Obalno-Kraška

Pascal Aerssens, young Dutch student writing Tourist Guide to Slovenia (more photos)

Obalno-Kraška is a statistical region in the south-west of the country. The region exists out of 7 municipalities and covers an area of 1044 km². In 2006, there lived about 106000 inhabitants, of which almost a half live in the city of Koper. It has 24.5% of all tourists in Slovenia.

Hrastovlje

The hamlet of Hrastovlje is not very interesting, though its church is. Sveta Trojica cerkev (church of the Holy Trinity) is a fortified church, on a hill just outside the village. It was built in the 12th century. The outer wall was built to defend the sanctuary against the Turkish invasions. In the past it was also used as a shelter for the local people, when the enemies were on hand.
The interior of the church is tunnel-vaulted and divided into three naves by four pillars. The walls, ceiling and pillars are completely covered with early Gothic frescoes, that were painted in the 15th century by Janez iz Kastva. They were hidden under plaster for years, but were found back in 1949. In the 1950’s the frescoes were thoroughly renovated. The wall paintings represent country life scenes and various biblical happenings, e.g. Genesis and the life of Jesus. The most famous fresco is the Death Dance (Dance Macabre). This wall painting covers the whole southern wall and is mainly a reminder of life. It shows the theory of justice: completely honest and unavoidable for everyone, baby and grandpa, king and farmer, Pope and monk. 

Tourists can visit the church every day from 9:00-12:00 and from 13:00-17:00, it is closed on Tuesday.
I am very sorry, but you are not allowed to take photo’s inside the church.

Koper (Capodistria)
Koper has always been an administrative and judicial important city on the Istrian peninsula.
Throughout history, Koper has had several names, e.g. Aegida, Justinopolis and Caput Histriae.
It has a picturesque town centre, because it has kept its medieval character. At first, it was built on an island, but in the 19th century it was connected with the mainland by a causeway. After they had drained the marshy area between the mainland and the island, there was left behind a plain, on which they later would develop the largest port of Slovenia.
From 932-1797 Koper was part of the Venetian Republic. Under the name ‘Capodistria’, it became the capital city of the Venetian province of Istria. The Venetian influence is still reflected in its streets, squares and houses. After WW II, Koper became part of the Free Territory of Trieste (Italy). Italian schools and a bilingual principle still show the Italian influence on the city. In 1954 it became part of Yugoslavia. Slovenia gained independence in 1991, therefore Koper became part of Slovenia again. Koper is an essential port for the non-coastal countries of central Europe (Austria and Hungary).
There are many fountains and squares in Koper, but the most impressive of the squares is Titov trg. It is the main square of the town. The cathedral of the Assumption and some Venetian palaces stand on this square.
One of the palaces is the Praetorian Palace, which dates from the 15th century. The palace was built on the site of two older houses from the 13th century. In the second half of the 13th century the buildings were linked by a loggia and were rebuilt several times and completed with the typical features of Venetian Gothic. After the Venetian Republic was occupied by the army of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1797, the Praetorian Palace lost much of its importance. It fell more into decay, when the Austrian rulers moved the municipal seat of Koper to the Armarija Palace in the 19th century. Some serious renovations begun in 1991. It took ten years and € 3.34 million to finish this. The palace regained its historic role as city hall in May 2001, when the renovations were finished. Nowadays the offices of the mayor and the municipal council are located there.  When passing through the loggia of the Praetorian Palace, you can see a small opening on the side wall.  It is called a bocca del leone (lion’s mouth). Here citizens could post anonymous letters and requests for the Mayor.
The cathedral of Mary’s Assumption was built in the 12th century, when the city got its own diocese. The current façade unites both Gothic and Renaissance styles. The interior is baroque. The cathedral keeps various treasures: the large altar painting “Madonna with Child on the Throne and Saints”, painted by Carpaccio in 1516; the stone sarcophagus of St. Nazarius, Koper’s patron saint, which dates back to the 15th century and more. The organ of the Cathedral has been decorated by Carpaccio’s paintings “The Slaughter of the Innocents” and “The Presentation in the Temple”. The inside of the cathedral was redecorated by the well-known draftsman Giorgio Massari in the 18th century. The bell tower dates from the 14th century. You can climb the tower to have a great view over Koper and the Adriatic.
The Koper Regional Museum is housed in the beautiful Belgramoni Tacco Palace. Its collection contains a wealth of information about archaeology, history and art of the coastal and Karst regions. It cooperates with several Slovenian, Italian and Croatian institutions in Istria. The indoor and the outdoor collection, in the palace garden, both present the cultural history of the coastal and Karst regions. The collection contains sculptures, paintings and beaux arts products, displayed in chronological order and by subject. Its Pinakoteka presents Venetian 17th - 18th century furnishing and medicine, Enlightment and political material from the 18th - 19th century in the Koper region. On Gramsci square, the museum houses a permanent ethnological collection.
There is no beach at Koper, but there is a water park where you can rent sun loungers and swim from a pier. There are relatively few tourists in Koper, because the harbour doesn’t make it very attractive to a lot of people, and even in the high season it doesn't get crowded.
Koper is easy to reach by bus or train. The train and bus stations are neighbouring and are about 1 kilometre away from the town centre. The nearest airports are in Trieste (64 km)and in Ljubljana      (124 km).

