Koper is a small town on the coast of Slovenia, along the border with Italy. Slovene and Italian are both official languages. While Koper's main function is as a commercial port city, it has managed to preserve its medieval-era city center, where centuries-old stone houses line narrow, twisting roads.

 

History

The town currently known as Koper has undergone many name changes and known many rulers over the years since its settlement, before the days of Ancient Greece. Controlled first by the Roman Empire, then by the Byzantines, the Lombards, the Franks, the Germans, and the Venetians, Koper's population today is primarily Italian, with large Slovenian and Croation segments. After being assigned to Italy in the aftermath of WWI, Koper become part of Yugoslavia in 1954, until Slovenia's declaration of independence in 1991 included the town in that newly formed nation.

 

Art & Museums

The Koper Regional Museum, in the center of the town, is housed in a large Baroque palace, the Belgramoni-Tacco Palace. The museum houses cultural artifacts of the Istrian region dating back to prehistoric times. In addition to cultural and art history, the museum documents the recent struggles of the Slovenian people. The museum's ethnological collection, emphasizing the masonry and architecture of Slovene Istria, is housed separately, in a 14th century Venetian-Gothic building.

 

Nightlife

The University of Primorska is located in Koper, and the large student population means that there's always something going on. The area around the open market is home to a large number of bars. Go out dancing at Bella Vita, or quaff a brew at the Lord Byron Pub. The relatively low numbers of tourists who make it to Koper means that the locals are less burned out on visitors, and more likely to befriend a new face.

 

How to get there

You can reach Koper by bus or train, arriving 1km south of the Muda Gate to the old city. Regular bus and train routes run from the town to Ljubjana and Trieste. Bus routes also run from Koper to the other towns along the Slovenian coastline, Izola, Piran, and Portoroz. The nearest major border crossing between Slovenia and Italy is at Spodnje Škofije, a bit north of Koper. The nearest airport is in Trieste.