Bovec
Encyclopedia
Bovec is a small city and municipality in northwestern Slovenia
. The city of Bovec lies in the Bovec Basin in the Soča
Valley below the Kanin
mountain in the Julian Alps
.
of Slovenia. It is situated located close to border with Italy
, 136 km from the capital Ljubljana
, at an altitude of 434 m. Bovec has been traditionally part of the Goriška
region, but nowadays only a minority of locals share this regional identity, preferring to identify with the wider region of the Slovenian Littoral
.
A part of the Bovec municipality is located within the Triglav National Park
, but not Bovec itself.
Two of the most important mountain pass
es in the Julian Alps
are located in the Bovec municipality: the Predil Pass on the border between Slovenia and Italy, and the Vršič
Pass, which connects the Soča Valley to the neighbouring Slovenian region of Upper Carniola
. The Učja (Uccea) connects Bovec with the Resia Valley in Italy.
County, and later changed hands between the Republic of Venice
and the Counts of Gorizia, before being included in the Habsburg Monarchy
, like the majority of Slovene-speaking territories
. With the exception of a brief period between 1809 and 1813, when it was included under the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy
, it remained under the Austria
n rule until 1918.
During the Austro-Hungarian period, the town was included in the Austrian Littoral
, and was strongly influenced by German culture
. Many locals preferred the use of German language
over Slovene until late 19th century, when Slovene prevailed and ultimately completely replaced German as the language of everyday communication.
During World War One, the area was the theatre of the Battles of the Isonzo
, fought between Italy and Austria-Hungary
. In 1918, the whole area was occupied by the Italian Army, and in 1920 it was officially annexed to Italy, and included in the Julian March
region. Between 1922 and 1943, Bovec and the neighbouring villages, which had an exclusively Slovene-speaking population, were submitted to a policy of violent Fascist Italianization. Numerous locals joined the underground militant anti-fascist organization TIGR
, which fought against the Italian Fascist regime, while many others emigrated to the neighbouring Kingdom of Yugoslavia
(among them, the renowned literary scholar Anton Ocvirk).
Between 1943 and 1945, the area was occupied by Nazi German forces, and units of partisan resistance
were active in the area. After the liberation by the Yugoslav People's Army
in May 1945, Bovec came under joined British-U.S. occupation. Between June 1945 and September 1947, Bovec and the whole right bank of the Soča river was included in the Zone A of the Julian March
, which was under Allied military administration, with the demarcation line
with the Yugoslav occupation zone running just a few kilometers east of the town.
In September 1947, the Paris Peace Treaties gave the town to Yugoslavia
, namely to the Socialist Republic of Slovenia
. In 1951, the town became a city. With the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, Bovec became part of the independent Slovenian state.
Bovec was heavily damaged by the 1976 Friuli earthquake
. Another moderate quake with a magnitude of 5.6 on the Richter scale shook the city in April 1998, and a weaker one occurred in July 2004, with a 4.9 magnitude.
waterfall, the ski resort
Kanin, and the Trenta Valley
, connected to Bovec with a tourist trail. The municipality has a well-developed tourist industry, centered in the city itself, with numerous hotels, and an airfield (LJBO).
In 2007, a part of the movie, Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, was shot close to Bovec.
The city has a population of 1,300, while the whole municipality has a bit more than 3,000 inhabitants.
in the whole country. In the local elections, however, the vote is usually more dispersed, although mayors of the Slovenian Democratic Party have governed the municipality since 1998.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. The city of Bovec lies in the Bovec Basin in the Soča
Soca
The Soča or Isonzo is a 140 km long river that flows through western Slovenia and northeastern Italy. An Alpine river in character, its source lies in the Trenta Valley in the Julian Alps in Slovenia, at an elevation of around 1,100 metres...
Valley below the Kanin
Kanin (mountain)
The Kanin or Canin is a mountain in the Julian Alps on the border of Slovenia and Italy. Its highest summit is at 2,587 m above sea level...
mountain in the Julian Alps
Julian Alps
The Julian Alps are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretches from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav. They are named after Julius Caesar, who founded the municipium of Cividale del Friuli at the foot of the mountains...
.
Geographical location
Bovec is one of the 211 municipalitiesMunicipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Slovenia. It is situated located close to border with Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 136 km from the capital Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, at an altitude of 434 m. Bovec has been traditionally part of the Goriška
Goriška
Goriška is a traditional region in western Slovenia on the border with Italy. The name means "the Gorizia region" because it is named after Gorizia, Italy. It is part of the wider traditional region of the Slovenian Littoral . Its principal urban center is Nova Gorica...
region, but nowadays only a minority of locals share this regional identity, preferring to identify with the wider region of the Slovenian Littoral
Slovenian Littoral
The Slovenian Littoral is a historical region of Slovenia. Its name recalls the historical Habsburg crown land of the Austrian Littoral, of which the Slovenian Littoral was a part....
