Sežana
Encyclopedia
Sežana is a town
and a municipality
in the Slovenian Littoral
region of Slovenia
, near the border with Italy
. According to the census of 2008, it has a population of 12,470, of which around 5,332 live in the town of Sežana and the rest in the neighbouring rural areas.
Sežana is located about on the Kras plateau, 17 km from Trieste
, Italy, and 80 km from Ljubljana
, the capital city of Slovenia. A major border crossing
between Slovenia and Italy used to be located in the village of Fernetti (Fernetiči) in the municipality of Monrupino
, but border immigration and customs checks have been abolished since 21 December 2007 when Slovenia joined the Schengen zone. The first main town in Italy is Villa Opicina
, which is also the first stop on the railway line on the Italian side.
and the Patriarchate of Aquileia, until it was conquered by the Counts of Gorizia in the 14th century. In 1500, it fell under the Habsburg
dominion and it was included in the County of Gorizia and Gradisca.
Sežana remained a small and rather unsignificant village until mid 19th century, when the Austrian Southern Railway
, connecting Vienna
to Trieste
, was built next to it. Sežana thus became connected to the major traffics and soon emerged as the most important center on the Kras
Plateau, together with Opicina
. After 1918, it was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy and included in the Province of Trieste
. During the Fascist
period, the population was subjected to a violent Italianization policy, and many locals joined the militant anti-fascist organization TIGR
. During World War II
, especially after 1943, the area was became a battlefield between the Partisan resistance and the Fascist and Nazi German forces. In May 1945, Sežana was liberated by the Yugoslav partisans. Between June 1945 and September 1947, it was administered by the British
and U.S. Army. In 1947, it became part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
and in 1991 of independent Slovenia
.
Many industrial enterprises are located in Sežana, including larger companies as well as many smaller enterprises. Sežana is also a center for the tourist industry. Its location between Ljubljana
, Trieste
, and the Adriatic coast and many important tourist sights in the vicinity, such as the Lipica
studfarm, the Postojna Cave
, the Škocjan Caves
, the Vilenica Cave and the fortified village of Štanjel
, make Sežana an attractive tourist destination. Sežana is also an important agricultural center.
and a tourist trail from Sežana to Tomaj
dedicated to the poet, and the Tabor nature trail. The Lipica
studfarm is also located in the municipality, as are several picturesque villages.
The parish church
in the town is dedicated to Saint Martin
and was built in 1878 on the site of an older church from the early 16th century, after it became an independent parish. Sežana railway station
was opened in 1857, and forms part of the Vienna–Trieste railway
. Since 1947, it has been that railway's border crossing point between Yugoslavia/Slovenia and Italy.
, France
Rab
, Croatia
Gevgelija
, Republic of Macedonia
Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella
, Italy Sant'Ambrogio sul Garigliano
, Italy Gornji Milanovac
, Serbia
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and a municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the Slovenian 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...
, near the border with Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. According to the census of 2008, it has a population of 12,470, of which around 5,332 live in the town of Sežana and the rest in the neighbouring rural areas.
Sežana is located about on the Kras plateau, 17 km from Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, Italy, and 80 km from Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, the capital city of Slovenia. A major border crossing
Border Crossing
Border Crossing may refer to:* Border Crossing , an album by saxophonist Mike Osborne.* Border Crossing , a UK hip hop collective musical group.* Border Crossing , a 2001 novel by English author Pat Barker....
between Slovenia and Italy used to be located in the village of Fernetti (Fernetiči) in the municipality of Monrupino
Monrupino
Monrupino is a comune in the Province of Trieste in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 9 km north of Trieste, on the border with Slovenia. , it had a population of 848 and an area of 12.7 km²...
, but border immigration and customs checks have been abolished since 21 December 2007 when Slovenia joined the Schengen zone. The first main town in Italy is Villa Opicina
Villa Opicina
Villa Opicina is a village in north-eastern Italy, close to the Slovenian border at Fernetti . The first town in Slovenia after the border is Sežana, which is also where the first railway station in Slovenia is located after Villa Opicina....
, which is also the first stop on the railway line on the Italian side.
