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Statistical Office of the European Communities PORTRAIT VOLUME 9 VOLUME OF THE

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS VOLUME 9 SLOVENIA

13 17 KS-29-00-779-EN-C ISBN 92-828-9403-7 OFFICE FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS OFFICE FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES OF L-2985 Price (excluding VAT) in Luxembourg: ECU 25,00 in Luxembourg: VAT) (excluding Price PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS VOLUME 9 SLOVENIA

EUROPEAN COMMISSION I eurostat Statistical Office of the European Communities A great deal of additional information on the is available on the Internet. It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu.int).

Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication

Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2000

ISBN 92-828-9404-5

© European Communities, 2000

Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged.

Printed in

II PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat Foreword

The accession discussions already underway with all ten of the countries of Central and Eastern have further boosted the demand for statistical data concerning them. At the same time, a growing appreciation of regional issues raised interest in regional differences in each of these countries. This volume of the “Portrait of the Regions” series responds to this need and follows on in a tradition which has seen four volumes devoted to the current Member States, a fifth to , a sixth volume dedicated to the Czech and , a seventh to the Slovak Republic and the most recent volume covering the Baltic States, , and .

Examining the 12 statistical regions of Slovenia, this ninth volume in the series has an almost identical structure to Volume 8, itself very similar to earlier publications. Regional topical profiles, enhanced by maps, diagrams and statistical tables, assess key aspects of the and its strengths and weaknesses in terms of demograph- ic and economic issues, the labour market, education, infrastructure and resources.

This issue of the “Portrait of the Regions” series is the outcome of very full co-opera- tion between Eurostat and the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia. Project supervision was co-ordinated by CESD Communitaire and the preparation of texts, graphs and maps was carried out by Eurogramme.

I would like to express my appreciation to all the individuals and organisations, par- ticularly within the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, without whose contri- bution it would not have been possible to produce this valuable reference work.

Yves Franchet Director-General of Eurostat

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS III eurostat IV PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat This volume was produced with the collaboration of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia and was co- ordinated by CESD Communautaire. Preparation of texts, maps, graphs and photographs was entrusted to Eurogramme. Its publication was made possible by the financial support of the Phare programme. Its contents do not necessarily reflect the official views of the institutions of the European Communities. eurogramme

CESD-Communautaire was in charge of the administrative, This project is financed by the European Union’s Phare financial and contractual co-ordination of the project. CESD- Programme, which provides grant to support its part- Communautaire is specialised in the implementation of inter- ner countries in central and to the stage national programmes, establishing and promoting advanced where they are ready to assume the obligations of European statistical methodologies. Union membership.

Original texts in Slovenian were prepared by staff of the Statistical Office of Slovenia.

Names of all those who prepared text: 1. Marjeta Natek, author of text 2. Karel Natek, Ph.D., author of text 3. Roman Šimec, translator 4. Matej Gabrovec, Ph.D., reviewer 5. Branko Pavlin, Ph.D., Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, 6. Simona Klasinc, Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS V eurostat Structure of the publication Map 1 2 SLOVENIA

Photograph Map Table Slovenia of the region

In each of Slovenia’s 12 Level 3 statistical regions is presented in accordance with a uniform layout on Table six pages: 1 Graph 2 Graph Page 1: — regional overview (1) — strengths and weaknesses (2)

3 3 3 Page 2: 2 2 — natural resources (3)

Page 3: 1 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat eurostat PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 1 — population (4)

Page 4: Map 3 4 SLOVENIA — economic structure (5) — incomes (6) 3 Graph Graph

Page 5: 5 — employment (7) — transport (8) Graph Graph Graph

Page 6: 5 5 — environment (9) 4 — education, culture (10)

4 4 6 Table Graph

1 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat eurostat PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 1

Map 5 6 SLOVENIA

Graph Table 9 Table

7 7

Graph Graph Graph

10

Graph 9

8 The regional portraits are preceded by a national 10 page: they end with explanatory notes and a 8 bibliography. Graph Table

The legend for the regional maps is given on the last page of the publication. 1 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat eurostat PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 1

VI PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat The PORTRAIT OF THE Table of contents VOLUME 9 REGIONS consists of ten volumes: REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA Volume 1 SLOVENIA 1

Volume 2 Pomurska 2 Ireland Podravska 8 Volume 3 Koroška 14 Savinjska 20 Zasavska 26 Volume 4 Spodnjeposavska 32 Dolenjska 38 Osrednjeslovenska 44 Gorenjska 50 Notranjsko-kraška 56 Volume 5 Hungary Goriška 62 Volume 6 Obalno-kraška 68 Poland

Volume 7

Volume 8 Estonia Explanatory notes 74 Latvia Lithuania Bibliography 76 Symbols and 78 Volume 9 Slovenia Legend to maps 78 Volume 10

