plague epidemics.[9] When Trieste became a free port in 1719, Koper lost its monopoly on trade, and its importance diminished further.[10]
According to the 1900 census, 7,205 Italian, 391 Slovenian, 167 Croatian, and 67 German inhabitants lived in Koper.
The influence of the Port of Koper on tourism was one of the factors inAnkaran deciding to leave the municipality in areferendum in 2011 to establish its own municipality.
Koper's 15th-century Praetorian Palace is located on the city square. It was built from two older 13th-century houses that were connected by a loggia, rebuilt many times, and then finished as a Venetian Gothic palace. Today, it is home to the city of Koper's tourist office.[11]
The city'sCathedral of the Assumption was built in the second half of the 12th century and has one of the oldest bells in Slovenia (from 1333), cast by Nicolò and Martino, the sons of Master Giacomo ofVenice.[12][13] The upper terrace is periodically open and offers a great view of theBay of Trieste. In the middle of it hangs theSacra Conversatione painting from 1516, one of the bestRenaissance paintings in Slovenia, made byVittore Carpaccio.[14]
Koper has ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa). There is a substantial amount of rainfall in Koper, even in the driest month, with each month averaging well over 60 mm (2.4 in). This climate is considered to be Cfa according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. The average temperature in Koper is 14.4 °C (57.9 °F). The average annual rainfall is 988 millimetres (39 in).
Climate data for Koper (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1950–2020)
In the past, Italian was the most common language spoken in the town, but its presence decreased sharply after Slovenian Istria was incorporated into Yugoslavia in 1954, with most of the ethnic Italians leaving the town.
Today, Koper is officially bilingual, with bothSlovene andItalian as its official languages, with Italian being mainly used as a secondary language by the Slovene-speaking majority.Slovene dominates with virtually all citizens speaking it, followed by pockets of speakers ofItalian andCroatian.
The Jazz Etno Funky Festival (often referred to as JEFF) is held annually in July and August in Koper, in the gardens of the Regional Museum of Koper. It is one of the most popularmusic festivals inSlovenian Istria. The event was founded in 2003 and today features artists of a wide array of music genres includingjazz,funk,world,folk and other styles. It is organised by activists of theSAK - Students' Association of Koper.
Some of the most notable artists who have taken part in JEFF since its inception include: Vasko Atanasovski, Gwen Hughes,Perpetuum Jazzile,Kelvis Ochoa,Terra Folk produkcija, Kisha,Bratko Bibič, New Swing Quartet, Fake orchestra, Olivija, Dazhbog ensemble, Caña Flamenca, Ansasa Trio, Aritmija, Aljoša Jerič,Ratko Dautovski, Vocalissimo, Greentown Jazz Band, Areia, Erik Marenče, Ethnodelia, Die Resonanz, Kaneo, Sedef, Nino Mureškič, Jure Tori, Ewald Oberleitner, K3, Mahnimal, Adrabesa Quartet and many others.
First established during theRoman Empire, the Port of Koper has played an important role in the development of the area. It is among the largest in the region and is one of the most important transit routes for goods heading fromAsia to central Europe. In contrast to other European ports, which are managed by port authorities, the activities of the Port of Koper comprise the management of the free zone area, the management of the port area, and the role of the terminal operator.
The city does not have its own airport; the closest one isTrieste Airport, which is located 65 km north of Koper.
Nazario Sauro (1880–1916), Italian irredentist and sailor
Spartaco Schergat (1920–1996), military frogman, caused damage to the British battleshipQueen Elizabeth in 1941. Italian gold medal in the Second World War[18]
^"Archived copy"(PDF).www.retecivica.trieste.it. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 27 September 2004. Retrieved17 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
_01.jpg)
_02.jpg)
.jpg)
_(3958295632).jpg)
.jpg)
