The Karst Plateau or the Karst region ( sl, Kras, it, Carso), also locally called Karst, is a

karst plateau The Karst Plateau or the Karst region ( sl, Kras, it, Carso), also locally called Karst, is a karst plateau region extending across the border of southwestern Slovenia and northeastern Italy. It lies between the Vipava Valley, the low hills su ...

region extending across the border of southwestern

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

and northeastern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. It lies between the

Vipava Valley The Vipava Valley (; sl, Vipavska dolina, german: Wippachtal, it, Valle del Vipacco) is a valley in the Slovenian Littoral, roughly between the village of Podnanos to the east and the border with Italy to the west. The main towns are Ajdovš ...

, the low hills surrounding the valley, the westernmost part of the

Brkini Hills The Brkini Hills (; sl, Brkini; hr, Brkinija) is a hilly region in southwestern Slovenia. Geography The Brkini Hills border the Reka River in the north, the Materija Valley () in the southwest, the Karst Plateau () in the northwest, and the Je ...

, northern Istria, and the

Gulf of Trieste The Gulf of Trieste ( it, Golfo di Trieste, sl, Tržaški zaliv, hr, Tršćanski zaljev, german: Golf von Triest) is a very shallow bay of the Adriatic Sea, in the extreme northern part of the Adriatic Sea. It is part of the Gulf of Venice an ...

. The western edge of the plateau also marks the traditional ethnic border between

Italians , flag = , flag_caption = The national flag of Italy , population = , regions = Italy 55,551,000 , region1 = Brazil , pop1 = 25–33 million , ref1 = , region2 ...

and

Slovenes The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( sl, Slovenci ), are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia, and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovene as their na ...

. The region gave its name to karst topography. For this reason, it is also referred to as the ''Classical Karst''.

Geographical position

The plateau rises quite steeply above the neighboring landscape, except for its northeastern side, where the steepness is less pronounced. The plateau gradually descends from the southeast to the southwest. On average it lies 334 m above sea level. Its western edge, known as the Karst Rim ( sl, Kraški rob), is a continuation of the

Učka The Učka ([], it, Monte Maggiore) is a mountain range in western Croatia. It rises behind the Opatija riviera, on the eastern side of the Istrian peninsula. It forms a single morphological unit together with the Ćićarija range which stretche ...

mountain range in eastern Istria, and rises to the east and southeast of

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...

, ending in steep cliffs between

Aurisina Aurisina (until 1923 ''Nabresina'', sl, Nabrežina) is a town in the karst part of the comune of Duino-Aurisina (Slovene: ) near Trieste, Italy, in a region of Slovene minority. It lies 15 kilometres northwest of Trieste, and according to th ...

and

Duino Duino ( sl, Devin, german: Tybein) is today a seaside resort on the northern Adriatic coast. It is a ''hamlet'' of Duino-Aurisina, a municipality (''comune'') of the Friuli–Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy. The settlement, picturesq ...

. Many interesting geological phenomena occur along the Karst Rim, including the picturesque Rosandra Valley (also known as Glinščica). Because the Karst steeply descends towards the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

, it is less exposed to the beneficial climatological effects of the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

. In the past, the main vegetation on the plateau was

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

s, but these were replaced by

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

forests in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s now cover only one third of the Karst. Starting in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, the plateau suffered radical deforestation for economic reasons. Although it is often said that much of the wood for the closely spaced piles that support the island city of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

, this is unlikely. Venice perhaps used the wood for naval timber. The most radical deforestation occurred in the first half of the nineteenth century due to clear-cutting by local farmers and conversion of the land into pastures for goats and sheep. The Karst is famous for its

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

s. In Slovenia, they include Vilenica Cave (the oldest show cave in Europe),

Lipica Cave Lipica may refer to several places: Poland * Lipica, Poland, a village in the Province of Warmia-Masuria Serbia * Lipica (Tutin), a village in the Municipality of Tutin Slovenia * Lipica (border crossing), a border crossing near Lipica b ...

, Divača Cave, Kačna Cave,

Postojna Cave Postojna Cave ( sl, Postojnska jama; german: Adelsberger Grotte; it, Grotte di Postumia) is a long karst cave system near Postojna, southwestern Slovenia. It is the second-longest cave system in the country (following the Migovec System) as wel ...

