Piran and the Slovene Istria Coast: Portorož, Koper and Lipica

Piran belonged to the Republic of Venice from 1283 to 1797, and that heritage is still legible in the narrow lanes of the old town. The square is named after Giuseppe Tartini, the composer born in Piran; a bronze monument by the Venetian artist Antonio Dal Zotto was erected in 1896. Tartini's house is recorded as early as 1384. St George's Church, the municipal palace and the loggia frame the square. These are verified dates; but we do not state museums' current opening hours or entry fees without a source, and where a detail is missing we honestly say we do not know.

Piran sits at the tip of a peninsula in the Gulf of Trieste, with the sea wrapping the town on three sides. Its defensive walls were built against Ottoman incursions; sections from different periods still stand and give a broad panorama from above. The 2019 population was 3,733, whereas around 15,000 lived here in the early 20th century; the Second World War and the Istrian exodus shifted the town toward Slovene speakers. These figures are verified; but we do not quote the walls' current ticket price or visiting hours without a source, and if unsure we prefer to say we do not know.

Portorož is an Adriatic resort in the Municipality of Piran, named after a 12th-century church dedicated to St Mary of the Roses. Modern development began in the late 19th century; Giovanni Lugnano pioneered seawater treatments from 1879. The Palace Hotel, built in 1909, was called the most beautiful hotel on the Adriatic at its 1910 opening, and the town ranked among the coast's leading spa resorts alongside Opatija and Grado. The 2002 population was 2,849. These dates are verified; but we do not state the current prices or hours of hotels, spas and casinos without a source, and where unknown we honestly say we do not know.

Koper began as a settlement called Insula Caprea (Goat Island); the Romans named it Aegida, and after Romans fleeing Trieste arrived in 568 the city was renamed Justinopolis after the emperor. It joined Venice in 1278 and by 1420 became the capital of Venetian Istria, earning the title Caput Histriae, the head of Istria. The 15th-century Praetorian Palace and the 12th-century cathedral reflect Venetian Gothic. The 2020 population was 25,753, and Koper is today Slovenia's only container port. These are verified facts; but we do not state museums' or port tours' current hours and fees without a source, and where missing we say we do not know.

Inland from the coast, in the village of Lipica in the Municipality of Sežana, lies the famous stud farm. It was founded in 1580; the first horses were bought from Spain in 1581 (24 broodmares and six stallions). The Habsburg archduke Charles II chose the site because the Karst's soil and climate resembled Spain's. The Lipizzan breed was fully developed under Maria Theresa of Austria. At the end of the Second World War only 11 horses remained; the rest had been confiscated. It became a public institution in 1996. These dates are verified; but we do not state current times and prices for shows, tours and visits without a source, and where unclear we honestly say we do not know.