Občina 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.

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, but was restored after World War II to reflect the new geopolitical boundaries as it became part of Yugoslavia, before Slovenian independence in 1991.

External links

• Official website in English (http://www.koper.si/povezave/default_e.asp)

Slovenia | Municipalities of Slovenia

City municipalities: Celje | Koper | Kranj | Ljubljana | Maribor | Murska Sobota

Nova Gorica | Novo mesto | Ptuj | Slovenj Gradec | Velenje

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