, and Škocjan Caves (a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

), and Grotta Gigante in Italy (the largest show cave in the world). Most of the Karst is located in the Slovenian Littoral, covering an area of 429 square kilometres, with a population of about 19,000 people. The Karst as a whole has exactly 100 settlements. The town of

Sežana Sežana (; it, Sesana) is a town in the Slovenian Littoral region of Slovenia, near the border with Italy. It is the seat of the Municipality of Sežana. Sežana is located on the Karst Plateau, from Trieste, Italy, and from Ljubljana, the ...

is the center of the region on the Slovene side of the border. The main rural centers are the settlements of

Divača Divača (; it, Divaccia) is a large nucleated village in the Littoral region of Slovenia, near the Italian border. It is the seat of the Municipality of Divača and a railway hub. Geography Divača lies along the A1 motorway and the old main r ...

Dutovlje Dutovlje (; it, Duttogliano) is a settlement in the Municipality of Sežana in the Littoral region of Slovenia close to the border with Italy. Name Dutovlje was attested in written sources in 1281 as ''Dietemdorf'' (and as ''Dietindorf'' in 1284, ...

, and

Komen Komen (, it, Comen or ''Comeno'') is a settlement in Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Komen. It is located on the Karst Plateau in the Slovenian Littoral. Name Komen was attested in written sources in 1247 as ''Cominum'' (and ...

. Štanjel is a picturesque clustered settlement at the top of the northern rim of the

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

; its houses are tightly clustered around Turn Hill, giving it the appearance of a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

town. On the Italian side of the border, important settlements include

Opicina Opicina (formerly Poggioreale del Carso in Italian), ( sl, Opčine, Triestine: ''Opcina''), is a town in northeastern Italy, close to the Slovenian border at Fernetti ( sl, Fernetiči). Opicina is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Trieste, the ...

, and

. Natural conditions, including the bora ( sl, burja) wind, and the local way of life all shaped the elements of Karst

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

, creating simple but well-defined forms. One of the main tourist centers in the area is

Lipica Lipica may refer to several places: Poland * Lipica, Poland, a village in the Province of Warmia-Masuria Serbia * Lipica (Tutin), a village in the Municipality of Tutin Slovenia * Lipica (border crossing), a border crossing near Lipica ...

, with its

stud farm A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word " stud" comes from the Old English ''stod'' meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding". Historically, documentation ...

(the home of the

Lipizzan The Lipizzan or Lipizzaner ( hr, Lipicanac, cz, Lipicán, hu, Lipicai, it, Lipizzano, sr, Lipicaner, sl, Lipicanec), is a European horse breed, breed of riding horse developed in the Habsburg Empire in the sixteenth century. It is of Baroqu ...

horse breed) and other tourist facilities.

Language, culture and traditions

The vast majority of the inhabitants of the Karst Plateau are ethnic

. Traditionally, only the village of San Martino del Carso (in the municipality of Sagrado), has been inhabited by Friulian speakers, while all the rest of the region was almost entirely Slovene-speaking from the Middle Ages until the late 1940s and 1950s, when

Istrian Italians Istrian Italians are an ethnic group from the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic region of Istria in modern northwestern Croatia and southwestern Slovenia. Istrian Italians descend from the original Latinized population of Roman Empire, Roman Istria#Early h ...

fleeing from Yugoslavia were settled in Karst villages in the Province of Trieste, especially in the municipality of

. As a consequence, today an estimated one fifth of the population of the Karst Plateau is Italian speaking, while the rest is mostly Slovene speaking. The Slovenes in the region speak two closely related

Slovene dialects In a purely dialectological sense, Slovene dialects ( sl, slovenska narečja , ) are the regionally diverse varieties that evolved from old Slovene, a South Slavic language of which the standardized modern version is Standard Slovene. This al ...

, both belonging to the Littoral dialect group. In the southern part of the plateau (in the municipalities of

and Hrpelje-Kozina, and the southern part of the

Municipality of Sežana The Municipality of Sežana (; sl, Občina Sežana) is a municipality in the Littoral region of Slovenia, near the Italian border. The seat of the municipality is the town of Sežana. The municipality was established on 6 November 1994, when t ...

, in the Italian municipality of

Monrupino Monrupino ( sl, Repentabor) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Trieste in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about north of Trieste, on the border with Slovenia. , it had a population of 848 and an area of .All demo ...

, and in most of the Slovene-speaking areas of the municipality of

), the

Inner Carniolan dialect This article uses Logar transcription. The Inner Carniolan dialect ( , ) is a Slovene dialect very close to the Lower Carniolan dialect, but with more recent accent shifts. It is spoken in a relatively large area, extending from western Inner ...

is spoken. In the northern part (the northern part of the Municipality of Sežana, in the Slovenian municipalities of

and Miren-Kostanjevica, in the Italian municipalities of

Sgonico Sgonico ( sl, Zgonik; Triestine: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Trieste in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste, on the border with Slovenia. , it had a population of 2,130 and an are ...

