The industrial and port Koper is the main city of the Istrian region. In the last article on I wrote that Koper is the most lively city on the Slovenian coast. And indeed it is. Firstly, the city's population is 27,000 people, which is more than in all the coastal towns I have already described combined, and secondly, the main and only port of Slovenia, the backbone of the local automotive industry, is located in Koper. There are two large enterprises operating here - Cimos, a supplier of Citroen cars and Tomos, a motorcycle manufacturer.
For tourists, Koper can be interesting for its sights, there are no less of them in the city than in the super tourist Piran, and shops. Near the port there is a whole area of modern and varied shopping malls of the scale of our Mega. The shops are open on weekdays and on Saturdays from 9 to 21, and on Sunday from 9 to 15, everything is clear with the shops, you will not be able to see anything fundamentally new in them, so I will go straight to the sights of Koper and tell you why you shouldn't save on a hotel and choose Koper as a base for recreation on the Slovenian coast.
Koper is the oldest city in all of Slovenia, in his writings it was mentioned by Pliny himself under the name Aegis, he survived the Roman Empire and Byzantium, but most of the monuments have survived from the time of the rule of the Venetian Republic. Under the wing of the Venetian lion, Kapodostriya (Italian) or Koper (Slovenian) experienced its golden age. Its influence extended over a large area from Buzet to Novigrad (now these are Croatian cities). And during the reign of the Habsburg Empire, Koper lost its former greatness, losing the palm to neighboring Trieste, and oddly enough, this contributed in many respects to the preservation of the monuments of the Venetian period. So there is something to see in Koper.
Koper is the only town on the Slovenian coast where a tourist card (Koper city card) is offered for tourists, allowing them to use public transport, see a number of attractions and get discounts at local restaurants. This fact in itself already suggests that the city has something to offer curious tourists. Public transport may be needed only if you are leaving Koper, the old town itself is very compact and it will not be difficult to walk it up and down in 2 hours.
It so happened that the main attractions are concentrated around the four squares of the city:
- main square Titov bargaining
- located almost close to the Titov market Brolo square,
- square of Carpaccio by the seafront
- Preshernovaya Square- the most pagan square of Koper.
If you walk around these four squares, you will see everything worth seeing in Koper. We parked in Brolo Square, but it would be logical to start my story about the sights of the city from the main square, so the description of Brolo Square will be at the end.
Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary and the bell tower from Brolo square
Titov square bargaining
The very center of the city is Titov Trg Square - the only coastal area that can easily compete with the famous Tartini Square in Piran. The Venetian style, which is clearly present in its architecture, is somewhat severe and laconic.
There is a tourist information office in the Praetorian Palace, where you can take a map of the city with marked attractions for free and buy a tourist card of Koper if you wish. It is believed that the construction of the Praetorian Palace began in 1254, but usually when such distant dates are named, it means that on this place some palaces were built and rebuilt that little resemble the present. The very concept of "praetor" came to us from the Roman Empire and means - the leader, the leader. It turns out that the palace received the Roman name during the heyday of the Venetian Republic, not much is not logical, but what can you do, the past often hides interesting details from us. There are winged Venetian lions on the facade of the palace.
Praetor palace on Titov square bargaining In the palace, paying only 3 €, you can see the 19th century veduto Kopra, a wardrobe in which the attire for celebrations were kept, an old pharmacy from the end of the 17th century and various items belonging to the nobility. Veduto Kopra is just a view of the city, when it was still an island, the date of its creation is not written on the painting itself, it is believed that this is the 19th century. It remains to state the fact that for 100-150 years the city has changed almost beyond recognition. Now only one tower has survived, the city has become part of the mainland and a huge port has grown up next to it, and now there are simply gigantic ships sailing on the sea compared to the pitiful ships depicted in the picture. What can historians talk about when it comes to times more distant?
19th century Veduto Copra The Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary stands on a site that was built up in the ancient period, and in front of today's church on this site was a Romanesque basilica. The history of the cathedral goes back to the 12th century, when the city received its own diocese. The exterior of the cathedral today is a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance styles. On the right is the base of the campanile, you can climb it for only 3 € or free with a Koper city card.
Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary on Titov square bargaining The church keeps numerous treasures: the large altarpiece "Madonna and Child Enthroned and the Saints", created in 1516 by Vittorio Carpaccio, the stone coffin of the Copra patron Saint Nazarius of the 15th century and others. Vittorio Carpaccio is a very famous Venetian artist, then I will show you the house in which he was born and lived. The interior of the cathedral was changed in the 17th century by the famous architect Giorgio Massari, nothing remained of the Gothic and Venetian style.
Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary Opposite the Praetorian Palace there is an equally beautiful building - the Loggia, which houses a cafe and an art gallery. During his visit to Koper, Stendhal, then the French consul in Trieste, was struck by the beauty of this magnificent building, built in 1462. The arcade is very much like the Doge's Palace in Venice, the scale is smaller, but the shapes are the same.
Loggia on Titov square bargaining The loggia is decorated with a terracotta statue of the Madonna and Child, installed in a corner niche, erected in memory of the exterminating plague of 1554.
Loggia - terracotta statue of Madonna Foresteria and Armeria now look like one whole building, but in fact there used to be two of them, both buildings were built in the 15th-16th centuries. Foresteria served for receptions and accommodation of guests of the landowners. Until 1550, the neighboring building of Armeria served as a warehouse of weapons, later it housed a city warehouse and a pawnshop, if you look closely, you can find a fair amount of details that distinguish one house from another and mentally draw a dividing line.
Foresteria and Armeria on Titov square bargaining Chevlyarskaya street
At this point we leave the Titov bargaining square. Koper turned out to be a very patriotic city, all the old streets are hung with flags with the city's coat of arms. In the upper corner, I inserted a picture of the city's coat of arms. This sun is depicted on the Muda gate. In Slovenia, it is customary to insert the emblem of the area on the license plate numbers, in Koper, most cars with the sun on the license plate.
Chevlyarskaya street Chevlyarskaya Street is a typical medieval street in the city, once it was the busiest street in the city; artisans and merchants settled here. The Barbabian Palace is now the seat of the Copra tax office, and the tax authorities have to walk to work, it is not possible to get there by car.
Barbabian Palace (1710) 
Streets of Koper Preshernova square
The main decoration of Preshernova Square is the fountain, created based on the Rialto Bridge in Venice and the Muda Gate. It is from one of the heraldic signs depicted on these gates that the coat of arms of Koper is drawn - a sun with a human face. This is the only gate that has survived in Koper, there used to be 12. The gate itself was copied from an antique triumphal arch by order of a local landowner, where the original was not reported anywhere.
Muda gate, sun under the pediment The Muda gate is the most pagan local building, although it was built in 1516 in a completely non-pagan time. What I was most interested in was to find out, where did such a strange name come from? But alas, nothing is said about this topic anywhere.
Image of the sun on the gate under the pediment The Da Ponte Fountain continues the pagan tradition. In the fountain, four water deities are spitting water. Earlier this place was the end of the aqueduct supplying water to the city; it has not survived to this day.
Fountain Da Ponte "> Fountain da Ponte
Carpaccio square
The next focus of attractions was the Carpaccio square. She was named just after the famous Venetian painter, whose picture we could see in the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary. It is decorated with Justina's Column, erected in 1572 in honor of the victory in the Battle of Lepanto (Koper equipped a gallion for this battle), a Venetian well in the form of a column capital (transported in 1936) and the home of the famous Venetian painter Vittore Carpaccio (1465-1526). Wikipedia says that the exact dates of the artist's life and the exact place of birth are unknown, but in Koper they show the house where he was born and lived. Carpacho's house is stone with figured windows, right behind Justina's column.
House and square of Carpaccio in Koper The capitals of the column depict the coat of arms of Koper - the sun, and on the shield there is a two-headed eagle. The two-headed eagles were used as a coat of arms by several states - Byzantium, the Holy Roman Empire, the Principality of Chernigov, Tver, Moscow, the Golden Horde and even some smaller princes, which had died by that time, so that double-headed eagles are often found in Europe. This is one of the arguments of the famous author of the New Chronology in favor of the existence of a previously huge unified empire.
Statue of Justina on a column in Koper On the other hand, the Carpaccio square is bordered by an old salt warehouse, now for some reason it is called the Tavern. Maybe they organize city holidays with refreshments here? There are plenty of salt warehouses on the Slovenian coast, but Koper is the most picturesque. Salt mining was one of the most profitable businesses in the Middle Ages and this whole region rose precisely on the extraction of salt.
