Slovenia, Koper

During our repositioning cruise from Barcelona to Venice we stopped for one day at Slovenian port Koper.

This was our first and only time in Slovenia and we decided to visit a nearby town of Piran during our short stay. As we did not have any arrangements for our return transportation, we decided to leave a little early in order not to miss the ship. We were lucky and hopped on the bus right away so upon return we still had some time to explore Koper.

Koper has been an important port since Roman Empire when it was known  by the Latin names of Capris, Caprea, Capre, or Caprista from where the modern name derives. Ever since the port has played important role in transiting goods from Asia to central Europe. 

Having been under Venetian rule for over 5 centuries Koper bloomed and prospered and grew to become the capital of Venetian Istria and was renamed Caput Histriae 'head of Istria' from which stems its modern Italian name, Capodistria. Until now, even though the city fell under Austria in 1797, the town of Koper is officially bilingual, with both Slovene and Italian as official languages. So even on the interurban buses you will see signs like "Koper/Capodistria - Piran/Pirano".

The bus dropped us off not far from the historic center and we set on exploring.

Of course, compared to Piran Koper seemed a little less impressive, a little more run down,   the colors are more pale, the paint is more cracked, the rain pipes more rusty...

Piran and Koper are like two sisters: you can definitely notice their resemblance. But while Koper spends time working with less regard to appearance, Piran is preoccupied with polishing its beauty. Koper is the biggest and the busiest Slovenian port while Piran lives almost entirely on tourism.

Yet one can still find hidden gems: a cute arch, wooden shutters or relief of a saint on a wall.

One of the main historical attraction of Koper is Cathedral of Mary's Assumption located on the central city square Titov trg. The Cathedral is one of the oldest building of the city, its history goes back to the 12th century.
The façade combines Gothic (the lower part) and Renaissance styles (the upper part).

Gothic elements of Koper Cathedral

Gothic elements of Koper Cathedral

Gothic elements of Koper Cathedral

Is that Renaissance... or Baroque?

Koper is the city of contradictions: artisan street lights next to cracked paint and hanging cables. 

We headed towards the sea.

And of course since the city was under Venetian influence for so long, one can find Venetian Saint Mark's lions in decorative elements.

Kidričeva Ulica brought us to Carpaccio square - Carpacijev trg. 

Carpacijev trg

The square is separated from the seaside by a building called Taverna. We could not determine its original purpose - warehouse? arsenal? But apparently nowadays Taverna hosts multiple theatrical and musical events. Its arches are a good photo opportunity, both when looking from the square to the boardwalk and from the boardwalk to the square.

View of Carpacijev trg through Taverna arches

In the middle of the square there is a Column of St. Justine. 

Column of St. Justine

On the streets of Koper

On the streets of Koper

Our day in Slovenia ended at the city beach. To be honest, there is no real beach and the port cranes in the background do not make the landscape exactly appealing. Yet this small patch of greenery by the seaside looked like a favorite spot where locals come to spend time with their families, friends or simply enjoy a cup of coffee.