Duino-Aurisina Duino-Aurisina ( sl, Devin-Nabrežina, german: Thübein-Nabreschin, also ; vec, label= Triestine, Duin-Aurisina) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Trieste in the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Lying near the border with ...

and

Doberdò del Lago Doberdò del Lago ( sl, Doberdob; Bisiacco: ; fur, Dobardò) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about southwest of Gorizia, and borders the following municipalit ...

, as well in some eastern suburbs of

, like

Barcola Barcola is a maritime neighbourhood of Trieste, Italy. It is a popular tourist place with beaches and long promenades, near the Habsburg-established Miramare Castle. Barcola is highly valued for the high quality of life and the free access to the ...

), the Karst dialect is spoken. The Karst is renowned for its strong red

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

, known as teran,

prosciutto ''Prosciutto crudo'', in English often shortened to prosciutto ( , ), is Italian uncooked, unsmoked, and dry-cured ham. ''Prosciutto crudo'' is usually served thinly sliced. Several regions in Italy have their own variations of ''prosciutto crud ...

and its traditional cuisine, which is a mixture of

and

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...

an cuisine. The traditionally produced Karst prosciutto, a sort of

dry-cured ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term "ham" ...

, is protected at the European level.

Prominent natives and residents

Prominent persons that were born or lived in this region include the poets

Srečko Kosovel Srečko Kosovel () (18 March 1904 – 26 May 1926) was a Slovenian poet, now considered one of central Europe's major modernist poets.

Igo Gruden Igo Gruden (18 April 1893 – 29 November 1948) was a Slovene poet and translator. He was born as Ignacij Gruden in the small fishing village of Aurisina near Trieste, then part of the Austro-Hungarian County of Gorizia and Gradisca (now in It ...

, Ciril Zlobec, and Branka Jurca, social activist Danilo Dolci, architect

Max Fabiani Maximilian Fabiani, commonly known as Max Fabiani ( it, Massimo, sl, Maks) (29 April 1865 – 12 August 1962) was a cosmopolitan trilingual architect and town planner of mixed Italian-Austrian ancestry, born in the village of Kobdilj near Š ...

, painters Avgust Černigoj and

Lojze Spacal Lojze is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Lojze Bratuž (1902–1937), Slovene choirmaster and composer, killed by Italian Fascist squads * Lojze Grozde, Slovenian student murdered by partisans during World War II * Lojze Kova� ...

, writers

Alojz Rebula Alojz Rebula (June 21, 1924 – October 23, 2018) was a Slovene writer, playwright, essayist, and translator, and a prominent member of the Slovene minority in Italy. He lived and worked in Villa Opicina in the Province of Trieste, Italy. He was ...

, Igor Torkar, and

Bogomir Magajna Bogomir Magajna (January 13, 1904 – March 27, 1963) was a Slovene writer and psychiatrist. Biography Magajna was born in 1904 into a farming family in Gornje Vreme near Divača in what was then the Austrian Littoral. He began his school ...

, theologian Anton Mahnič, politicians Drago Marušič,

Josip Ferfolja Josip Ferfolja (27 September 1880 – 11 December 1958) was a Slovene lawyer and Social democratic politician, and human rights activist from the Province of Gorizia. Although he was an Italian citizen for most of his life, he considered himself f ...

, and Majda Širca, economist

Milko Brezigar Milko Brezigar (6 October 1886 – 22 April 1958) was a Slovene and Yugoslav liberal economist. Biography Born to a Slovene family the village of Doberdò del Lago ( sl, Doberdob) in the Austrian Littoral (now part of Italy), he attended the S ...

, and actress

Ita Rina Tamara Đorđević (born Italina Lida Kravanja; 7 July 1907 – 10 May 1979), known professionally as Ita Rina, was a Slovenian film actress and beauty queen. She was one of the major film stars in Germany and Czechoslovakia in the late 1920s and ...

. The picturesque Karst landscape inspired numerous artists who were not from this region, including the poets Rainer Maria Rilke, Alojz Gradnik, and

Edvard Kocbek Edvard Kocbek () (27 September 1904 – 3 November 1981) was a Slovenian poet, writer, essayist, translator, member of Christian Socialists in the Liberation Front of the Slovene Nation and Slovene Partisans. He is considered one of the best au ...

