Profile of an Adventure

8/14/2019 Profile of an Adventure

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SLOVENIA

PROFILE OF AN ADVENTURE


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02/03

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Te mst cmmn names in Slvenia are Franc andMarija, llwed by Janez and Ana.

necting all its regions, many still preer theenchanting side roads that go everywhere youwant to. Slovenia also has a rail network withlinks to all neighbouring countries and threeinternational airports. Te Port o Koperserves as a window to the outside world, but isalso well connected with continental Europe.

Slovenias largest towns are Ljubljana, Mari-bor, Kranj, and Celje.

Ljubljanas airport oers connections to allmajor European cities. From here and in al-most no time you can reach Vienna, Budapest,Zurich, Munich, Frankurt, Amsterdam, Brus-sels, Paris, London, Manchester, Dublin, Bir-mingham, Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki, Warsaw,Kyiv, Moscow, Belgrade, Bucharest, Sarajevo,Podgorica, irana, Athens, Pritina, Skopje,and Istanbul.

ALPINE FRESH

Lake Bhinj is nt nly the largest natural lake in Slvenia, it is als the perectspt t all in lve with summer in the Alps.

Halway between London and Istanbul; a two-hour drive rom Venice; or a short trip romthe metropolises o Vienna and Prague geo-

graphically, historically, and culturally, Slov-enia has always had a European avour. In arelatively small area you can nd the best oa whole continent: mountains and lakes, theMediterranean Sea and vast orests, ancientcastles, and urban rhythms.

Slovenia is oten described as a country at acrossroads. Trough the centuries, it has de-veloped under inuences rom all directionsthat have let their traces. Te result is a stun-ning variety o proessions, liestyles, andculture.

Although travelling through Slovenia todayis easy because o the reeway network con-

LOCATION

ttal length the brder with Austria, Italy, Hungary and Cratia

SO CLOSE, SO EUROPE:: ::::

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GEOGRAPHYHAVE YOU HEARD?

Sme call the Blke Plateau Slvenian ibet and it iscnsidered ne Eurpes cradles skiing.

FOUR WORLDS IN ONE COUNTRY

Slovenias greatness comes in inspiring details.It is as diverse a country as you can imagine be-cause its 20,273 square kilometres are nestledbetween the relaxing seaside (with a series oMediterranean gems: Piran, Portoro, and Izola)and the adventurous alpine peaks. In between, alively but cosy urban pulse can be ound in Slove-nias charming cities, while pristine countrysideourishes all around them.

Slovenias territory unolds as our types olandscape Alpine in the north, Mediterraneanin the southwest, Dinaric in the south, and Pan-nonian in the east. Its climate ranges rom conti-nental in the centre and Alpine in the northwestto sub-Mediterranean along the coast and the

nearby countryside.

Many o Slovenias regions are rich in vineyards.Slovenske Gorice, the Gorizia Hills, and Lower

Carniola are probably the best examples o a per-ect natural and gastronomic setting to indulgeyour soul.

Te coastal region is always a good place tostart. Te unique Strunjan Cli, the medievalsalt works, a string o towns and a warm climatepresent a charming Mediterranean setting. Im-mediately beyond the coast, the countr y rises intothe ascinating Karst region, made o limestoneworked into breathtaking ormations by water.o the north are the sun-bathed Alps, with thelakes Bled and Bohinj oering a rereshing tour-ism getaway. o the east, Prekmurje awaits withgastronomic adventures and countless pleasuresor the body and mind: spas, ancient mills, and

the sleepy Mura River. Lower Carniola is knownor its unique mix o orests, sunny hills, and er-tile plains. Somewhere in the middle is Ljubljana,a city o 280,000 people.

THE THREE-HEADED GIANT

Te frst ascent Munt riglav (literally, the three-headed) was made n26 August 1778. Te highest peak (2,864 m) in t he Julian Alps is als ne Slvenias key natinal symbls.

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Slvenia is part riglav Natinal Park.

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SOCIETYHAVE YOU HEARD?

Te Slvene language uses the g rammatical dual, ararity in mdern languages.

perormances were seen by 1,029,000 spectators during the 2004/2005 theatre season.

LIFE ON THE SUNNY SIDE

Slovenias population o just over two millionis well educated and the country has a goodlabour market. Like other modern Europeansocieties, it is experiencing typical trends oaging and low birth. In addition, large ami-lies, once a core unit o society, are undergo-ing changes and becoming smaller.

