Koper

Koper ( ; ) is the fifth-largest city in Slovenia. Located in the Istrian region in the southwestern part of the country, Koper is the main urban center of the Slovene coast. The Port of Koper is the country's only container port and a major contributor to the economy of the Municipality 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 at Spodnje Škofije to the north of the city of Koper. The motorway continues into Rabuiese and Trieste. Koper also has a rail connection with the capital city, Ljubljana. On the coast, there is a crossing at Lazaret into Lazzaretto in Muggia municipality in Trieste province. The Italian border crossing is known as San Bartolomeo.

Koper ( ; ) is the fifth-largest city in Slovenia. Located in the Istrian region in the southwestern part of the country, Koper is the main urban center of the Slovene coast. The Port of Koper is the country's only container port and a major contributor to the economy of the Municipality 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 at Spodnje Škofije to the north of the city of Koper. The motorway continues into Rabuiese and Trieste. Koper also has a rail connection with the capital city, Ljubljana. On the coast, there is a crossing at Lazaret into Lazzaretto in Muggia municipality in Trieste province. The Italian border crossing is known as San Bartolomeo. ==Sights== Major sights in Koper include the 15th-century Praetorian Palace and Loggia in Venetian Gothic style, the 12th-century Carmine Rotunda church, and St. Nazarius' Cathedral, with its 14th-century tower. ==Names== The Italian name of the city was anciently written as Capo d'Istria, and is reported on maps and sources in other European languages as such. Ancient names of the city include Ægidia and Justinopolis. The Slovene population calls the city Koper. The Slavic population, present in the area since at least the late 7th century, largely relied on oral tradition up to the invention of printing. The Slovenian name Koper was first attested in writing in 1557, but with the spelling Copper. ==History== Koper began as a settlement built on an island in the southeastern part of the Gulf of Koper in the northern Adriatic. Called Insula Caprea (Goat Island) or Capro by Roman settlers, it developed into the city of Aegida, which was mentioned by the Roman author Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia (Natural History) (iii. 19. s. 23). The history of the city of Koper and the origin of its original name dates back to antiquity: Aegida is a Greek-Etruscan name reminiscent of the aegis (shield) of the Greek goddess of wisdom and knowledge Athena. The ancient Roman name of the town, Capris, is said to derive from the fact that goats were raised on an island where there was no settlement at first.In 568, Roman citizens of nearby Tergeste (modern Trieste) fled to Aegida due to an invasion of the Lombards. In honour of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian II, the town was renamed Justinopolis. Later, Justinopolis was under both Lombard and Frankish rule and was briefly occupied by Avars in the 8th century. Since at least the 8th century (and possibly as early as the 6th century) Koper was the seat of a diocese. One of Koper's bishops was the Lutheran reformer Pier Paolo Vergerio. In 1828, it was merged into the Diocese of Trieste. Trade between Koper and Venice has been recorded since 932. In the war between Venice and the Holy Roman Empire, Koper was on the latter side, and as a result was awarded with town rights, granted in 1035 by Emperor Conrad II. After 1232, Koper was under the Patriarch of Aquileia, and in 1278 it joined the Republic of Venice. It was at this time that the city walls and towers were partly demolished. and Haile Selassie in Koper in 1959] In 1420, the Patriarch of Aquileia ceded his remaining possessions in Istria to the Republic, consolidating Venetian power in Koper. Koper grew to become the capital of Venetian Istria and was renamed Caput Histriae 'head of Istria' (from which stems its modern Italian name, Capodistria). The 16th century saw the population of Koper fall drastically, from its high of between 10,000 and 12,000 inhabitants¹, due to repeated plague epidemics. When Trieste became a free port in 1719, Koper lost its monopoly on trade, and its importance diminished further. According to the 1900 census, 7,205 Italian, 391 Slovenian, 167 Croatian, and 67 German inhabitants lived in Koper. Assigned to Italy from Austria-Hungary after World War I, at the end of World War II, it became part of the Zone B of the Free Territory of Trieste, controlled by Yugoslavia. Most of the Italian inhabitants left the city by 1954, when the Free Territory of Trieste formally ceased to exist and Zone B became part of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In 1977, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Koper was separated from the Diocese of Trieste. With Slovenian independence in 1991, Koper became the only commercial port in Slovenia. The University of Primorska is based in the city. The influence of the Port of Koper on tourism was one of the factors in Ankaran deciding to leave the municipality in a referendum in 2011 to establish its own municipality. ==Architecture== 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. The city's Cathedral 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 of Venice. The upper terrace is periodically open and offers a great view of the Bay of Trieste. In the middle of it hangs the Sacra Conversatione painting from 1516, one of the best Renaissance paintings in Slovenia, made by Vittore Carpaccio. ==Culture== ===Festival=== 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 popular music festivals in Slovenian Istria. The event was founded in 2003¹ and today features artists of a wide array of music genres including jazz, funk, world, folk and other styles. It is organised by activists of the SAK - 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. ==International relations== ===Twin towns and sister cities=== Koper is twinned with: Buzet, Croatia Corfu, Greece Ferrara, Italy Jiujiang, China Muggia, Italy Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada San Dorligo della Valle, Italy Žilina, Slovakia ==Gallery== File:Koper - Verdijeva ulica 10 (občina).jpg|Town Hall File:Koper Administrative Unit.jpg|Administrative Unit File:Osrednja knjižnica Srečka Vilharja Koper.jpg|Srečko Vilhar Library File:Pałac corner koper.jpg|Corner Palace File:Exterior of Koper Regional Museum 02.jpg|Regional Museum File:Koper Luška kapetanija.jpg|Kapetanija File:Exterior of St. James's Church (Koper) 01.jpg|St. James' Church File:Italian consulate - Koper.jpg|Italian Consulate File:Column of Justina of Padua (Koper) 02.jpg|Column of Justina of Padua File:Cerkev SV. Bassa (3).jpg|St. Bassus' Church File:Jedna ze studni na placu brolo 4.jpg|Brolo Square Fountain File:Koper - hiša Kidričeva 28.jpg|House on Kidrič Street File:Kidric street st nicholas.jpg|Kidrič Street File:Koper (119) (3958295632).jpg|Carpaccio Square File:Buildings in Koper 04.jpg|View from Čevljarska Street File:Palača Čevljarska 17.jpg|Palace on Čevljarska Street File:Ulica cankara 1 3.jpg|Cankar Street File:Blick auf den Hafen von Koper Capodistria (52976883311).jpg|Port of Koper ==References== ==External links== Koper on Geopedia Koper–Capodistria. Slovenian Tourist Board. Koper: Virtual Tour. Panoramas of Koper and surrounding area. Burger.si.

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