, essayists Scipio Slataper and Marjan Rožanc, writers

Italo Svevo Aron Hector Schmitz (19 December 186113 September 1928), better known by the pseudonym Italo Svevo (), was an Italian writer, businessman, novelist, playwright, and short story writer. A close friend of Irish novelist and poet James Joyce, Svevo ...

, Fulvio Tomizza, and Susanna Tamaro, and film director Jan Cvitkovič. Many artists and authors settled in the area, including

Josip Osti Josip Osti (19 March 1945 – 26 June 2021) was a Bosnians, Bosnian and Slovenes, Slovenian poet, prose writer and essayist, literary critic, anthologist and translator. Biography Osti was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He graduated fro ...

and

Taras Kermauner Taras Kermauner (13 April 1930 – 11 June 2008) was a Slovenian literary history, literary historian, critic, philosopher, essayist, playwright and translator. Life Taras Kermauner was born in Ljubljana as the son of the Communist Party of Slove ...

Geographical extension

Municipalities that are completely or partially in the Karst include: *

** Savogna d'Isonzo ( sl, Sovodnje ob Soči) (partially) **

( sl, Doberdob) ** Sagrado ( sl, Zagraj) (partially) **

Fogliano Redipuglia Fogliano Redipuglia ( Bisiacco: ; fur, Foian Redipulie; sl, Foljan-Sredipolje, german: Radepollach) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about southwest of Gori ...

( sl, Foljan-Sredipolje) (partially) ** Ronchi dei Legionari ( sl, Ronke) (partially) **

Monfalcone Monfalcone (; Bisiacco: ; fur, Monfalcon; sl, Tržič; archaic german: Falkenberg) is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Gorizia in Friuli Venezia Giulia, northern Italy, located on the Gulf of Trieste. Monfalcone means 'falcon mountain ...

( sl, Tržič) (partially) **

( sl, Devin-Nabrežina) **

( sl, Zgonik) **

( sl, Repentabor) **

( sl, Trst) (partially) **

San Dorligo della Valle San Dorligo della Valle ( sl, Dolina; Triestine: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about southeast of Trieste, on the border with Slovenia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 6, ...

( sl, Dolina) (partially) *

** Miren-Kostanjevica (partially) **

** Hrpelje-Kozina (partially) Historically, the region around

Pivka Pivka (, german: St. Peter in Krain, it, San Pietro del Carso) is a small town in Slovenia in the Pivka Basin in the Karst region. It is the seat of the Municipality of Pivka. It belongs to the traditional region of Inner Carniola. Name Pivka ...

, Postojna and

Ilirska Bistrica Ilirska Bistrica (; german: Illyrisch Feistritz; it, Villa del Nevoso, before 1927: ''Bisterza,'' Hungarian: ''Illírbeszterce'') is a town in the Inner Carniola region of southwestern Slovenia. It is the administrative seat of the Municipality ...

also used to be considered as part of the Karst. This subregional identity is still documented in the late 17th century, but it weakened in the later period, replaced by an

Inner Carniola Inner Carniola ( sl, Notranjska; german: Innerkrain) is a traditional region of Slovenia, the southwestern part of the larger Carniola region. It comprises the Hrušica karst plateau up to Postojna Gate, bordering the Slovenian Littoral (the ...

n identity. Image:View from Štanjel.JPG, The Karst landscape as viewed from Štanjel Image:San Giovanni di Duino - Stivan.jpg, Landscape near

Image:Duino castello 09022008 01.jpg, The cliffs of

Image:Il Carso a Duino.JPG, Karst landscape in the

Province of Trieste The Province of Trieste ( it, Provincia di Trieste, sl, Tržaška pokrajina; fur, provinzia di Triest) was a province in the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy. Its capital was the city of Trieste. It had an area of and it had a ...

Image:Repentabor3.jpg, The fortified church in

Image:Lokev,Slovenija.jpg, The village of Lokev near

Image:Karst italy doberdo lake.jpg, Lake Doberdò Image:Karst italy landscape.jpg, Karst landscape near

References

External links

Karst in Slovenia
Slovenia: a geographical overview. Nadja Zupan Hajna
PR Office of the Slovenian Government
- Kras and Karst
''Kraško-brkinska regija'' (The Karst and Brkini Region)
{{Authority control Karst plateaus of Slovenia Plateaus of Italy Plateaus in the Slovene Littoral Landforms of Friuli-Venezia Giulia Geographical, historical and cultural regions of Italy Karst Karst formations of Slovenia Rock formations of Italy Natura 2000 in Slovenia Biosphere reserves of Slovenia Dinaric karst formations