Sežana (; ) is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in the
Slovenian Littoral region of
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 ...
, near the border with
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 ...
. It is the seat of the
Municipality of Sežana
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
. Sežana is located on the
Karst Plateau, from
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
, Italy, and from
Ljubljana
{{Infobox settlement
, name = Ljubljana
, official_name =
, settlement_type = Capital city
, image_skyline = {{multiple image
, border = infobox
, perrow = 1/2/2/1
, total_widt ...
, the capital city of Slovenia.
Name
Sežana was attested in written sources in 1152 as ''in Cesan'' (and as ''Ses(s)ana'' in 1293 and ''Sexana'' in 1442). The name is of unclear origin. The early transcriptions do not support a connection with
Saint Susanna or with the Friulian toponym ''Susáns''. The presumed suffix ''-ana'' would indicate a Romance origin, making possible a derivation from the Latin personal name ''Sessius''. Another possibility is derivation from the estate name ''*Sextiānum'', and a Lombard origin of the name has also been suggested. In the 19th century the names ''Sessana'' and ''Sehsana'' were in official use.
History
Until 1918, the town was part of the
Austrian 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 ...
(
Austrian side after the
compromise of 1867), head of the district of the same name, one of the 11 ''Bezirkshauptmannschaften'' in the
Austrian Littoral province.
Sežana remained a small and rather insignificant village until the mid-19th century, when the
Austrian Southern Railway Company built the
Austrian Southern Railway, connecting
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
to
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
, next to it. Sežana thus became connected to major traffic and soon emerged as the most important center on the Karst Plateau, together with
Opicina. After 1918, it was annexed to the
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...
and included in the
Province of Trieste. During the
Fascist
Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...
period, the population was subjected to a violent
Italianization policy, and many locals joined the militant anti-fascist organization
TIGR. During
World War II
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 ...
, especially after 1943, the area became a battlefield between the
Partisan resistance and the Fascist and
Nazi German
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
forces. In May 1945, Sežana was liberated by the
Yugoslav Partisans
The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...
. Between June 1945 and September 1947, it was administered by the
British and
U.S. Army. In 1947, it became part of the
Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia and, in 1991, of independent
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 ...
.
Sežana railway station was opened in 1857, and forms part of the
Vienna–Trieste railway. Since 1947, it has been that railway's border crossing point between Yugoslavia/Slovenia and Italy.
Economy
Many industrial enterprises are located in Sežana, including larger companies as well as many smaller enterprises. Sežana is also a center for the tourism industry. Its location between
Ljubljana
{{Infobox settlement
, name = Ljubljana
, official_name =
, settlement_type = Capital city
, image_skyline = {{multiple image
, border = infobox
, perrow = 1/2/2/1
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,
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
, and the
Adriatic coast and many important tourist sights in the vicinity, such as the
Lipica Stud Farm,
Postojna Cave,
Škocjan Caves,
Vilenica Cave, and the fortified village of
Štanjel, make Sežana an attractive tourist destination. Sežana is also an important agricultural center.
Sights
* Botanical Garden
* Memorial Room commemorating the poet
Srečko Kosovel
* walking trail from Sežana to
Tomaj dedicated to Kosovel
*
Karst Living museum
* Tabor nature trail
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 Martin and was built in 1878 on the site of an older church from the early 16th century, after it became an independent parish.
Gallery
File:Sežana,botanični.jpg, Botanical park in Sežana
File:Palmarij, arhiv TIC Sežana.jpg, Greenhouse in the botanical garden
File:Živi muzej Krasa.jpg, Karst Living Museum
File:Cerkev Sv. Martina v Sežani.jpg, Saint Martin's Church
File:Sežana,starigrad.jpg, Old manor
File:Srečko Kosovel Memorial Room in Sežana.jpg, Srečko Kosovel memorial room
File:Kosovelova pot.jpg, Kosovel walking trail
File:Vojako pokopališče sežana.jpg, Military cemetery
File:Sežana station.JPG, Sežana Train Station
Twin cities
*
Montbrison,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
*
Rab,
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
*
Gevgelija,
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...
*
Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Italy
*
Sant'Ambrogio sul Garigliano, Italy
Sežana Municipality Committee for International Cooperation
/ref>
* Pardubice
Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...
, Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
* Gornji Milanovac, Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
References
External links
*
Sežana on Geopedia
*
The town of Sezana
about the town of Sezana
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sezana
Populated places in the Municipality of Sežana
Cities and towns in the Slovene Littoral