ABSTRACT
When most Slovenes think geographically, they think of their country in terms of its nine traditional regions. These do not correspond to any level of government administrative units (see below), but they are rooted in people’s minds because of types of landscape, historical experiences, and dialects. Ljubljana, far and away the largest Slovene city at 270,000 residents, sits almost in the middle of the country, more or less at a kind of continental crossroads for Central European, Mediterranean, and Western Balkan cultures. Maribor has over 100,000 people, and other important cities include Celje, Kranj, Koper, and Novo Mesto. Naturally enough, Ljubljana also has a predominance of – but not a monopoly on – the country’s government offices, cultural institutions, and businesses. The city is famous for its beautiful river running through the Old Town; for its historic skyscraper, the Neboticˇnik; for its castle, parks, and views north to the often snow-covered Alps; for its major brewery, Union; and for the nearby mountain of Sˇmarna Gora, a favorite spot for hikers and paragliders. One of the smallest regions is Prekmurje, the “land beyond the Mura River,” in the eastern corner of the country, bordered by Austria, Croatia, and Hungary; its capital is Murska Sobota. Other small regions include Korosˇko (or Korosˇka), the bottom part of the historic province that now lies mostly in Austria, and Bela Krajina, one of the most remote and unique parts of the country. The coastal area, Primorska, includes the major port at Koper but also most of the mountainous border with Italy, including the famous World War I battle sites around Kobarid (Caporetto); the town of Hrastovlje is also world famous for its Romanesque frescoes of a “Dance of Death.” Notranjska and Dolenjska account for much of the hilly interior of the country, laced with castles and caves, while famous Gorenjska extends west and north from Ljubljana. It contains the national park around the famous Mt Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia at 2,864 meters. It also includes the beautiful small towns of
beautiful lakes of Bohinj and Bled. Last, but not least, Sˇtajersko is home to the major cities of Maribor and Celje and also the medieval castle town of Ptuj and Slovenia’s other much-loved brewing giant, Lasˇko. Altogether, Slovenia is about the size of New Jersey in terms of territory. Its population of just under two million (1,964,036) is roughly equal to that of Utah or West Virginia.
