Slovenia seems closer to Austria or Italy than to its Balkan
neighbors. The richest of the Slavic nation-states, it has an
entirely Western tradition, having belonged in the past to the
Roman Empire, the Frankish kingdom, the Holy Roman Empire, the
Republic of Venice, the Habsburg monarchy, and the First French
Empire. After the Second World War it became part of the Republic
of Yugoslavia, before declaring independence in 1991. This
extraordinary cultural legacy is what sets Slovenia apart, matched
by an amazingly varied topography packed into a small area.
Traveling toward the coast, you see changes in the landscape and in
the architecture. This reflects both the natural and the historical
variety: the Venetians built their buildings one way, the Austrians
another.
Slovenia's natural beauty is astonishing. Legend relates that when
God was allotting nature's bounty, he forgot Slovenia. His
last-minute solution was to take bits of the best from other
places: gorgeous Alpine ranges, the less craggy Pohorje mountains,
the Pannonian plain stretching toward Hungary, hill after hill
rolling southward into the horizon, the unique karst landscape,
rivers aplenty, and a few miles of Adriatic coastline.
Never having had a glorious unified kingdom in the past, Slovenians
identify themselves not by blood or history but by their language,
which differs from the other languages of the ex-Yugoslavia. The
older generation is fluent in Serbo-Croatian, which helps for
politics and trade, but has little of its historical baggage, and
the country has geo-political importance as a politically stable
stepping stone to the Balkans. As far as nationhood goes,
Slovenia's golden age is now. There is a sense of change in the
country--mostly for the better, and not the dull stampede toward
materialism that one sees in some other former Eastern bloc
countries.
As a tourist destination Slovenia has it all, from medieval ruined
monasteries to whitewater rafting.
The people of this lovely land are genuinely glad that others are
"discovering" their country. There are no real language problems;
the younger people all speak English. Moreover, membership of the
EU means that this is a country in transition. Culture Smart
Slovenia will introduce you to the inner world of this moderate,
orderly, and conservative people who have emerged into the
post-Communist world hungry for change.
General
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