A Venetian winged one flaunts on the wall of a salt warehouse overlooking the sea.
Tavern - former storehouse of St. Mark's salt Kidricheva street
Church of St. Nicholas on Kidrichevaya Street The houses along Kidrichevaya Street were being renovated. Looks like old wooden rafters already refuse to keep the second floor hanging over the first floor.
House with wooden rafters Totto ex Gavardo's palace was almost covered in forests, only a winged lion was photographed. Levu, by the way, was reinforced on the facade only in 1924, earlier it decorated some kind of fortress in the province.
Venetian winged lion at the Totto ex Gavardo palace The Belgramono Tazzo Palace was built in the 17th century and is the most beautiful Baroque palace in Koper. After the First World War, it housed the City Museum of History and Art, today it houses the Regional Museum, which stores the precious cultural heritage of northern Istria from the prehistoric period onwards, with an emphasis on the Venetian cultural layer. The local history museum can be visited for 5 € or free with a Koper city card. The palace has two names, as one of the members of the Belgramon family lost it at cards, and the palace became the property of the Tazzo family. After the death of the last member of the family, the city authorities gave the house for cultural activities.
Belgramono-Tazzo palace Brolo square
Can you imagine that the building of a granary suddenly became a monument of history and culture? This happens. The construction of Fontico (former grain warehouse) was mentioned already in 1392, the final form was formed around 1460, later the facade was slightly changed. The building is one of the oldest buildings in Brolo Square. From the very beginning, the building was intended as a granary, from which grain was distributed to the townspeople in the years of a bad harvest or wars, an almost biblical story about seven fat years and seven lean ones. On the building, in addition to the Renaissance and Gothic windows, you can admire the rich coat of arms. The Brutti palace now houses the Koper library, to the left of the palace is the Church of the Assumption of Mary. 
Koper embankment and port
The beach is free, there are free showers and toilets nearby. On the opposite side of the bay is the village of Ankaran, its beaches offer an excellent view of the port, so I would not recommend it for a seaside holiday either. Ankaran has a large campsite and a number of bungalows, of course they do not mention the close proximity to a huge modern port in the descriptions of their services.
Ankaran became famous for its hospital in which tuberculosis patients are treated, the local climate is very useful for patients with pulmonary diseases, we can only hope that patients with an open form of tuberculosis observe quarantine.
Koper city beach This is the city of Koper, there is something to see, there is where to go shopping, you can stay in it in the off-season, but in the summer I personally would not want to swim on the Koper beach.
Today, Koper, again as in ancient times, competes with neighboring Trieste. Ships with cargo from the industrialized countries of Asia arrive at its port, which are further transported to Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic. After passing the Suez Canal, ships head to Koper, the Mediterranean port closest to the largest cities in Central Europe.
Slovenia is a unique country in terms of its geographic location. Going downhill skiing from the Alpine peaks, you almost immediately find yourself on the beaches of the Adriatic coast. There are not so many cities on the Slovenian coast, and the main one among them is Koper (word Koper, it. Kapodistria). Despite the fact that the population of the city is only about 25,000 people, Koper is the largest Slovenian city and port on the coast of the Piran Bay.
Until the 19th century, Koper was located on an island that in ancient times was called "Koziy". In 1825, the island was connected in bulk with the mainland, but the city is still, according to tradition, divided into the old - "island" part and the new - "mainland".
Koper Island The "mainland" part is a modern city with its own infrastructure, lively life and tall buildings. In the “insular” part of Kopra, the picture is completely different: time seems to have stood still here. Old houses with red tiled roofs in Italian style, small narrow streets facing the sea - all this reminds of the centuries-old history of Kopra, which dates back to the times of Ancient Greece.
Lapidarium in Koper HISTORY OF COPRA
In those days, the city was called Aegida (Goat City). Later, when Koper was mentioned, names such as Capris (Greek Copros), Caprea, Capre and Caprista emerge. The annals mention that in 568 AD, the Roman citizens of a neighboring city Tergeste(Trieste), because of the invasion of the Huns, they fled to Capris. The Byzantines who captured Koper in the 7th century renamed it Justinopolis, in honor of their emperor Justinian II .
