Ajdovscina

Ajdovščina

Ajdovščina
—  Town and Municipality  —
Location of the Municipality of Ajdovščina in Slovenia
Ajdovščina is located in Slovenia
Ajdovščina
Location of the Town of Ajdovščina in Slovenia
Coordinates: 45°53′N 13°55′E / 45.883°N 13.917°E / 45.883; 13.917Coordinates: 45°53′N 13°55′E / 45.883°N 13.917°E / 45.883; 13.917
Country  Slovenia
Government
 - Mayor Marijan Poljšak
Area
 - Total 245.2 km2 (94.7 sq mi)
Population (2002)
 - Total 18,095
 - Density 73.8/km2 (191.1/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+01)
 - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+02)
Website ajdovscina.si

Ajdovščina (Italian: Aidussina, German: Haidenschaft) is a small town and a municipality with the same name and a population of 7000 (municipality 18.000), located in the Vipava Valley (Vipavska dolina), Slovenia.

The first mentions of Ajdovščina go as far as 2000 BC but the town became better known around 200 BC as Mansio Fluvio Frigido, a small post in use by the Roman empire later in the 200 AC also known as Castra or Castrum ad Fluvio Frigido whose remains are still visible.

Ajdovščina and its surroundings were an important commercial and strategical point as some major battles took place in the Vipava Valley, such as in 394 AD the Battle of the Frigidus. A local legend mentions that Theodosius I used the strong northern winds that are known as burja (English: bora) and common in Ajdovščina and the Vipava Valley to his favor and disabled the enemy archers and pilum units with the help of the wind.

The river Hubelj is the dividing line between the 2 largest parts of Ajdovščina, that are locally known as Šturje and Ajdovščina. During the pre-World War I years the river was also the border between Goriška and Carniola, two of the Slovenian regions.

The Parish Church in Ajdovščina is dedicated to John the Baptist and belongs to the Koper Diocese. It is built on the site of a Roman cemetery. Its interior was painted by the local Baroque painter Anton Čebej. A second Parish within the urban area of Ajdovščina is the Šturje Parish, with the Parish Church dedicated to Saint George. The church in Fužine to the north of the main town, dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua also belongs to this parish.

Despite the fact that the Italian border is less than 20 km away and that Ajdovščina was under Italian administration between 1918–1945 as a commune of the Province of Gorizia (as Aidussina), expect during the period between 1924 and 1927, when the Province of Gorizia was abolished and annexed to the Province of Udine during Italian rule (1918–1943, nominally lasted to 1945)., the style of the town does not resemble that of a typical Italian town. The strong bora winds would cause damage to the usual Italian house construction. Thus the population adopted and modified the classical Kras architecture for their own needs, by for example putting stones on roofs to weigh down the tiles against the strong winds.

After World War II Ajdovščina became the economical and cultural centre of the upper Vipava Valley.

Major industries include textile fabrics, construction, food, beverage and furniture.

The climate is Mediterranean (minimum temperature in winter −1 °C (30 °F), maximum 17 °C (63 °F); in the summer time maximum temperature 39 °C (102 °F), minimum 20 °C (68 °F)). The town is located around 25 km from the Adriatic Sea.

Contents

Demographics

Population by mother tongue, census 2002
Slovene 16760
Bosnian 325
Serbian 182
Serbo-Croatian 141
Croatian 139
Albanian 164
Macedonian 40
Italian 16
Hungarian 7
German 3
Others 38
Unknown 380

Notable citizens

  • Martin Baučer (1595–1668) - historian
  • Anton Čebej (1722–1774) - painter
  • Josip Križaj (1911–1948) - pilot
  • Tobia Lionelli (1647–1714) - preacher
  • Karel Lavrič (1818–1876) - politician
  • Danilo Lokar (1892–1989) - author
  • Veno Pilon (1896–1970) - painter
  • Edi Šelhaus (b. 1919) - photographer, photoreporter
  • Avgust Žigon (1877–1941) - literary historian
  • Miša Cigoj (1982–present) - dancesport athlete

Gallery

See also

  • NK Primorje


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