Šempeter pri Gorici (, also generally known simply as ''Šempeter''; ) is a town and the administrative seat of the Municipality of Šempeter-Vrtojba in the

Slovene Littoral The Slovene Littoral, or simply Littoral (, ; ; ), is one of the traditional regions of Slovenia. The littoral in its name – for a coastal-adjacent area – recalls the former Austrian Littoral (''Avstrijsko Primorje''), the Habsburg possess ...

region of

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

. There is a border crossing into the Italian town of

Gorizia Gorizia (; ; , ; ; ) is a town and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, Region ...

. Through most of its history, it was linked to the town of

(), which is now in Italy, whence also its name, literally meaning ' St. Peter near Gorizia'. Since 1947, it has been gravitating towards the newly established town of

Nova Gorica Nova Gorica () is a town in western Slovenia, on the border with Italy. It is the seat of the Municipality of Nova Gorica. Nova Gorica is a planned town, built according to the principles of modernist architecture after 1947, when the Treaty of pe ...

, with which it forms a continuous

conurbation A conurbation is a region consisting of a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ...

History

In the Middle Ages, it was part of the

Patriarchate of Aquileia The Patriarchate of Aquileia was an episcopal see and ecclesiastical province in northeastern Italy, originally centered in the ancient city of Aquileia, situated near the northern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It emerged in the 4th century as a m ...

and then of the

County of Gorizia The County of Gorizia (, , , ), from 1365 Princely County of Gorizia, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. Originally mediate ''Vogts'' of the Patriarchs of Aquileia, the Counts of Gorizia (''Meinhardiner'') ruled over several fiefs in the are ...

. In 1500, it came under

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

rule, and it remained part of the

Habsburg Monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

until 1918, excluding a short French interim between 1809 and 1813. During the Austrian administration in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it formed an independent municipality. According to the last Austrian census of 1910, more than 97% of its inhabitants were ethnic

Slovenes The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( ), are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, Slovenian culture, culture, and History of Slove ...

. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, it was almost completely destroyed during the

Battles of the Isonzo The Battles of the Isonzo (also known as the Isonzo Front by historians, or the Soča Front - ) were a series of twelve battles between the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies in World War I mostly on the territory of present-d ...

. In August 1916, it was seized by the

Italian Army The Italian Army ( []) is the Army, land force branch of the Italian Armed Forces. The army's history dates back to the Italian unification in the 1850s and 1860s. The army fought in colonial engagements in China and Italo-Turkish War, Libya. It ...

, but it was recaptured by the Austro-Hungarians in November 1917. After the war, it was again occupied and later annexed by Italy. In the 1920s, it was rebuilt according to the plans of the architect

Max Fabiani Maximilian Fabiani, commonly known as Max Fabiani (, ) (29 April 1865 – 12 August 1962) was an Italians, Italian architect, born in the village of Kobdilj near Štanjel on the Karst Plateau, County of Gorizia and Gradisca, in present-day Sl ...

. In 1924 and 1947, it was an integral part of the Municipality of Gorizia, and it effectively became a suburb of Gorizia. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it became an important center of

Yugoslav Partisan The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...

resistance. In May 1945, the Yugoslav Partisans took control of the town. From June 1945 to September 1947, it was under Anglo-American military administration, and it was annexed to

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

in 1947. In the 1950s and 1960s, when the town of Nova Gorica was still largely under construction, several important institutions were headquartered in Šempeter, including the

Nova Gorica Grammar School Nova Gorica Grammar School or Gimnazija Nova Gorica, is a coeducational secondary school in western Slovenia. Located in Nova Gorica, the school is for students aged between 15 and 19. It has been certified as one of the top European Parliament Am ...

and the Gorica Football Club. Since the 1970s, the regional Dr Franc Derganc General Hospital of Nova Gorica with a maternity ward has been located in Šempeter. Thus, most of the younger inhabitants of Nova Gorica and the wider ''

Goriška Goriška () is a historical region in western Slovenia on the border with Italy. It comprises the northern part of the wider traditional region of the Slovenian Littoral (''Primorska''). The name ''Goriška'' is an adjective referring to the city ...

'' area were born in Šempeter pri Gorici.

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Šempeter pri Gorici include: * Valter Birsa, footballer * Saša Ciani, basketball player * Goran Cvijanović, footballer * Kristjan Čujec, futsal player * Saša Dončić, basketball player *

Robert Golob Robert Golob (born 23 January 1967) is a Slovenian businessman and politician, serving as Prime Minister of Slovenia and leader of the Freedom Movement since 2022. Early life and education Golob obtained his PhD in electrical engineering at th ...

, businessman, politician, and the current prime minister of Slovenia * Andrej Komac, footballer * Jani Kovačič, volleyball player * Tim Matavž, footballer *

Borut Mavrič Borut Mavrič (born 27 March 1970) is a former Slovenian footballer. He represented Slovenia internationally. Club career Mavrič was born in Šempeter pri Gorici. Greuther Fürth signed Mavrič in summer 2004 from Olimpija in a one-year d ...

, footballer *

Borut Pahor Borut Pahor (; born 2 November 1963) is a Slovenian politician who served as President of Slovenia from 2012 to 2022. He previously served as Prime Minister of Slovenia from 2008 to 2012. A longtime member and former president of the Social D ...

, politician and the fourth

president of Slovenia The president of Slovenia, officially the president of the Republic of Slovenia (), is the head of state of Slovenia. The office was established on 23 December 1991 when the National Assembly (Slovenia), National Assembly passed a new ...

* Etien Velikonja, footballer * Miha Zajc, footballer * Saša Živec, footballer * Mitja Velikonja, academic

References

External links

Šempeter pri Gorici on Geopedia
Populated places in the Municipality of Šempeter-Vrtojba Italy–Slovenia border crossings Cities and towns in the Slovene Littoral {{ŠempeterVrtojba-geo-stub