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS VII eurostat VIII PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Slovenia, one of Europe’s youngest was further stimulated by the country’s nations, emerged on the political position astride the “historic draught”, map in 1991 in turbulent times of politi- the easiest passage from the Pannonian cal changes caused by the collapse of Basin to the Mediterranean and from the Iron Curtain. Western and towards South-eastern Europe. On December 1, 1918, after almost 600 years under the rule of the Habsburg As part of former , Slovenia , Slovenia joined the Kingdom of was administratively divided among 65 , and , later relatively large , which named the , with were the basis of the socialist self-man- as its capital. Within the agement system and therefore had con- Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, siderable political power. After indepen- established after World War II, it was one dence, the country’s administration was of the six socialist directly sub- centralised, however there has been a ordinated to the federal parliament and constant debate about the establish- the government in Belgrade. Its inde- ment of administrative-political regions pendence was enhanced by the federal (provinces) as an intermediate level constitution of 1974, however in the between the state and the municipali- maelstrom of inter-ethnic conflicts, ties. The state administration is currently deepening economic crisis and disinte- organised into 58 administrative units gration of Yugoslavia that evolved later, a that are mostly based on the former ten-day war in the summer of 1991 by municipalities. which Slovenia gained its complete independence proved unavoidable. Slovenes) and a tolerant attitude The old municipalities were abolished towards national minorities and immi- with the Act on the Establishment of the Even when part of Yugoslavia, Slovenia grants from other parts of Yugoslavia. Municipalities (1994) and new municipal- managed to maintain close economic Secondly, Slovenia enjoys a favourable ities were established to undertake local and cultural ties with Central and position in Central Europe in the extreme self-government. Slovenia is now divid- Western European countries. It also north-western part of former Yugoslavia. ed among 192 municipalities (11 of these managed to preserve the intellectual This enabled Slovenia to largely avoid are urban municipalities), extremely and other cultural resources needed for fratricidal , while its diverse in terms of population and eco- the fast and relatively successful estab- favourable position facilitated its closer nomic power: the largest in terms of lishment of a democratic system once ties with other European countries. population is the city of independence was gained. Like other Ljubljana (271 000), while Hodoš munic- countries in transition, Slovenia was In terms of its land (20 273 km2) and ipality has a population of only 371. faced with numerous problems caused population (1.98 million), Slovenia is one by rapid and fundamental political and of Europe’s smaller countries; however, The division of Slovenia into 12 statisti- economic changes relating to its acces- thanks to its unique position it is charac- cal regions was based on the socio-geo- sion to the European Union. In addition, terised by great scenic and cultural graphic regionalisation of Slovenia it carries the heavy burden of its social- diversity. At the meeting-point of four (functional medium-size regions). ist past, which cannot be discarded large European regions (the , the Statistical regions coincide with the so- overnight. , the Mediterranean called planning regions determined for and the Dinaric Mountains), a pic- the purposes of . They Two important factors also influenced turesque mosaic of landscapes devel- have no political or administrative func- the development of Slovenia in the oped in this naturally diverse area where tion and, apart from several minor . Firstly, the country has a relative- cultural influences from all sides inter- exceptions, follow the boundaries of the ly homogenous ethnic structure (88% twined throughout the centuries. This existing municipalities.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 1 eurostat Pomurska

Border region with extensive plains

Pomurska, situated in the extreme north- eastern part of Slovenia, is characterised by its extensive plains, which proportional- ly cover more area than in any other Slovene region. It is essentially a region, with Austria to the north, Hungary on the east and to the south.

The central part of the region consists of a wide plain on both sides of the Mura . Apart from a belt of floodplain forest rich in , the region is densely populat- ed and intensively cultivated. With its abundant arable land, it is a real “bread basket” for Slovenia. The hilly part of north Between the Mura River and its densely populated and cultivated plain is an eco- Pomurska, called Goričko, is undeveloped logically rich belt of forest (Photograph: Karel Natek) and sparsely populated as a result of its poor quality, acidic soil and border posi- tion. There are -growing hills along the Main indicators Hungarian border near , while the National level = 100 291 southern and western parts of the region extend into the wine-growing hills around 200 Slovenske gorice.