History
Slavic tribes, ancestors of modern Slovenes, first settled the area in the late 6th century A.D. In the Middle Ages, the area belonged to the Duchy of FriuliDuchy of Friuli
The Duchy of Friuli was one of the great territorial Lombard duchies, the first to be established. It was an important buffer between the Lombard kingdom of Italy and the Slavs...
and the Patriarchate of Aquileia, until it was conquered by the Counts of Gorizia in the 14th century. In 1500, it fell under the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
dominion and it was included in the County of Gorizia and Gradisca.
Sežana remained a small and rather unsignificant village until mid 19th century, when the Austrian Southern Railway
Austrian Southern Railway
The Austrian Southern Railway was an Austrian railway company established in 1841...
, connecting Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, was built next to it. Sežana thus became connected to the major traffics and soon emerged as the most important center on the Kras
Kras
Karst ; also known as the Karst Plateau, is a limestone borderline plateau region extending in southwestern Slovenia and northeastern Italy. It lies between the Vipava Valley, the low hills surrounding the valley, the westernmost part of the Brkini Hills, northern Istria, and the Gulf of Trieste...
Plateau, together with Opicina
Villa Opicina
Villa Opicina is a village in north-eastern Italy, close to the Slovenian border at Fernetti . The first town in Slovenia after the border is Sežana, which is also where the first railway station in Slovenia is located after Villa Opicina....
. After 1918, it was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy and included in the Province of Trieste
Province of Trieste
The Province of Trieste is a province in the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Trieste.It has an area of 212 km², and a total population of 236,520...
. During the Fascist
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
period, the population was subjected to a violent Italianization policy, and many locals joined the militant anti-fascist organization TIGR
TIGR
TIGR, abbreviation for Trst , Istra , Gorica and Reka , with the full name Revolutionary Organization of the Julian March T.I.G.R. was a militant anti-Fascist and insurgent organization active in the 1920s and the 1930s in the eastern Italian border region known as the Julian March.The...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, especially after 1943, the area was became a battlefield between the Partisan resistance and the Fascist and Nazi German forces. In May 1945, Sežana was liberated by the Yugoslav partisans. Between June 1945 and September 1947, it was administered by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and U.S. Army. In 1947, it became part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
and in 1991 of independent 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...
.
Economy
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, and the Adriatic coast and many important tourist sights in the vicinity, such as the Lipica
Lipica
Lipica is a village in the Municipality of Sežana in the Littoral region of Slovenia, close to the border with Italy.Lipica is one of the main tourist centers of the Slovenia's Karst region. It is the origin of the Lipizzaner horses. The Lipica stud farm was established in 1580 by Charles II,...
studfarm, the Postojna Cave
Postojna Cave
Postojna Cave is a 20,570 m long Karst cave system near Postojna, Slovenia. It is the longest cave system in the country as well as one of its top tourism sites.-History:The caves were created by the Pivka River....
, the Škocjan Caves
Škocjan Caves
Skocjan Caves is a cave system in Slovenia. Due to its exceptional significance, Škocjan Caves was entered on UNESCO’s list of natural and cultural world heritage sites in 1986. International scientific circles have thus acknowledged the importance of the caves as one of the natural treasures of...
, the Vilenica Cave and the fortified village of Štanjel
Štanjel
Štanjel is a village in the Komen Municipality in the Littoral region of Slovenia. It is located on the Kras plateau overlooking the Vipava Valley. In the 17th century it was fortificated to defend it against Ottoman raids...
, make Sežana an attractive tourist destination. Sežana is also an important agricultural center.
Sights
Many things can also be seen in the city: there is a botanical park, a memorial room commemorating the poet Srečko KosovelSrecko Kosovel
Srečko Kosovel was a Slovene expressionist poet who evolved towards avant-garde forms. Since the 1960s, Kosovel has become a poetic icon, in the league of the most prestigious Slovene literates like France Prešeren and Ivan Cankar. Together with Edvard Kocbek, he is considered as the most...
and a tourist trail from Sežana to Tomaj
Tomaj
Tomaj is a village in the Sežana Municipality in the Littoral region of Slovenia.The Parish Church in the settlement is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul and belongs to the Diocese of Koper...
dedicated to the poet, and the Tabor nature trail. The Lipica
Lipica
Lipica is a village in the Municipality of Sežana in the Littoral region of Slovenia, close to the border with Italy.Lipica is one of the main tourist centers of the Slovenia's Karst region. It is the origin of the Lipizzaner horses. The Lipica stud farm was established in 1580 by Charles II,...
studfarm is also located in the municipality, as are several picturesque villages.