The name of the city of Tergeste comes from the Slovenian word trg - market square. So there isn't much Italian in this (now) Italian city!
Old city center In many ways, the medieval history of the city is determined by its relations with the Venetian Republic. By 932, among all the cities of Istria, Koper became the main partner of Venice, observing neutrality in the event of a war between Venice and any of the cities of Istria.
This union brings great benefits to Koper. The city experienced a real economic boom during the time of the Crusades, when the demand for its agricultural products increased sharply: oil, wine, fish and salt. Sea trade also brings great profits. In the XI-XII centuries, in Koper, as in other coastal cities, an oligarchic system of government was formed: with an outwardly republican form, power belongs to several families of noble patricians.
Loggia Palace. Venetian architecture Copra Thanks to its sharp economic growth, Koper gets stronger, and eventually decides to conflict with Venice. In 1145, the union of the three cities of Istria - Pula, Koper and Izola, challenges the Venetian Republic. The result is disastrous: the defeated cities are forced to take the "oath of loyalty" (facere fidelitatem) to the Venetian doge. After this conflict, the authorities of Koper began to behave extremely prudently: the city provided military assistance to the Venetian fleet in every possible way, and in the conflicts of Venice with other cities, invariably taking the side of the Republic.
In 1182, as a reward for his loyalty, Koper received from Venice the right to a monopoly mining of salt on the entire Istrian coast, for a period of 29 years. Salt mining was of paramount importance at that time, and this strengthened the status of Koper as the central city of the Istrian coast. The development of salt has brought great economic benefits to the city for many centuries and was stopped only in 1911.
In 1380, Koper is brutally attacked by the Genoese (medieval Genoa). Genoa's troops loot the city and take with them jewels and sacred relics, including the relics of St. Nazarius - the heaviest punishment for a medieval city (returned in 1423) But even these minor attacks cannot stop the economic rise of Koper. In the 16th century, Koper is considered the largest port city in northwestern Istria. In the middle of the 16th century, its population is about 10 thousand inhabitants. Unfortunately, more than 50% of the population perishes during the terrible plague epidemic that rages in Europe in 1553-1554.
Having existed until the end of the 18th century, the Venetian Republic perishes under the onslaught of Napoleon's army. In 1797, French troops enter Koper, and the city first becomes part of the Italian Kingdom, and then part of the Illyrian provinces (1809-1813). After the fall of the Napoleonic empire, Koper fell under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, in whose possession it remained until the First World War.
In 1918, Koper passes to Italy, and after the Second World War, in 1947, it joins the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as part of Free Territory of Trieste... When, in 1954, the Free Territory of Trieste officially ceases to exist, Koper becomes part of Yugoslavia, already part of the Federal Republic of Slovenia. By this time, most of the Italians living in the city leave the city for Italy.
WHAT TO SEE IN COPRA
Koper is a city with ancient history and modern tourism infrastructure. Walking along the old, medieval streets of its insular part, one immediately draws attention to the enormous influence of Venetian architecture. Here everyone can see wonderful evidence from different cultures and eras. All inscriptions in the city are made in Slovenian and Italian, and every building has an Italian flavor.
The oldest decoration of Koper is the Ascension Rotunda, built in the 12th century. The church served as a gathering place and blessing for soldiers going to war. Inside it hangs one of the finest paintings of the Renaissance in Slovenia, painted by an Italian painter Vittore Carpaccio(Vittore Carpaccio) in 1516 and here is one of the oldest bells in Slovenia (1333), cast by the Venetian master Jacob.
Many very original and interesting monuments from the Venetian period have survived in Koper. One of these monuments is the Pretoria Palace, built in 1464 in the Venetian Gothic style. The palace is located on the central square of the city - Titov trg, and opposite it stands the Loggia Palace, which today houses an art gallery with a rich collection of paintings from the 15th century.
Here, not far from the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady, built in the 15th century. It houses the city's main shrine - the tomb of St. Nazarius, the patron saint of the city, whose relics were removed from the city by the Genoese troops in 1380.
Built in the 17th century, the Belgramoni-Tacco Palace is one of the most beautiful Baroque palaces in Koper. The palace has two names, because at one time, one of the members of the Belgramoni family, overnight lost it to another family - Tacco. Today, the palace houses the regional museum of local lore of northern Istria. The amazing palaces of Gravisi Barababianca, Brutti and Totto, also once belonged to noble Venetian families, and along with many other historical buildings, today serve as a real decoration of Koper.
