Koper can trace its name back to the Roman town of Caprea. In 1278, the town voluntarily joined Venice and was later renamed Capo d'Istria — hence the Italian name. However, much of Koper's Italian inhabitants fled after WW2 when the town was assigned to the Free Territory of Trieste, administered by and later incorporated into Yugoslavia. The Communists built an unattractive sprawl of factories and warehouses to the south, but mercifully left the old town almost entirely untouched, and it's this that draws the (comparatively few) tourists who venture this way.
Koper rose from an ancient settlement built on an island in the southeastern part of the Gulf of Koper in the northern Adriatic. In the time of Ancient Greece, the town was known as Aegida, later it became known by its Latin names Capris, Caprea, Capre or Caprista, from which the modern Slovenian name stems.
In 568, Roman citizens of nearby Tergeste (modern Trieste) fled to Capris due to an invasion of the Lombards. In honour of the Byzantine emperor Justinian II, the town was renamed to Justinople. Later, Justinople was under both Lombard and Frankish rule.
Since the 8th century, possibly even since 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 had been registered since 932. In the war between Venice and Germany (Holy Roman Empire), Koper was on the German side, and was in result awarded with town rights, granted in 1035 by the emperor Conrad II. From 1232, Koper was under the patriarch of Aquileia, and in 1278 it joined the Republic of Venice.
PLACE TO VISIT
The Belgramoni-Taco Palace is a palace in the city of Koper, in south-western Slovenia. Built in the early 17th century, it is an excellent example of Venetian baroque architecture. It currently serves as the seat of the Regional Museum of Koper.
The Da Ponte fountain is a fountain in the city of Koper, in south-western Slovenia. It is located on Prešeren Square, formerly known as Da Ponte Square. A subaquatic aqueduct connected the island of Koper to the mainland as early as the end of the 14th century. By the 16th century, the 10,000 inhabitants of the city were facing a water shortage, rainwater cisterns having become inadequate. In the 17th century, Niccolo Manzuoli recorded the city water supply, noting that a 2-mile distant spring at Colonna was piped to the island via wooden underwater tubes, some of which have been unearthed during excavations by modern archeologists.
Loggia Palace is a palace in Koper, in south-western Slovenia. Completed in 1570 it overlooks the square and was designed by architects like Sansovino and Palladio.
Parish Church of Mary's Ascension in Koper, in south-western Slovenia. It was built in 1229, rebuilt towards the end of the 15th century, consecrated on 1493, and restored and enlarged in 1902.
The Praetorian Palace is a 14th-century Venetian Gothic palace in the city of Koper, in southwest Slovenia. Located on the southern side of the city's central Tito Square (at Titov trg 3), it houses the Koper city government and a wedding hall. It is considered one of the city's architectural landmarks.
HOW TO REACH
Koper is easily reachable with bus and train. The train and bus stations are adjacent and located about 1 km south of the Muda Gate to the old city. The nearest airport is in Trieste (64 km), although Ljubljana's (124 km) is also an option.
From Ljubljana, there are hourly buses and 5-6 trains daily, both taking around two hours. There are also direct services to Trieste in Italy.