Slovenia is one o the youngest democraciesin Europe. It gained independence in 1991,when the westward oriented and human-rights conscious republic let the Yugoslavederation. It won international recognitionalmost immediately and became a member othe European Union in 2004. Only our yearslater Slovenia became the rst newcomer to

hold the EU Presidency.

Te history o Slovenia simultaneously re-veals an absence o statehood and abundanceo culture it was only through language andcultural expression that national identity waspreserved. Te Protestant reormer Primorubar created the standard Slovene language,which is now used by an inspiring range owriters. Slovenia has both proessional andamateur theatre companies and some world-amous modern dance groups. Orchestra con-certs annually attract more than 6,000 musiclovers, and young lmmakers attract equalattention at lm estivals around the world.Painting with a high artistic value only beganto blossom in Slovenia at the beginning o the20th century, but today many artists are help-

ing shape the international art scene.

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MYSTERY RIVER

Te Ljubljanica River may be nly 41 kilmetres lng, but it is als a river withseven names, acquiring a new ne every time it suraces ater running under-grund r a while.


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ECONOMYHAVE YOU HEARD?

Slvenias average frst-time ather is 33 years ld,and the average ather is 46 years ld.

people are registered as working, meaning that they are employed in one way or another.

HIGH TECH WITH A HIGH TOUCH

Slovenias young economy has been otendescribed as a good example o successultransition. So ar economic growth has beenavourable and has regularly been ollowed byan increase in employment, sometimes evenexceeding the European average. Comparedto the EU average, Slovenia also has a consid-erably high employment rate o women.

Te local economy is increasingly becomingservice orientated. O course the industrialsector is also o high importance, the mostimportant area being manuacturing, where-as agriculture has declined considerably as aneconomic segment.

Chemicals, electrical equipment, machinery,transport, the ood industry, motor vehiclemanuacturing, shipbuilding, metal products,and rubber manuacturing represent most theprominent activities in Slovenian manuac-turing. Given the current level o developmentand existing potential, tourism could becomeone o Slovenias leading economic sectors inthe next ew years.

However, i you ask ordinary Slovenes whichcompanies are the countrys best, they willprobably name one o a ew dozen popularhousehold brands rom companies active inpharmacy, home appliances, ood, or retail.

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RETRO HOME DESIGN

Spn making, sieve making, tthpick making, and basket weaving theprductin wden ware nce used t be a vital industry, while tday it is aneye-catching traditin.


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DEEP DOWN AND CRYSTAL CLEAR

Te Rakv kcjan Valley hlds many wnders, including a 23 m wide and 37 m tallnatural bridge.

NATUREHAVE YOU HEARD?

One the mst interesting encunters in the 5.3 kmvyage thrugh Pstjna Cave the lngest publiclyaccessible cave system in the wrld is the indigenusblind albin cave salamander Proteus anguinus.

Slvenia is cvered by rests dierent types.

GREEN UNLIMITED

Stepping into Slovenia, one enters an out-standing mixture o biological, landscape,and cultural diversity. 11.5% o the country-side enjoys various types o legal protection.oday Slovenia has orty-our protected areasor parks, including one national park, threeregional parks, and orty landscape parks.

Approximately 35% o the country is protect-ed as part o the Natura 2000 network as sitesreserved or bird conservation and the con-servation o habitat types and species. Withregard to the number o protected species andthe proportion o its territory included in theNatura 2000 network, Slovenia is at the verytop o the European list.

Te largest protected area in the country isriglav National Park, which encompasses

83,807 ha o Slovenian territory. Te threeregional parks in Slovenia, which encompasslarge natural homogenous areas with bothnatural and man-made eatures, are KozjeRegional Park, Inner Carniola Regional Park,and kocjan Caves. kocjan Caves, with Slov-enias largest underground canyon, has been aUNESCO World Heritage site since 1986. Temost attractive among the landscape parks arethe Logar Valley and the Seovlje Saltpans. TeKarst region is the homeland o the Lipizzanerhorses. Te Lipica stud arm was establishedin 1580 and is today an active stud arm thatbreeds the nest horses o haute-cole riding.

Slovenia is also smart choice or those seeking

spa and wellness programmes because it hasa rich tradition and long list o outstandinghealth and tourist resorts.

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10/11


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COAT OF ARMS

Te three golden stars were taken rom the coat o arms o the counts o Celje, whose rule inLate Middle Ages united almost entire Slovenian territory known today.

stanza Zdravljica is a natinal anthem and an inspiring visin in which the mstimprtant Slvenian pet France Preeren (1800-1849) called r a peaceul chabi-tatin amng natins the wrld.