.
A part of the Bovec municipality is located within the Triglav National Park
Triglav National Park
Triglav National Park is a national park located in Slovenia and the only one in the country. It was named after Mount Triglav, the highest peak of the Julian Alps and a symbol of Slovenia and Slovenian character....
, but not Bovec itself.
Two of the most important mountain pass
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
es in the Julian Alps
Julian Alps
The Julian Alps are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretches from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav. They are named after Julius Caesar, who founded the municipium of Cividale del Friuli at the foot of the mountains...
are located in the Bovec municipality: the Predil Pass on the border between Slovenia and Italy, and the Vršič
Vršic
Vršič is a high mountain pass across the Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia.The road across the pass was built for military purposes, to supply the Isonzo front of World War I. Opened in late 1915, it was originally named after archduke Eugen of Austria-Hungary...
Pass, which connects the Soča Valley to the neighbouring Slovenian region of Upper Carniola
Upper Carniola
Upper Carniola is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The centre of the region is Kranj, while other urban centers include Jesenice, Tržič, Škofja Loka, Kamnik, and Domžale.- Historical background :...
. The Učja (Uccea) connects Bovec with the Resia Valley in Italy.
History
Bovec was first mentioned in 1192. Initially, it was part of the TolminTolmin
Tolmin is a small town and municipality in the Littoral region of Slovenia.-Geography:Tolmin, the old town that gave the name to the entire area , is the largest settlement in the Upper Soča Valley , as well as its economic, cultural and administrative centre. It is located on a terrace above the...
County, and later changed hands between the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
and the Counts of Gorizia, before being included in the Habsburg Monarchy
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
, like the majority of Slovene-speaking territories
Slovene Lands
Slovene Lands or Slovenian Lands is the historical denomination for the whole of the Slovene-inhabited territories in Central Europe. It more or less corresponds to modern Slovenia and the adjacent territories in Italy, Austria and Hungary in which autochthonous Slovene minorities live.-...
. With the exception of a brief period between 1809 and 1813, when it was included under the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state founded in Northern Italy by Napoleon, fully influenced by revolutionary France, that ended with his defeat and fall.-Constitutional statutes:...
, it remained under the Austria
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
n rule until 1918.
During the Austro-Hungarian period, the town was included in the Austrian Littoral
Austrian Littoral
The Austrian Littoral was established as a crown land of the Austrian Empire in 1849. In 1861 it was divided into the three crown lands of the Imperial Free City of Trieste and its suburbs, the Margraviate of Istria, and the Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca, which each had separate...
, and was strongly influenced by German culture
Culture of Germany
German culture began long before the rise of Germany as a nation-state and spanned the entire German-speaking world. From its roots, culture in Germany has been shaped by major intellectual and popular currents in Europe, both religious and secular...
. Many locals preferred the use of German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
over Slovene until late 19th century, when Slovene prevailed and ultimately completely replaced German as the language of everyday communication.
During World War One, the area was the theatre of the Battles of the Isonzo
Battles of the Isonzo
The Battles of the Isonzo were a series of 12 battles between the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies in World War I. They were fought along the Soča River on the eastern sector of the Italian Front between June 1915 and November 1917...
, fought between Italy and Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
. In 1918, the whole area was occupied by the Italian Army, and in 1920 it was officially annexed to Italy, and included in the Julian March
Julian March
The Julian March is a former political region of southeastern Europe on what are now the borders between Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy...
region. Between 1922 and 1943, Bovec and the neighbouring villages, which had an exclusively Slovene-speaking population, were submitted to a policy of violent Fascist Italianization. Numerous locals joined the underground militant anti-fascist organization TIGR
TIGR
TIGR, abbreviation for Trst , Istra , Gorica and Reka , with the full name Revolutionary Organization of the Julian March T.I.G.R. was a militant anti-Fascist and insurgent organization active in the 1920s and the 1930s in the eastern Italian border region known as the Julian March.The...
, which fought against the Italian Fascist regime, while many others emigrated to the neighbouring Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
(among them, the renowned literary scholar Anton Ocvirk).
Between 1943 and 1945, the area was occupied by Nazi German forces, and units of partisan resistance
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
were active in the area. After the liberation by the Yugoslav People's Army
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
in May 1945, Bovec came under joined British-U.S. occupation. Between June 1945 and September 1947, Bovec and the whole right bank of the Soča river was included in the Zone A of the Julian March
Julian March
The Julian March is a former political region of southeastern Europe on what are now the borders between Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy...