Lipica
Lipica is located in a landscape covered with low shrubs and pine forests. The well-known stud farm has developed for more than four hundred years.
Its history is very much connected with the Habsburg monarchy, who needed horses in their army. At that time, the Spanish horse was thought to be a perfect breed. Archduke Charles therefore let build the royal stud farm in the Karst region, because its soil and climate are almost the same to the Spanish climate.  After the Turks had left the region in 1545, the summer residence of the bishop of Trieste was damaged and finally deserted. Archduke Charles decided in 1578 to start a royal stud farm at this site. In 1580, the bishop and he signed an agreement to repair the manor. In 1581, 24 mares and 6 stallions were bought in Spain and in 1816 the first Arab stallion was used at the stud.
During the World Wars, it was necessary to look for a safe haven for the herd in other countries. Therefore, they were brought to Hostau in Czechoslovakia by the Germans, during WW II. After the Yalta conference in 1945, Czechoslovakia was Soviet Union territory.  The chief of the US cavalry, colonel Reed, asked general Patton to realise a military operation to save the horses from the Russians. The American supreme military command refused to operate on Red Army territory. Though, general Patton took performed a daring military operation on the 28th of April 1945, and moved the horses to a region that was ruled by the Allies.
Today there are about 400 horses in Lipica. The shows of its traditional riding school are an memorable experience, especially for horse lovers.

Piran
Piran has been inhabited since prehistoric times, the town’s name derives from the Greek word pur (pyr), meaning fire. That is because in ancient times, fire was lit at Piranska Punta, the tip of the peninsula. This was to direct ships to the harbour of modern Koper. Because of its old city walls, Piran is a member of the European Walled Cities Association. The locals earn their income for the most part by tourism. When you visit the city, you must take a look at its architecture, which has been strongly influenced by the Venetian Republic. It has, just like Koper, kept its medieval structure with the typical clustered houses, squares and churches. But the town has a lot more to bid than just history. It is nice place for people who like to go outside. There are several beaches, hotels and hostels, restaurants, sports facilities, an aquarium and a casino.
The oval inner harbour, was replaced in the 19th century with a stylish plaza, Tartiniev trg (Tartini square), the heart of the town.  It concentrates on the statue of Tartini. GiuseppeTartini was a 18th century composer, violinist and local of Piran. There is always happening something at the feet of his statue: the youth meets there and cyclists and skaters come along.
When the Venetians came to Piran in the 13th century, they built a lot of buildings as a reminder of their power. One of them is the most striking building of the Tartini square: a red woman’s palace with a typical balcony in Venetian Gothic style. During the Venetian occupation of Piran, there was a rich (married) merchant who fell in love with a local maid. He came often to the town and brought his love precious gifts. In time, he even built her a palace near the harbour. When he was away, evil tongues made the maid's life always difficult. So the merchant decided to place a stone plate with the words "Lasa pur dir” (Let them talk) on the house. Nowadays, there's a small shop selling salt from the close by saltpans of Sečovlje. It is called the Venetian House, which is sometimes confusing for tourists because there is not just one Venetian House in Piran.
The cathedral of St. George (cerkev Sv. Jurija) rises high above the city. It has just been renovated and it is worth a visit. The cathedral was most likely built in the 12th century, but no accurate data exist. The beautiful 17th century campanile was designed by Giacomo di Nodari, an artist from Koper. On the top of it, stands the archangel St. Michael. It was copied from the St. Mark’s campanile in Venice. Between 11am-5pm, you can climb the wooden steps to the top of the tower, for a small admission fee, to have an amazing sight of the town and the Gulf of Trieste. The church is almost always closed, though visiting the museum (open between 11am-5 pm)for a small admission fee  makes it possible to get in the church. The interior is very fine, with a large medieval crucifix, a 2nd century Roman sarcophagus, a statue of St. George killing the dragon and St. Nicholas, who is the patron saint of sailors.
Piran's aquarium is a very small one and it's hosted in an old building by the harbour. It is under the management of the Maritime High School of Portorož.  You can learn there about the fishes, sea plants and sponges of the Slovenian Adriatic sea.
From St. George’s cathedral down to to Tartiniev trg you will find a Minorite monastery. The monastery and the church are dedicated to St Francis of Assisi. They were originally built in the 14th  century but were renovated over the centuries. Inside the church are frescoes, an enormous clam shell for donations and the family tombe of the Tartini family. Don’t forget to have a look at its beautiful cloister.

