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Ajdovščina

Coordinates: 45°53′N 13°55′E / 45.883°N 13.917°E / 45.883; 13.917
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Ajdovščina
Municipality and town
Location of the Municipality of Ajdovščina in Slovenia
Location of the Municipality of Ajdovščina in Slovenia
Country Slovenia
MunicipalityAjdovščina
Government
 • MayorMarijan Poljšak
Area
 • Total94.7 sq mi (245.2 km2)
Population
 (2002)
 • Total18,095
 • males
9,004
 • female
9,091
Average age38.83 years
Residential areas29.99 m2 (322.8 sq ft)/person
Households5,720
Families4,835
WebsiteOfficial site
[1]

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.[2]

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 (Template:Lang-en) 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.[3] It is built on the site of a Roman cemetery. Its interior was painted by the local Baroque painter Anton Čebej.[4] 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.[5]

Despite the fact that the Italian border is less than 20 km away and that Ajdovščina was under Italian administration between 1918-1945, 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, maximum 17 °C; in the summer time maximum temperature 39 °C, minimum 20 °C). The town is located around 25 km from the Adriatic Sea.

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

  • Podkraj
    Podkraj
  • The village of Cesta
    The village of Cesta

See also

References

  1. ^ Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia
  2. ^ Ajdovščina Municipality site
  3. ^ Koper Diocese list of churches
  4. ^ Slovenian Tourist Board site
  5. ^ Šturje Parish site

45°53′N 13°55′E / 45.883°N 13.917°E / 45.883; 13.917

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