, which was under Allied military administration, with the demarcation line
Morgan Line
The Morgan Line was the line of demarcation set up after World War II in the region known as Julian March which prior to the war belonged to the Kingdom of Italy. The Morgan Line was the border between two military administrations in the region: the Yugoslav on the east, and that of the Allied...
with the Yugoslav occupation zone running just a few kilometers east of the town.
In September 1947, the Paris Peace Treaties gave the town to Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, namely to the Socialist Republic of Slovenia
Socialist Republic of Slovenia
The Socialist Republic of Slovenia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1943 until 1990...
. In 1951, the town became a city. With the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, Bovec became part of the independent Slovenian state.
Bovec was heavily damaged by the 1976 Friuli earthquake
1976 Friuli earthquake
The 1976 Friuli earthquake took place in the Friuli region in northeast Italy on Thursday, May 6, 1976. Measuring 6.4 on the Richter Scale, the quake, centered on the town of Gemona del Friuli, killed 989 people, 2400 injured and left 157,000 homeless. It is known in Italy as Terremoto del Friuli...
. Another moderate quake with a magnitude of 5.6 on the Richter scale shook the city in April 1998, and a weaker one occurred in July 2004, with a 4.9 magnitude.
Tourism
Several natural sights are included in the Bovec municipality, such as the source of the River Soča, the 106 m high BokaBoka
Boka can refer to:* Boka * Boka Kotorska, geographical region in Montenegro* Boka , village in Vojvodina, Serbia* Bauka, California* Arthur Boka, Ivorian footballer...
waterfall, the ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
Kanin, and the Trenta Valley
Trenta, Slovenia
Trenta is a settlement in the Municipality of Bovec in the Goriška traditional region of the western Slovenia. It lies on the river Soča along the road from the Vršič Pass to Bovec and encompasses the Trenta Valley and its side valleys....
, connected to Bovec with a tourist trail. The municipality has a well-developed tourist industry, centered in the city itself, with numerous hotels, and an airfield (LJBO).
In 2007, a part of the movie, Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, was shot close to Bovec.
The city has a population of 1,300, while the whole municipality has a bit more than 3,000 inhabitants.
Politics
The municipality of Bovec is governed by a mayor, elected every 4 years by popular vote, and a municipal council of 12 members. In national elections, Bovec has strongly favored conservative candidates, and it is considered one of the most loyal strongholds of the Slovenian Democratic PartySlovenian Democratic Party
The Slovenian Democratic Party , known until 2003 as the Social Democratic Party of Slovenia is a Slovenian centre-right liberal conservative and Christian democratic party...
in the whole country. In the local elections, however, the vote is usually more dispersed, although mayors of the Slovenian Democratic Party have governed the municipality since 1998.
Famous natives
- Vasja Klavora, Author and politician
- Ferdo Kravanja, Anti-Fascist resistance fighter, born in the village of ČezsočaCezsocaČezsoča is a settlement in the Bovec Municipality in the Littoral region of Slovenia. Its broad river banks on the Soča and its proximity to the town of Bovec makes it popular with visitors.- External links :*...
- Anton Ocvirk, Literary historian, born in the village of ŽagaŽaga, BovecŽaga is a settlement on the right bank of the river Soča in the Bovec Municipality in the Littoral region of Slovenia. The turning for the road into the Resia in Italy is in the middle of the settlement.-External links:*...
See also
- Slovene Littoral
- GoriškaGoriškaGoriška is a traditional region in western Slovenia on the border with Italy. The name means "the Gorizia region" because it is named after Gorizia, Italy. It is part of the wider traditional region of the Slovenian Littoral . Its principal urban center is Nova Gorica...
- Gorizia and GradiscaGorizia and GradiscaThe County of Gorizia and Gradisca was a Habsburg county in Central Europe, in what is now a multilingual border area of Italy and Slovenia. It was named for its two major urban centers, Gorizia and Gradisca d'Isonzo.-Province of the Habsburg Empire:...
- Battles of the IsonzoBattles of the IsonzoThe Battles of the Isonzo were a series of 12 battles between the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies in World War I. They were fought along the Soča River on the eastern sector of the Italian Front between June 1915 and November 1917...
- Julius KugyJulius KugyJulius Kugy was an Austrian - Italian mountaineer and writer of Slovene origin. He wrote mostly in German. He is renowned for his travelogues from the Julian Alps, in which he reflected on the relationship between man, nature, and culture...