In a geographical, climatic and cultural 150 sense, Pomurska differs somewhat from other Slovene regions since the area to the east of the Mura river was part of Hungary from the 11th century until the end of World 100 War I. It became part of the Yugoslavian state only in 1920 with the . This long separation from the rest of 50 Slovenia is reflected in the name given to the territory – , meaning “the land beyond the Mura river” or “Trans- 0 Mura”. It also explain the presence of

Protestants (members of the Evangelical 65 Infant Population Age < 25 Age > Activity rate Activity rate EmploymentEmploymentEmployment Unemploy- Forested Per capita Church) in this part of Slovenia since no Unemploy- area Agricultural Counter took place in mortality density (M + F) (F) in agriculturein industry in services ment (M + F)ment (F) area* GDP Hungary in the 16th and 17th centuries and Protestants were not driven out as they Slovenia’s remote were in other areas ruled by the stronger because of its close ties with the Habsburgs. from the capital food processing industry. The latter is cur- rently facing considerable difficulties since The eastern part of the region is a bilingual Its extreme north-east position makes local markets have started to open up to area inhabited by Slovenes and Pomurska highly peripheral in centralised imported goods as part of the process , with the rights of the latter as Slovenia, far away from the corridors of towards free trade within the framework of an indigenous national minority guaran- economic power and political decision- EU and CEFTA treaties. teed by the Slovene constitution. making. Furthermore, the region’s periph- eral position is also reflected in its modest Although extensive areas of top-quality In terms of traffic, Pomurska has relatively participation in key economic activities. A agricultural land in the plains are an invalu- poor connections with the rest of Slovenia further consequence is the emigration of able natural resource, growth in productiv- and with other countries. This situation will its educated workforce to other parts of ity is hindered by an extremely change radically by 2004 when a motor- the country, especially to Ljubljana and unfavourable land ownership structure. way will be constructed as part of a . Most of the land is owned by small part- European traffic corridor, connecting the time farmers, and their farms are further region with Ljubljana and later also with Pomurska is the most agricultural region in split up into numerous small, widely scat- . Furthermore, a railway connec- Slovenia. Here, the share of gross value tered plots. tion between Slovenia and Hungary is also added generated by agriculture is three under construction. times higher than the national average. The The predominance of labour-intensive position of the agricultural sector is even industries (especially food processing, tex-

2 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Which regions are similar to Pomurska? Area: 1 337 km2 Jerichower Land (D) Novara (I) Ilfov (RO) Land use: 47% agriculture Franche-Comté (F) Oberösterreich (A) Latgale (LV) Employment structure: 12% agriculture Andalucia (E) Banskobystricky (SK) Molise (I)

Agriculture 1997 Number of private farms 11 887

Persons working in agriculture 5 743

Total agricultural area (ha) 62 929 tile and shoemaking) with low capital investment rate is also extremely Agricultural land use in 1997 (%) Total livestock 264 613 unfavourable. Permanent grassland Arable land Cattle per 100 ha of total Untapped potential currently is cross-bor- Permanent crops agricultural land 81.5 der co-operation, especially with Hungary, where a bilingual population of Hungarian Pigs per 100 ha of total and Slovene minorities on both sides of agricultural land 335.9 the border could be seen as an important 75.9% advantage. There are also good prospects Main products - proportion of arable for the further development of land devoted to production of: based on natural mineral and thermal Cereals 75.0 waters as well as farm tourism based on 5.2% Sugar beet 6.9 the region’s historical, natural and cultural Fodder plants 11.8 aspects. Potatoes 2.2 18.8%

Fertile plain along the Mura town of Lendava along the Hungarian bor- The most important natural resources are river der; and finally the Slovenske gorice hills fertile soil on the plains and in the southern with wide, gently sloping ridges are in the hills, and water. Although the Mura river Almost half of the region, which covers southern part of the region. has substantial energy potential, a plan to 1337 km2 (6.6% of the national territory), is construct a chain of five hydroelectric covered by a 50 km long and up to 20 km Pomurska’s is moderately conti- plants was dropped because it was wide plain on either side of the Mura river. nental with annual ranging strongly opposed by environmentalists and The floodplain along the river is 2 km wide, from 800 to 900 mm (falling mostly in June the general public. Rich groundwater sup- mostly covered with lowland river-bank for- and July) and average monthly tempera- plies, the main source of drinking water, est, while the rest is a fertile plain on grav- tures between 2.4°C (January) and 19.7°C are accumulated in gravel sediments. In el and loam river sediments, which tends (July). several places, large quantities of mineral to be slightly wetter in its eastern part and thermal water are pumped from great around Lendava. The rest of the region Towns here are all situated on the plain, depths, spurring the development of sev- consists of three areas of low hills rising up with the regional centre of eral health resorts. Very small quantities of to 100 m above the surrounding plain. with a population of 13 300 right in the oil and natural gas have been extracted in Firstly, Goričko is an area of acidic soil of middle of the plain. The other main towns the vicinity of Lendava where unexploited poor fertility, built predominately of quartz are situated close to the hilly areas: deposits are also located. river sediments situated in the north along Lendava (population 3 600), the Austrian and Hungarian border. Then (3 600) and (3 600). Arable land covers more than half the there are wine-growing hills above the plain, and vineyards cover more than 10%

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 3 eurostat of land in the Lendava and Jeruzalem hills < 25 (south of Ljutomer). Population by age-groups (1 000) 25-65 100 > 65

