Vrtojba (; it, Vertoiba) is a settlement in the Municipality of Šempeter-Vrtojba in the

Slovene Littoral The Slovene Littoral ( sl, Primorska, ; it, Litorale; german: Küstenland) is one of the five traditional regions of Slovenia. Its name recalls the former Austrian Littoral (''Avstrijsko Primorje''), the Habsburg possessions on the upper Adria ...

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, an ...

. A border crossing into Italy is located here. On the Italian side of the border, opposite Vrtojba, is the suburb of San Andrea ( sl, Štandrež), now part of the town of

Gorizia Gorizia (; sl, Gorica , colloquially 'old Gorizia' to distinguish it from Nova Gorica; fur, label= Standard Friulian, Gurize, fur, label= Southeastern Friulian, Guriza; vec, label= Bisiacco, Gorisia; german: Görz ; obsolete English ''Gorit ...

( sl, Gorica).

Name

Vrtojba was first mentioned in the early 13th century as ''Toyfa'', ''Toyua'', or ''Tojva'' in a list of properties belonging to the

Counts of Gorizia The County of Gorizia ( it, Contea di Gorizia, german: Grafschaft Görz, sl, Goriška grofija, fur, Contee di Gurize), from 1365 Princely County of Gorizia, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. Originally mediate ''Vogts'' of the Patriarchs of ...

. Its

etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...

is unknown, but is likely of pre- Slavic origin. By 1350 it was listed as ''Vertoib''.

History

The population increased in the 16th and 17th centuries with settlers from areas further south affected by Ottoman raids moving to the fertile countryside around

. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Vrtojba became known for its early season vegetables and potatoes with regular supply to the markets of Gorizia and beyond. Although this fame still continues to some extent today,

industrialization Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econo ...

Nova Gorica A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...

after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

meant workers also settled in the village and the urban expansion in recent decades has virtually turned Vrtojba into the southern

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

s of Nova Gorica.Vrtojba website
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References

External links

{{Šempeter-Vrtojba Populated places in the Municipality of Šempeter-Vrtojba Italy–Slovenia border crossings