Socerb
The hamlet of Socerb is located on the border of the Zgornji Kras region (Upper Karst) and the Spodnji Kras region (Lower Karst).
 Because of its nice climate, exceptional geographical and strategic situation, people already settled here very early in history.
There has been done a lot of archaeological research and there have been found various ruins of all times, from a castle and ruins of the parish church of St.-Socerb till tombs from prehistoric and Roman times.
Socerb Castle is situated on the cliff, that a long time ago formed the political border between the Venetian Republic and Austria. It had an essential tactical and political purpose during the Middle Ages. The castle was only in hands of the Venetians for half a century. Most of the time, it was in hands of the Austrian Markgrafen (margraves). It was also important because it controlled the trading route, from the Adriatic to the Kranjska province.
Currently, the castle is a state property of great importance and hosts a high-quality restaurant. From the walls of the castle, you will have an extraordinary view on the city of Trieste and on the Adriatic sea.
The well-known Sveta Jama (Sacred Cave) is located close to the castle. It is the only underground church in Slovenia, and it is 44 m deep and 189 m long. Legend tells us, that St. Socerb has lived in the cave once he was converted to Christianity. Therefore he was executed by the governor of Trieste in 1284. Inside the cave a mass has been held every year on 24th May (his name day) since WW II. You can find the entrance in a small valley. You can go down (45 stone steps) into the cave. There is water in a shallow basin, just behind the altar, which is dedicated to St. Socerb. Baron Janez Vajkat Valvasor already mentioned this shallow basin in the 17th century, saying that it would never run out of water. Some columns form the shape of a bed, where St. Socerb would have slept.

Krkavče

There are lots of unexplained and forgotten stories about Slovenian Istria. Just outside the village of Krkavče stands a monolith of about 2,5 metres high, known as the Krkavče Stone. No one knows exactly when it was erected and by who. Therefore it has inspired scientists for years. Various archaeologists, historians and art critics tried to solve the mystery, which resulted in a range of ages and purposes of the monolith. It also resulted in a lot of stories about this interesting stone:

They say it was used as a ‘whipping post’ for criminals in the nearby Castle of Gradišče. Others say that it once has been a part of an old house. Some also suggest that the image of a human with its crown of sun rays depicts the Persian god Mithra or the Slavic god Svarog. Some more creative people think it proves an ancient visit of aliens from outer space. It is said that the Krkavče Stone releases unusual energy, so some locals visit it with wishes and appreciation. They even bring candles and flowers as a special sacrifice to the stone. There are locals that believe that if you hug and caress the stone, it gives you strength and fertility. Whatever the case might be, locals always know how to convince you of their beliefs regarding the stone and are always willing to tell their story about it.