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TIMELINETHE STORY OF A STATE:: ::

:: HAVE YOU HEARD?Slvenia ceased t be a part Scialistic FederalRepublic Yugslavia ater 88.2 percent vters ptedr svereign and independent cuntry n a reerendumthat was held n 23rd December 1990.

250,000 BC 6th century BC after 568 7-11th century 9th century 10th century 11-14th century 14-15th c en tu ry 1 55 0 1 8th c en tur y 1 84 8 1 91 8 1 94 6 1 99 1 2 00 4 2 00 8

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:: CLIMATE

Cntintental in the central part, Alpine in thenrth-west and sub-Mediterranean alng the

cast and its hinterland

:: AVERAGE TEMPERATURE

+21oC in July-2oC in JanuarySun shines app. 2000 hurs per year

:: STATE HOLIDAYS

June 25: Statehd DayDecember 26: Indipendence and Unity Day

:: PHONE DIAL CODE

+386

:: TIME ZONE

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::PLACESTO COME AND TO SEE


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PTUJ

KOCJAN CAVES

PIRAN

SOA RIVER REGION

LJUBLJANA

BLED AND BOHINJ

LAKE CERKNICA

OTOEC

MURA REGION

MARIBOR

LOGAR VALLEY

Capitalcity Richincultureandleisureopportunities

Vibranturbanlifestyle RomanticmedievalcentrewiththeLjubljanicaRiver

Naturallakes,nestledbetweenthemountains

Crystal-clearwaters Outstandinglocalcuisineandcharacter

Richselectionoffunandlei sureactivities

Oneofthemostbeautifulandcleanestrivers in Europe

Homeofthemarbletrout Greatterrainforadventuresports

Richinhistoricalandnaturalsites

Sloveniassecond-largestcity

NearbyPohorjeskiandvacationresort Surroundedbyvineyards

HometotheLentsummerfestivalofpopularandfolkcultureonthe Drava River

Abeautiful12th-centurycastleonar iverisland

Outstandingnaturalsurroundings

Manyactivitiestochoosefrom Afavouritelocationforweddingsandromantictrips

Anaturalphenomenastudiedbyscientistsforcenturies

Anintermittentlake,lledbyautumnrainsandearlyspringthawsAsurfacelevelthatvariesbyover7meters

Telakerecedeswhenwaterowsoutthroughsinkholes

Tesnow-toppedAlpsembracetheoneofthemost beautiul valleys in Slovenia

Asparklingriverdescendsfromthehighhillsas the picturesque Rinka Falls

Anexcellentchoiceforhikingadventures ApanoramictourofRobanCombeoersgreatmountainviews

OnUNESCOslistofnaturalandculturalworldheritagesites Anexceptionallylargeundergroundcanyon TecavesMartelHallisoneofthelargestintheworld ExtraordinaryAlpineandMediterraneanspeciesgrowside-by-side

TeoldestdocumentedtowninSlovenia

Amighty9th-centurycastleabovetheDravaRiver Anincreasinglypopulartouristdestination

Homeofthefeatheredkorantcarnivalguresthatchaseawaywinter

AatpeacefulregionalongtheMuraRiver

Distinctivelocalcuisine

Opportunitytoseeaworkingwater-poweredmill Outstandingwellnessfacilities

AbeautifulexampleofanoldcoastalcityEnchantingeveningstrolls

RichselectionoftourismactivitiesRelaxationandentertainment

in nearby Portoro


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QUICK PROFILE1, 2, 3 . . . SLOVENIA!:: ::

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Mre in :: www.slovenia.si:: :: www.slovenia.info

2,029,029 inhabitants

1991 independence61 public libraries

9daily newspapers20,273 km39 Olympic medals

90,403students

46.6km o coastline

433non-dailynewspapers

64V channels

104 radio stations2,864m highest peak

8,100underground caves

74.08 lie expectancy (men)81.30 lie expectancy (women)

933tons o sh

caught per year

80.193 tractors

164 museums136 galleries1,460 sport associations

375researchorganizations

732,000 households

63% Internet users38,562 km o roads

93.3%mobile phone users

1,229km o rail980,261 cars95,399 businesses

Publisher : Government Communication Ofce | ext by: Igor Medjugorac, RDEI OBLAK d.o.o. | Reerences: Facts about Slovenia, Government Communication Ofce,2nd edition 2007; Statistical Ofce o the Republic o Slovenia, www.stat.si | Photos: Government Communication Ofce, Slovenian ourist Board | Design: Bons d.o.o. |Printing: iskarna Littera Picta d.o.o. | Number o copies: 10,000 |

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Profile of an Adventure