Združenje zgodovinskih mest Slovenije

Koper

The city of the Sun

This Mediterranean city, bounded by the sea and hills, displays its rich,thousand-year history at every step. A walk through the old city centre is a walk through the past filled with sunshine. The mysterious Koper countryside in the land of Refošk wine offers a unique range of food and wine. Its numerous traditional events offer the true pleasures of Istria. The rays of the present offer new experiences in this city by the sea.

FEATURES OF KOPER SQUARES

As you stroll from square to square, open your eyes to the fabulous architecture!

Titov trg and the Praetorian Palace – the most priceless architectural monument in the city is this palace, which was also the city hall during the period of the Venetian Republic; close by are the Loža (Loggia), once a debating venue for burghers (today a café), the Cathedral of the Assumption in its Gothic and renaissance style, the city tower – a special viewing point – and the Foresteria and Armeria.

Prešernov Trg and the Da Ponte well – close to the Baroque well dating from 1666 is the Muda Gate, the former city gate, for many centuries the only land entrance to the city, and the ruins of the city wall. Just a step away, in Župančič Street, the courtyard of the Carli Palace is dominated by the Gothic bucket well, which is one of the first dated and preserved wells in Slovenia.

Carpacciov Trg and Carpaccio House – a Gothic building from the 15th century – was the residence of the Venetian painter Benedetto Carpaccio; close by is the Taverna, the former Venetian salt warehouse, today a space for events.

SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE PAST

What inspired all the art in little galleries across the city? Perhaps the ancient stories, which you can sense in the museums:

Koper Regional Museum – in the Belgramoni Palace – since 1911 the Tacco Museum has showcased precious archaeological, artistic and historical items and a collection of museum objects up to the 19th century;

the ethnological collection at the Regional Museum – the collection in the Venetian Gothic house from the 14th century shows the material and spiritual culture of Slovenian Istria, Brkini, Čičarija and the upper Karst since the 17th century

GREEN: LARGEST BRACKISH WETLAND IN SLOVENIA

When you are in Koper, visit the nature reserve of Škocjanski Zatok, the biggest brackish wetland in Slovenia. Here you can discover rare and endangered plant and animal species. Please respect the area’s biodiversity! In addition to more than 220 species of birds, you can also observe two Camargue horses and boškarin, or Istrian ox. You can get to the reserve on foot or by bicycle.

PRAETORIAN PALACE AND THE LION’S MOUTH

The might of Koper is symbolised by the Praetorian Palace, and tales of the past are concealed in the little peculiarities of the city. One of these is the Lion’s Mouth, at one end of Čevljarska Street close to the Praetorian Palace. The “Bocca del Leone”, as it was called in Venetian times, was designed for anonymous tip-offs about tobacco and salt smugglers, as well as for bribing gentlemen of the municipal authority.

TIC Koper
Titov trg 3, SI-6000 Koper
T: +386 (0)5 664 64 03
F: +386 (0)5 664 64 06
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www.koper.si
FB: Istra-Slovenia