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 town 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...
and was built in 1878 on the site of an older church from the early 16th century, after it became an independent parish. Sežana railway station
Sežana railway station
Sežana railway station serves the town and municipality of Sežana, in the Slovenian Littoral region of Slovenia.-Location:The station forms part of the important rail link originally built as the South railway, between Vienna, Austria, and Trieste, Italy...
was opened in 1857, and forms part of the Vienna–Trieste railway
Austrian Southern Railway
The Austrian Southern Railway was an Austrian railway company established in 1841...
. Since 1947, it has been that railway's border crossing point between Yugoslavia/Slovenia and Italy.
Prominent natives and residents
Several prominent figures were born or lived in the municipality of Sežana:- Primož BrezecPrimož BrezecPrimož Brezec is a Slovenian professional basketball player with Lokomotiv Kuban of the Russian Super League. He is a 7 ft 1 in tall center. Brezec has played seven seasons in the NBA.-Europe:...
, basketball player - Avgust ČernigojAvgust CernigojAvgust Černigoj, also known in Italian as Augusto Cernigoi was a Italian painter, known for his avant-garde experiments in Constructivism....
, painter - Danilo DolciDanilo DolciDanilo Dolci was an Italian social activist, sociologist, popular educator and poet. He is best known for his opposition to poverty, social exclusion and the Mafia on Sicily, and is considered to be one of the protagonists of the non-violence movement in Italy...
, Italian social activist - Branka Jurca, author of children literature
- Taras KermaunerTaras KermaunerTaras Kermauner was a Slovenian literary historian, critic, philosopher, essayist, playwright and translator.- Life :...
, literary historian and philosopher - Srečko KosovelSrecko KosovelSrečko Kosovel was a Slovene expressionist poet who evolved towards avant-garde forms. Since the 1960s, Kosovel has become a poetic icon, in the league of the most prestigious Slovene literates like France Prešeren and Ivan Cankar. Together with Edvard Kocbek, he is considered as the most...
, poet - Josip Križaj, military pilot
- Jolka Milič, translator and essayist
- Josip OstiJosip OstiJosip Osti is a Bosnian poet, prose writer and essayist, literary critic, anthologist and translator.Osti was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Sarajevo...
, poet, essayist and translator - Virgil Šček, priest, politician and social activist
- Majda ŠircaMajda ŠircaMajda Širca Ravnikar is a Slovenian art historian, journalist and politician. She is currently serving as Minister of Culture in the left-wing government of Borut Pahor....
, journalist and politician - Ciril ZlobecCiril ZlobecCiril Zlobec is a Slovene poet, writer, translator, journalist and former politician. He is best known for his poems and has published several volumes of poetry...
, poet
Twin cities
MontbrisonMontbrison
Montbrison is the name of several communes of France:* Montbrison, in the Loire département* Montbrison-sur-Lez, in the Drôme département...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Rab
Rab
Rab is an island in Croatia and a town of the same name located just off the northern Croatian coast in the Adriatic Sea.The island is long, has an area of and 9,480 inhabitants . The highest peak is Kamenjak at 408 meters...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
Gevgelija
Gevgelija
Gevgelija is a town with a population of 15,685 located in the very southeast of the Republic of Macedonia along the banks of the Vardar River, situated at the country's main border with Greece , the point which links the motorway from Skopje and three other former Yugoslav capitals with...
, Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella
Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella
Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella is a comune in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about 120 km west of Venice and about 15 km northwest of Verona....
, Italy Sant'Ambrogio sul Garigliano
Sant'Ambrogio sul Garigliano
Sant'Ambrogio sul Garigliano is a comune in the Province of Frosinone in the Italian region Lazio, located about 130 km southeast of Rome and about 50 km southeast of Frosinone....
, Italy Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac is a town and municipality located in Serbia at 44.012691° North, 20.273572° East. Its name means "Upper Milanovac" while Milanovac stems from name "Milan" in the Serbian language. The population of town is 24,048.The city was founded in 1853...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
External links
- Sežana, official page of municipality (in Slovenian)
- The town of Sezana, about the town of Sezana