Ajdovščina
| Ajdovščina | |
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| — Town and Municipality — | |
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 Ajdovščina
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| Coordinates: 45°53′N 13°55′E / 45.883°N 13.917°ECoordinates: 45°53′N 13°55′E / 45.883°N 13.917°E | |
| Country |  Slovenia |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Marijan Poljšak |
| Area | |
| • Total | 245.2 km2 (94.7 sq mi) |
| Population (2002)[1] | |
| • Total | 18,095 |
| • Density | 74/km2 (190/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+01) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+02) |
| Website | ajdovscina.si |
Ajdovščina (Italian: Aidussina,[2] German: Haidenschaft) is a small town and a municipality with the same name and a population of 7,000 (municipality 18,000), located in the Vipava Valley (Vipavska dolina), Slovenia.[3]
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 AD 200, when it was also known as Castra or Castrum ad Fluvio Frigido, the remains of which are still visible.
Ajdovščina and its surroundings were an important commercial and strategic point because some major battles took place in the Vipava Valley, such as the Battle of the Frigidus in AD 394. A local legend mentions that Theodosius I used the strong northern bora wind that is 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 Hubelj River is the dividing line between the two largest parts of Ajdovščina, locally known as Šturje and Ajdovščina. During the pre-World War I years the river was also the border between Goriška and Carniola, two Slovenian regions.
The parish church in Ajdovščina is dedicated to John the Baptist and belongs to the Koper Diocese.[4] It is built on the site of a Roman cemetery. Its interior was painted by the local Baroque painter Anton Čebej.[5] A second parish within the urban area of Ajdovščina is the Parish of Šturje, with the parish church dedicated to Saint George. The church in the hamlet of Fužine north of the main town, dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, also belongs to this parish.[6]
Despite the fact that the Italian border is less than 20 km away and that Ajdovščina was under Italian administration from 1918 to 1945 as a commune of the Province of Gorizia (as Aidussina), except 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),[7] 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 Karst architecture for their own needs; for example, by putting stones on roofs to weight 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, beverages, 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.
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[edit] Demographics
- Population by native language, 2002 census
- Slovene 16,760
- Bosnian 325
- Serbian 182
- Serbo-Croatian 141
- Croatian 139
- Albanian 164
- Macedonian 40
- Italian 16
- Hungarian 7
- German 3
- Others 38
- Unknown 380
[edit] Notable residents
- 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 (1919–), photographer, photoreporter
- Avgust Žigon (1877–1941), literary historian
- Miša Cigoj (1982–), dancesport athlete
[edit] Gallery
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Podkraj
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The village of Cesta
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Steam locomotive on display at the railway station
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia
- ^ trilingual name "Haidenschaft, Aidussina, Ajdovščina" in: Gemeindelexikon, der im Reichsrate Vertretenen Königreiche und Länder. Bearbeit auf Grund der Ergebnisse der Volkszählung vom 31. Dezember 1900. Herausgegeben von der K.K. Statistischen Zentralkommission. VII. Österreichisch-Illyrisches Küstenland (Triest, Görz aund Gradiska, Istrien). Wien 1906
- ^ Ajdovščina municipal site
- ^ Koper Diocese list of churches
- ^ Slovenian Tourist Board site
- ^ Šturje parish site
- ^ http://utenti.multimania.it/Legionario/vgammin.htm Ajdovščina was during Italian Rule
[edit] External links
- Ajdovščina Municipalitz official page(Slovene)
- Ajdovščina on Geopedia
- Ajdovščina Tourist Information Centre site
- Virtual Ajdovščina by Burger (virtual photos)
- Pilon Gallery in Ajdovščina site
- Airpark Ajdovščina
- Panorama of Vipava valley (Java, 360 photos - use QuickTime program)
- Planina Pri Ajdovščini
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