Postojna (; , ) is a town in the traditional region of

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

, from Trieste, in southwestern

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

. It is the seat of the Municipality of Postojna.Postojna municipal site
It includes the hamlet of Ravbarkomanda (sometimes also spelled ''Ravberkomanda'', ) to the northeast.

History

The area is known to have been populated since the

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...

era due to the discovery of a cave settlement near the town of Postojna called Betal Rock Shelter (). The town lies on the Pivka River. Written sources first mention the settlement in the 13th century and in 1432 it became a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

. It was proclaimed a town in 1909. From the late Middle Ages, it was part of the

Duchy of Carniola The Duchy of Carniola (, , ) was an imperial estate of the Holy Roman Empire, established under House of Habsburg, Habsburg rule on the territory of the former East Frankish March of Carniola in 1364. A hereditary land of the Habsburg monarc ...

and hence of the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

. In the 19th century, it was part of the

'' Kreis''. It was part of the

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

under the Treaty of Rapallo between 1918 and 1943 (nominally to 1947) and was part of the province of Trieste as Postumia.

Mass grave

At Postojna there is a

mass grave A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may Unidentified decedent, not be identified prior to burial. The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of exec ...

associated with the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The Pine Shaft Mass Grave () is southeast of Postojna, between Little Trebevnik Hill () and Big Trebevnik Hill (). It is a steep sinkhole that contains the remains of unidentified victims.

Climate

Attractions

One of Slovenia's major tourist attractions, Postojna Cave, is located near the town.

Church

The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

in the town is dedicated to

Saint Stephen Stephen (; ) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity."St ...

and belongs to the Koper Diocese. Within the urban area of Postojna, the church dedicated to the Prophet Daniel in the hamlet of Zalog and the chapel dedicated to Saint Lazarus at the town

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

also belong to this

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

.Koper Diocese list of churches

References

External links

*
Postojna on Geopedia
{{Authority control Populated places in the Municipality of Postojna Cities and towns in Inner Carniola