 | McLae´s guide to Slovenia |  |
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Slovenia Internet country code: International telephone prefix: +  Slovenia has a surprising variety of terrain, ranging from the beaches of the Mediterranean to the peaks of the Alps. The climate is mediterranean on the coast, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east Terrain: A short coastal strip on the Adriatic, an Alpine mountain region adjacent to Italy and Austria, mixed mountain and valleys with numerous rivers to the east. Central Ljubljana valley with Ljubljana marshes in the southern part. In the southwest there is the Karst. Eating and Drinking: The oldest Slovenian food are dishes made from flour and groats. The best known are the breads made for holiday occasions which today appear in the form of braided loaves or wreathes, dumplings known as štruklji which Slovenians prepare in 70 different ways stuffed with sweet fillings, meat or vegetables, and žganci (a type of polenta). A real Slovenian speciality is potica, a dessert for holiday occasions also prepared with the widest variety of fillings. A major event in the countryside still today is the slaughtering of a pig from which many various products are made: groat and white klobasa, blood sausage, roasts, stuffed tripe, smoked sausage, salami, ham, bacon, and, of course, the highest quality and most prized Kraški pršut, similar to Italian prosciutto or air-dried ham. Recipes for the preparation of poultry, especially goose, duck, and capon, have been preserved for many centuries. And it is obvious that in a country beside the sea there is a large choice of the fish and sea fruits which we find most often on Primorska menus. Hungry travelers may also try inexpensive (if greasy) fast food at one of many small snack bars selling the Bosnian speciality burek, a large, flaky pastry stuffed with meat (mesni burek), cheese (sirni) or apple (jabolc(ni). Hamburgers and pizza are also widespread. Slovenian wine can be quite good. Hint: The best stuff is not exported! Laško & Union beers are the most popular! An inside tip would be Adam Ravbar beer, which is usually hard to find anywhere except in their small brewery. History: Slavic ancestors of the present-day Slovenians settled in the area in the 6th century. The Slavic Duchy of Carantania was formed in the 7th century. In 745, Carantania lost its independence, being largely subsumed into the Frankish empire. Many Slavs converted to Christianity. The Freising manuscripts, the earliest surviving written documents in a Slovenian dialect and the first ever Slavic document in Latin script, were written around 1000. During the 14th century, most of Slovenia's regions passed into ownership of the Habsburgs whose lands later formed the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with Slovenians inhabiting all or most of the provinces of Carniola, Gorizia and Gradisca, and parts of the provinces of Istria, Carinthia and Styria. In 1848 a strong programme for a united Slovenia emerged as part of the "Spring of Nations" movement within Austria. With the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1918, Slovenians initially formed part of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, which shortly joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later renamed (1929) the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Following the re-establishment of Yugoslavia at the end of World War II, Slovenia became a part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, officially declared on 29 November 1945. Present-day Slovenia was formed on 25 June 1991 upon its independence from Yugoslavia. Slovenia joined NATO on 29 March 2004 and the European Union on 1 May 2004. |
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