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Koper

From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.

Občina Koper

Coat of arms of the municipality of Koper

Area:

311.2 km²

Population
- males
- females

47,539
23,385
24,154

Average age:

38.28 years

Residential areas:
- households:
- families:

32.34 m²/person
17,391
13,879

Working active:
- unemployed:

23,397
2,907

Average salary (August 2003):
- gross:
- net:

257,219 SIT
160,373 SIT

Students:

1,800

Source: Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, census of 2002.

Koper (Capodistria in Italian), pop. 25,000, is a coastal municipality and the largest commercial port in Slovenia, on the Adriatic Sea coast. Sights in Koper include 15th century Praetorian Palace in Venetian Gothic style, the 12th century Carmine Rotunda church, and the Cathedral of St Nazarius with its 14th century tower.

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History

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 from.

In 568, Roman citizens of nearby Tergestum (modern Trieste) fled to Koper due to an invasion of the Lombards. In honour of the Byzantine emperor Justinian II, Koper was renamed to Justinople. Later, Koper was under both Lombard and Frankish rule.

Trade between Koper and Venice was registered since 932. In the war between Venice and Germany (Holy Roman Empire), Koper was on the German side, and was in result awarded by town rights, granted in 1035 by the emperor Conrad II. Since 1232, Koper belonged to the patriarch in Aquileia, and in 1278 it joined the republic of Venice.

Koper grew to become the capital of Venetian Istria and was renamed to Caput Histriae, "head of Istria" (from which its modern Italian name Capodistria stems from).

Since the 8th century, possibly even since 6th century, Koper was the seat of bishop. One of Koper's bishops was the Lutheran reformer Pier Paolo Vergerio. In 1828, it was merged the diocese of Trieste.

During the Austrian empire, Koper-Capodistria was, along with Trieste part of the Adriatic Kunstland region. Assigned to Italy after World War I, at the end of World War II was part of the zone B of the Free Territory of Trieste, controlled by Yugoslavia. Most of the italian inhabitants left the city and the exodus continued until 1954, when the Free Territory of Trieste formally ceased to exist and part B was incorporeted in Tito's state. The official name was changed to Koper (before, even during the Austrians, ufficial maps always reported the italian name Capodistria). The diocese was separated from Trieste.

With Slovenian independence in 1991 Koper became the only commercial port town of Slovenia. This municipality of Koper is officially bilingual (Slovenian and Italian).

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