A Brief Overview of Slovenia

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Slovenia flag

Slovenia’s past never mirrored those of the other countries that formed Yugoslavia. Slovenia’s history has always been tied more to the Austro-Hungarian empire and Italy than with Serbia or the Ottoman empire. Napoleon’s short-lived Illyrian Provinces at the turn of the 19th century not withstanding, Slovenia was ruled by the Habsburg dynasty from the 13th century up to the First World War. Slovenia was then grouped with her Slavic neighbors to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes before that entity changed its name to Yugoslavia in 1929.

While less racially and religiously mixed than either Croatia or Bosnia, it has an Italian minority on its coast and a Hungarian minority in the east. Always the richest of the Yugoslav republics, it was to no one’s surprise that Slovenia was the first, and so far only, ex-Yugoslav republic to be admitted into the EU and NATO (in 2004).

Personally, I find Slovenes to be very friendly, welcoming and helpful (and a tad reserved). In my travels here, I can count on one hand experiences with rude and unhelpful locals. They love their nature and many people you meet on hikes, walks and at farmhouses are fellow Slovenians enjoying their country. They take great pride in meticulously keeping their homes, businesses and land clean, neat and very inviting. I journalist once wrote that Slovenians are Catholic by religion but Protestant by work ethic. I’d tend to agree with that assessment.