Postojna is a town and a municipality in the traditional region of Inner Carniola, 35 kilometres (21.7 mi) from Trieste, in southwestern Slovenia

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...

. Population 14,581 (2002).

History

The area is known to have been populated since the paleolithic

Paleolithic

The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...

 era due to the finding of a cave settlement near the town of Postojna, called "Betalov spodmol". The town lies on the Pivka River

Pivka River

The Pivka is a karst lost river in Slovenia. The river is in length. The Pivka ends in Planina Cave, where it merges with the Rak River and then the Unica River. The confluence of the Pivka and the Rak is the largest subterranean confluence in Europe. The Pivka created Postojna Cave, the longest...

. Written sources first mention the settlement in the 13th century and in 1432 it became a borough

Borough

A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....

. It was proclaimed a town in 1909. It was under Italian rule between 1918-1943 (nominally to 1947) and was a commune in province of Trieste

Province of Trieste

The Province of Trieste is a province in the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Trieste.It has an area of 212 km², and a total population of 236,520...

 as "Postumia".

Overview

The entire municipality has a typical karstic landscape

Karst topography

Karst topography is a geologic formation shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite, but has also been documented for weathering resistant rocks like quartzite given the right conditions.Due to subterranean drainage, there...

. One of Slovenia's major tourist attractions, the Postojna Cave

Postojna Cave

Postojna Cave is a 20,570 m long Karst cave system near Postojna, Slovenia. It is the longest cave system in the country as well as one of its top tourism sites.-History:The caves were created by the Pivka River....

, is located in the municipality. The cave was first described in the 17th century by Janez Vajkard Valvasor

Janez Vajkard Valvasor

Johann Weichard Freiherr von Valvasor or simply Valvasor was a Slovenian nobleman, scientist and polymath, and a fellow of the Royal Society in London.-Biography:...

, and a further major part of the cave was discovered in 1818. Electric light

Electric light

Electric lights are a convenient and economic form of artificial lighting which provide increased comfort, safety and efficiency. Most electric lighting is powered by centrally-generated electric power, but lighting may also be powered by mobile or standby electric generators or battery systems...

ing was added in 1872, increasing the cave system's popularity. A second popular tourist attraction, located approximately 9 kilometres from Postojna, is Predjama Castle

Predjama Castle

thumb|right|250px|Predjama CastlePredjama Castle is a Renaissance castle built within a cave mouth in southwestern Slovenia. It is located approximately 11 kilometres from Postojna.-History of the castle:...

, a 16th century castle, built in the mouth of another Karst cave

Cave

A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...

.

The Parish Church

Parish church

A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....

 in the town is dedicated to Saint Stephen

Saint Stephen

Saint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches....

 and belongs to the Koper Diocese. Within the urban area of Postojna, the church dedicated to Saint Daniel

Daniel

Daniel is the protagonist in the Book of Daniel of the Hebrew Bible. In the narrative, when Daniel was a young man, he was taken into Babylonian captivity where he was educated in Chaldean thought. However, he never converted to Neo-Babylonian ways...

 in Zalog and the chapel dedicated to Saint Lazarus

Lazarus of Bethany

Lazarus of Bethany, also known as Saint Lazarus or Lazarus of the Four Days, is the subject of a prominent miracle attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus restores him to life four days after his death...

 at the town cemetery

Cemetery

A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...

 also belongs to this Parish

Parish

A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

.

External links

• Postojna Municipality site
• Postojna Municipality on Geopedia
• Encyclopaedia Britannica, Postojna
• Zmaj 'ma mlade, Summer Cultural Festival
• Mladinski center Postojna, Postojna Youth Center