SLOVENIA
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The official name of Slovenia is the Republic of Slovenia, a country in Central Europe. It borders Austria to the north, Hungary to the east, Croatia to the south, and Italy to the west. It has 46 km of coastline along the Adriatic Sea to the west, with Koper being the most important port. The capital and most populous city is Ljubljana. Slovenia has been a member of the European Union since 2004.
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The official language is Slovene, which is spoken in the southern part of the country. This is notable because Slovene itself is a mixture of Slavic, Germanic, and Romance languages and cultures, to the extent that Slovene has 46 different dialects, but the southern dialect is the official language.
The words Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) and Slovakia (Slovenská republika) share the same etymological origin and are often confused with each other in many languages, including Spanish and English (Slovenia and Slovakia), leading many people to think they are the same country.
Slovenia's history is more closely tied with Italy, Austria, and Germany, as it was always part of Central European kingdoms and empires, like the Habsburg Austro-Hungarian Empire. This has resulted in the dominant religions being Catholic or Protestant, which is also part of Slovenian identity. Unlike neighboring countries such as Croatia or Hungary, Slovenia was never part of the political bodies that governed most of the Balkans, such as the Eastern Roman Empire (Orthodox Church) and the Turkish Sultanate (Islam).
During the Soviet era, Slovenia was a province of Yugoslavia until it gained independence in 1991. Since then, it has been a sovereign country divided into eight traditional regions, although for political and statistical purposes, there are 12 official regions.
PLACES TO SEE:
Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, may not be as monumental for many travelers as other European capitals, but like everywhere, it has its attractions that are worth exploring and enjoying. A walking tour through the center, or Stare Miasto, inevitably leads us to the Town Hall Square, St. Nicholas Cathedral, Dragon Bridge (the symbol of the city), and the Triple Bridge. If you feel tired and need a snack, the cafes, bars, and restaurants along the banks of the Ljubljanica River are the best option, offering a relaxed atmosphere suitable for tourists of any age.
Slovenia is a mountainous country. The Karavanke Mountains, the Kamnik Alps, the Dinarides, and especially the Julian Alps stand out, where the highest peak in the country, Mount Triglav, reaches 2,864 meters above sea level. This peak is a national symbol and appears on the Slovenian flag. The Triglav National Park, the only one in the country with that designation, is located here, with two rivers, the Soča and the Sava, flowing through its valleys, irrigating the fertile fields and fostering the development of towns and cities along their banks until one flows into the Adriatic Sea and the other into the Black Sea.
When we think of vacations, we generally imagine sunny days, lakeside spaces, and summer heat, but the truth is that there are also ideal places for winter vacations. A very popular winter destination in Slovenia is Lake Bled, located at the foothills of the Julian Alps near the town of Bled. As an additional attraction, it has a small island with a church.
The Škocjan Caves and the Postojna Cave, both west of the Slovenian town of Postojna and the Italian city of Trieste, are underground wonders worth visiting. Postojna is a complex of 20 kilometers of tunnels and galleries, of which only five are open to the public. It is also the most visited cave in Europe. In 2013, Slovenia issued a commemorative 2-euro coin to celebrate the 800th anniversary of its discovery.
In Mexico, interest in table wines has grown in recent years. Here, Spanish, French, Argentine, Chilean, and even Australian wines are common, but what do we know about Slovenian red wines that are rarely—if ever—seen on store shelves? Well, table wine is so commonplace in Slovenia that there is a vineyard for every 70 people. The Karst region produces world-class red wines, including Merlot and Teran grapes, while white wines are produced in the Istrian peninsula.
Another major product of Slovenia is honey, with 90,000 beekeepers in a total population of 2 million inhabitants. May 20 is World Bee Day, commemorating the birth of Anton Janša in Breznica, Slovenia, in 1734. He was one of the pioneers of modern beekeeping and a beekeeping teacher at the Habsburg court in Vienna.
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A visual and explanatory tour of Slovenia in this 52-minute documentary produced by Radio Televisión Española.
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