Sečovlje (; it, Sicciole) is a settlement in the

Municipality of Piran The Municipality of Piran (; sl, Občina Piran, it, Comune di Pirano) is a municipality in the traditional region of the Slovene Littoral, Littoral in southwestern Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the town of Piran. Piran became a muni ...

in the

Littoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...

region of

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, a ...

Name

The modern Slovene name ''Sečovlje'' is an artificial creation dating from after 1945. It was coined from the Italian name of the settlement, ''Sicciole'', influenced by the name of the neighbouring village of Seča. The origin of the Italian name of the village, ''Sicciole'', is uncertain.

Overview

Sečovlje is the last Slovenian settlement before the Slovenia–Croatia border on the highway south from

Portorož Portorož (; it, Portorose) is a Slovenian Adriatic seaside resort and spa town located in the Municipality of Piran in southwestern Slovenia. Its modern development began in the late 19th century with the vogue for the first health resorts. In ...

. Its main source of income is tourism at Sečovlje Saltpans Natural Park. The section of the Parenzana railway path that runs through Sečovlje is now a recreational path for tourists. Nearby is the Portorož Airport, which offers panoramic flights over

Slovenian Istria Slovene Istria ( sl, slovenska Istra, it, Istria slovena) is a region in southwest Slovenia. It comprises the northern part of the Istrian peninsula, and it is part of the wider geographical-historical region known as the Slovene Littoral. Its lar ...

. The Sečovlje international

border crossing Border control refers to measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it a ...

is one of the main crossings from Slovenia into Croatian Istria.

History

Archaeological finds and text sources point to a settlement in the area of Sečovlje that dates back to the Roman times, the nearby salt pans in the 12th century. Modernisation of the salt pans occurred in the 14th century, and salt production drastically increased in the times of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with t ...

, when the mines expanded to an area of 508 hectares and were from the 24 April (St George) to 24 August (St Bartholomew) the source of income for about 500 families.

Economy

Solinair Solinair d.o.o. is a Slovenian airline based at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport. It mainly operates charter cargo services for various logistics companies such as DHL and also offers aircraft maintenance. Overview The airline was establish ...

has its head office in Sečovlje, on the property of Portorož Airport.

Churches

The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities ...

in the settlement is dedicated to Saint Martin. There is a second church in the hamlet of Krog in the hills west of the village centre. A

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

monastery was established at the site in 1432, and the church is dedicated to Saint Onuphrius. The monastery was active until 1957, when the monks were expelled and the property was nationalised. The church and monastery were then allowed to fall into decay.

References

External links

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Sečovlje on Geopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Secovlje Populated places in the Municipality of Piran Slovenian Riviera Croatia–Slovenia border crossings