Sečovlje is a settlement in the Municipality of Piran

Piran

Piran is a city and municipality in southwestern Slovenia on the Gulf of Piran on the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the three major towns of Slovenian Istria. The city resembles a large open-air museum, with medieval architecture and a rich cultural heritage. Narrow streets and compact houses give...

 in the Littoral

Slovenian Littoral

The Slovenian Littoral is a historical region of Slovenia. Its name recalls the historical Habsburg crown land of the Austrian Littoral, of which the Slovenian Littoral was a part....

 region of Slovenia

Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...

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Overview

This is the last Slovenian settlement before the Slovenia-Croatia border. This village was once the centre of Slovenian salt production, now its main source of income is tourism at the Sečovlje Salina nature park. Once the Parenzana

Parenzana

The Parenzana or Porečanka is one of the nicknames of a defunct narrow gauge railway between Trieste and Poreč , in present day Italy, Slovenia and Croatia.- Name :When constructed, the railway's official...

 railway path, is now a recreational path for tourists. Nearby is an International Portorož Airport

Portorož Airport

-Airport Services:Although relatively small, a wide-variety of services are offered at Portorož Airport:modern airport facilities including technical and fuel service, services under contract , panoramic flights, business charter flights, a flight school, parachute jumping, minibus transfer, a...

 at which tourists can go on a fly tour over the Slovenian Istria

Slovenian Istria

Slovenian Istria often called Obala in Slovene is a region in southwest of Slovenia. It comprises the northern part of the Istrian peninsula, and it is part of the wider geographical-historical region known as the Slovenian Littoral . Its largest urban center is Koper. Other larger settlements...

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The Sečovlje international border crossing

Border checkpoint

A border checkpoint is a place, generally between two countries, where travellers and/or goods are inspected. Authorization often is required to enter a country through its borders. Access-controlled borders often have a limited number of checkpoints where they can be crossed without legal...

 is one of the main crossings from Slovenian into Croatian Istria

Istria

Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...

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The parish church

Parish church

A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....

 in the settlement is dedicated to Saint Martin

Martin of Tours

Martin of Tours was a Bishop of Tours whose shrine became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints...

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History

Archeological finds and text sources mention the place already in the Roman times, nearby salt pans in the 12th century. Modernisation of the salt pans occurred in the 14th century, salt production drastically increased in the times of Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...

, when they measured 508 hectares. They were the source of income for about 500 families.

External links

• Sečovlje on Geopedia