Belgramoni-Tacco Palace Koper is also interesting for outdoor enthusiasts. In addition to clean city beaches, a large modern water park offers its visitors many attractions for every taste. In the vicinity of the city there are many steep cliffs, which have long been chosen by lovers of mountaineering, as well as a small airfield offering fantastic panoramic flights over the Adriatic coast to everyone.
View of Koper from above Numerous choral singing festivals take place in Koper. One of the most famous is the seaside summer festival, which every year brings together music bands from Slovenia and other countries. Spectators from all over the world come to it, getting real pleasure from the bright show and from the city of Koper itself.
Koper (Italian Kapodistrias)- the largest Slovenian seaside town, the capital of the Slovenian Istria and the main seaport of the country. Like Venice, the old city core contains some of the most interesting historical records. Once built on an island, in the 19th century it was connected to the ground by a dam and gradually completely merged with the continent. In Italian, the name of the city sounds like Kapodistrias, which means "the main city of Istria".
The city is located in close proximity to the Italian border and the city of Trieste (), and is connected by a new modern highway with the country's capital Ljubljana, as well as coastal roads with Italian Trieste and Croatian Istria. There is also a railway station in Koper, but, in comparison with road and sea transport, the railway is used very poorly.
Koper is the only commercial port where ships with cargoes from the Middle East, Japan and Korea arrive.
Koper Accommodation quite comfortable, and the administration of some even tries to create conditions close to home. It is comfortable to relax here with your family, as everything is provided for the convenience of children, for example, as entertainment in one hotel, your child will be offered pony riding, and in another you can rent bicycles. If you are a lover of outdoor activities, you will have a great time at the local water park, whose pools cover an area of more than three thousand square meters. There is also a SPA center, where you will be offered various programs for weight loss and for relaxation and good mood, massage and lymphatic drainage.
In the old days, Koper was on an island with the strange name Goat, and by 1825 the island was connected to the mainland, but to this day, paying tribute to tradition, the city is divided into the mainland and the island.
The mainland is a modern city: the houses are tall and the buildings are cramped. The insular part has a completely different look: cathedrals, old houses with tiled roofs, in the architecture of which the influence of Italian traditions is clearly visible. This is understandable: the Slavs settled here in the 8th century, a century later they established close ties with the Republic of Venice, and by the 13th century Koper was annexed to Venice. As is often the case, the Venetians, protecting Koper from external enemies, gradually became the full-fledged masters of the city. Hence the Italian style of architecture, cuisine, music. Even the languages here are two full-fledged: Italian and Slovenian. 
Attractions Koper
The city has preserved many monuments from the period of the Venetian Republic, very original and interesting. The most famous building in Koper is the Pretoria Palace, built in 1464 in the Venetian Gothic style, located on the central square of the city - Titov Trg. Opposite the Pretoria Palace is the Loggia Palace, which houses an art gallery with a rich collection of 15th century paintings and a modern café that is very popular with tourists.
The palaces of Armerigonha, Totto, Belgramoni-Tacco once belonged to representatives of noble Venetian families, and today they are a real decoration of the city. Koper is also proud of the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady, which was built in the 15th century. The main shrine of the cathedral is the tomb of Saint Nazarius, the patron saint of the city.
The oldest building in the city is the Ascension Rotunda, which was built in the 12th century.
One of the city's most attractive attractions is the zoo. It is not only an amusement park, but also a fairly well-known research center. The zoo is huge, the variety of animals contained in it is very great, so many tourists interested in the animal world often choose Koper as their destination: there are many opportunities to observe the habits of various animals.
Koper is also interesting for outdoor enthusiasts: a huge modern water park offers many attractions for every taste and age. Lovers of mountaineering have chosen this city for a long time: in the vicinity of the city there are many steep cliffs on which you can hone your climbing skills, and at the same time admire the beauty of the Adriatic coast.
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Another factor that makes the city attractive not only for beach lovers is the numerous choral singing festivals that are regularly held in the city. One of the most famous - the Seaside Summer Festival - every year gathers many musical groups from Slovenia and other countries, as well as spectators who truly enjoy this bright holiday.
