Piran

Municipality_of_Slovenia|nativename=Piran
Comune di Pirano
mayor=Tomaž Gantar
coat=
location=
area=44.6 km²
population=16.758
males=8.109
females=8.649
avg_age=39,28 years
residental_density=37,17 m²/person
households=6.390
families=4.815
students=694

Piran (Italian "Pirano") is a town and municipality in southwestern Slovenia on the Adriatic coast along the Gulf of Piran. The origin of the name is uncertain, with some scholars favouring derivation from the Celtic "bior-dun" (settlement on the hill), while others prefer the Greek word "pyr" (fire), a reference to the lighthouse on the tip of the peninsularcite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Portoroz and Piran
work =
publisher = Turistično združenje Portorož
date = 2004
url = http://www.portoroz.si/en/default.asp?id=546http://www.portoroz.si/en/default.asp?id=546
format =
doi =
accessdate = 24 Aug 2008 ]

The town resembles a large open-air museum, with medieval architecture and a rich cultural heritage. Narrow streets and compact houses give the town its special charm. Piran is the administrative centre of the local area and one of Slovenia's major tourist attractions.

Demographics

The municipality has 16,758 (2002) inhabitants and covers an area of 46.6 square kilometres; the town has 4,576 (2002) inhabitants in a single square kilometre. The municipality is bilingual, both Slovenian and Italian are official languages.

Location

Piran is an old Mediterranean town situated at the tip of the Piran peninsula on the Gulf of Piran. It adjoins Croatia to the south, to the east the municipalities of Izola and Koper and faces Italy across the Gulf of Trieste and the Adriatic Sea. The highest point, Baretovec pri Padni, is 289 metres high.

History

In the pre-Roman era, the hills in the Piran area were inhabited by the Illyrian Histri tribes. These were farmers, hunters and fishermen. They were also pirates who disrupted Roman trade in the north Adriatic Sea.

The Piran peninsular was incorporated into the Roman Empire in 178 and 177 B.C. and settled in the following years with rural homes ("ville rusticae"). The decline of the Empire, from the 5th century AD onwards, and incursions by the Obers and Slavs at the end of the 6th century, prompted the Roman population to withdraw into easily defensible locations such as islands or peninsulars. This started local urbanisation and by the 7th century, under Byzantine rule, Piran had become heavily fortified. Despite the defences, the Franks conquered Istria in 788 and Slavs settled in the region. By 952, Piran had became a part of the Holy Roman Empire.

The earliest reliable records of the area are in the 7th century work Cosmographia by an anonymous cleric of Ravenna. Here, the name "Piranon" (Piran) was referred to as a Roman town on the Istrian coast.

Piran is the birthplace of composer and violinist Giuseppe Tartini (born April 8, 1692), who played an important role in shaping its cultural heritage. The town's main square, Tartini Square (Slovenian: "Tartinijev trg", Italian: "Piazza Tartini"), is named after him.

To mark the 200th anniversary of Tartini's birth, the people of Piran decided to erect a monument in his honour. Venetian artist Antonio dal Zotto was commissioned to create the larger-than-life bronze statue of the "maestro", which was eventually mounted on its pedestal in 1896. The statue dominates the square, overlooked by the Cathedral of St. George.

The municipality's festival is on October 15, which celebrates the foundation of the first naval detachment Koper in the year 1944. The municipality has an international airport and a marina.

Twin towns

Piran participates in town twinning arrangements to encourage international contacts and understanding.
* Acqualagna, Italy (2003)
* Aquileia, Italy (1977)
* Bjugn, Norway (1985)
* Castel Goffredo, Italy (1993)
* Indianapolis, USA (2001)
* Keszthely, Hungary (1998)
* Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia (1981)
* Valletta, Malta (2002)
* Venice, Italy (2001)
* Vis, Croatia (1973)

Gallery

References

External links

* [http://www.piran.si/ Municipality of Piran]
* [http://www.piransterdam.org/ Information Portal of Piran]
* [http://www.smetka-m2kc.org/ Multimedia Center of Piran]
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