Venezuelans of Slovene descent, also Slovene Venezuelans ( sl, venezuelski Slovenci) number around 1,000.

History

The first Slovenians arrived in Venezuela between the two world wars, although in a small number, estimated at about 50 people. After

World War II 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 opposing ...

, a small Slovenian community of about 500 members formed, which settled between 1947 and 1953, mostly from 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 a ...

. This emigration was motivated by the dissatisfaction with the economic conditions and partly with the political conditions, and by existing ties with Slovenes in Venezuela. Based on different sources and testimonies, it is estimated that up to 1960 between 550 and 800 Slovenians arrived in Venezuela. Most of the Slovenes settled in Caracas and in smaller numbers in

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

Maracay ) , image_skyline = , image_caption =Top:Maracay Municipal Garden and Las Delicias area, Second: Sindoni Tower, Los Tamarindo residential area and overview to Maracay, Third:Maestranza Cesar Giron Bullring Stadium, Girardot Square and Maraca ...

, Maracaibo, and

Acarigua Acarigua (), founded as San Miguel de Acarigua, is a city in northwestern Venezuela, in the northern part of the state of Portuguesa (state), Portuguesa. Formerly the state capital, it is a major commercial center for the northern Llanos regio ...

. In 1958 the Slovenian priest Janez Grilc arrived in Venezuela from Argentina, who proved to be an excellent organizer. That same year masses in Slovene began, and also pilgrimages with marked national qualities, followed the social and cultural gatherings. In 1966, the ''Sv. Ciril in Metod'' association was formally founded in Caracas, "whose events were between 100 and 150 people. They organize pilgrimages, during

St. Nicholas Day Saint Nicholas Day, also called the Feast of Saint Nicholas, observed on 5 December or on 6 December in Western Christian countries, and on 19 December in Eastern Christian countries using the old church Calendar, is the feast day of Saint Nic ...

and the commemoration of the

independence of Slovenia The Ten-Day War ( sl, desetdnevna vojna), or the Slovenian War of Independence (), was a brief armed conflict that followed Slovenia's declaration of independence from Yugoslavia on 25 June 1991. It was fought between the separatists of the ...

. At that time, they formed the ''Asociación Eslovena'' (Slovenian Association), which is still active and which holds an annual gathering in

in which a pilgrimage is carried out and a mass is offered. Due to the small number of Slovenian residents, a cultural center of their own did not exist, and so they participated in the events and celebrations of the ''Hogar Croata de Caracas'' (Croatian Club). Starting in April 1959, the newspaper ''Življenje - Vida'' was published, with religious and informative themes.

Notable people

* Ladislv Blatnik, shoe entrepreneur * Janez Grilc, priest *

Princess Tatiana of Greece and Denmark Princess Tatiana of Greece and Denmark (''née'' Tatiana Ellinka Blatnik, 27 August 1980) is a Venezuelan publicist, event planner, and writer. She is a member of the former Greek royal family and the Danish royal family as the wife of Princ ...

* Danilo Žerjal, discus thrower and hammer thrower

References

External links

Los Eslovenos en VenezuelaEslovenos en Venezuela
{{Portal bar, Slovenia, Venezuela European diaspora in Venezuela Venezuelan