80

60

40

20

0 1981 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

Age-sex in 1998 (1000) Males Females 85+ 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39

30-34 1020304050600 25-29 * 20-24 15-19 10-14 5-9 0-4 10 10 8 6 4 2 0 0 2 4 6 10 8 * see explanatory notes 10 8 6 4 2 0 024685

A slight population decline below the national average since 1981, At the end of 1998, the region’s population however this decline is at a faster rate than numbered 125 000 (6.3% of the total the national average. Slovene population). Despite extensive plains, the region is relatively sparsely set- In the border municipalities of Goričko the tled (94 people per km2). The majority of demographic situation is of particular con- the population lives in the plains where in , as the average age of the population some areas population density exceeds is among the highest in Slovenia and 200 people per km2, while in hilly areas it approximately one third of the total popu- Main enterprises ranges between 30-70 people per km2. lation is over 65. Name Activity Activity Since 1985 the population has been Apart from Slovenes, around 8 000 mem- EestiMura RaudteeMurska Sobota AS Rail Clothing transport decreasing persistently, resulting in a bers of the Hungarian minority live in the EestiSploš naPost bolni ASšnica NationalHospital postal activities decline of 6.2% in the period between eastern part of the plain around Lendava Murska Sobota services 1985 and 1998. The main reason for this and in the of eastern Goričko. The “EestiMura Telefon Murska AS Sobota, Telecommunications Clothing decline is the relatively high mortality rate, cultural centre of this minority, whose EestiDE Energia Ljutomer AS” Electricity production which surpasses the region’s birth rate. The rights are guaranteed by the constitution, Elcoteq“Mura Murska Sobota,AS Electronic Clothing components disparity between the two rates is larger is Lendava (Lendva). Hungarian is (togeth- HansapankDE Gornja AS Radgona” Monetary institution only in neighbouring Podravska. The con- er with Slovenian) an official language in Eesti“Planika Mere- d.d. , Overseas Footwear freight tribution of migration to the decline of the municipalities settled by the Hungarian laevandusobrat Turni ščASe ” transport population is negligible since migratory minority. Gypsies live in several villages in EestiPomurka Ühispank Murska AS Sobota Monetary Food products institution flows are very weak. Nevertheless, the the central part of the region. Tallinna`Arcont d.d.Trammi- Gornja ja Passenger Metal products transport migration balance in Pomurska during the TrollibussikoondiseRadgona AS 1990s has mostly been negative. Compared to other regions, very few peo- TallinnaElektromaterial Sadam LendavaAS Sea Electrical port and equipment pier ple migrated to Pomurska from other parts Zdravilišče Moravci d.d.operator Spa centres Although the percentage of people over of former Yugoslavia after World War II. “Mura Murska Sobota, Clothing the age of 65 is slightly above the national Therefore, only 4.9% of the region’s popu- DE Lendava” average in Pomurska, their number is lation were of non-Slovene or non- increasing more slowly than in other parts Hungarian origin according to the 1991 of Slovenia. The percentage of people census. under the age of 25 has been slightly

4 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

economy was not affected so severely by Gross value-added by sector - 1996 (%) Pomurska the transition from a centrally planned to a Slovenia market economy. The problem, however, is 40 that the region’s economy is oriented towards sectors with low capital invest- ment (food production, and other labour- 30 intensive industries). A lack of entrepre- neurs has led to low levels of capital investment and few new start-up compa- 20 nies, while skilled labour tends to find work in other regions.

10

0 Agriculture Energy Industry Building & Market Non-market construction services services

The most agricultural region Below average earnings intensive industries (such as textile and In terms of economic power, Pomurska is footwear) prevail. The most important com- Due to the Slovene system of General among the weakest Slovene regions, con- pany is Mura from Murska Sobota with Collective Agreements on the national tributing only 4.9% to national GDP. several branches in other parts of the level, regional wage inequalities are very Furthermore, it has the lowest GDP per region. It is the largest producer of clothing small. From these agreements, Branch capita. Although the highest level of value for men and women in Slovenia. In Collective Agreements - which were also added from agriculture (12.8%) occurs Lendava there is the only Slovene petrole- adopted at the national level and are oblig- here, the service sector is the major con- um refinery, as well as some chemical atory for all employers - were derived. tributor (47.8%) to the local economy, fol- industries (organic basic chemicals). Other lowed by industry (39.2%). important industrial sectors include the A severe economic crisis and high inflation manufacturing of metal products in Gornja rates at the end of the 1980s and in the Agriculture dominates the plains. Apart Radgona (containers) and electronics in early 1990s caused significant fluctuations from wheat, fodder crops such as silage Lendava. The small business and con- of wages in real terms. They have been corn and grain corn are mostly grown, struction sectors are less developed than increasing slowly but steadily since 1991 forming the basis for dairy farming and pig in other parts of Slovenia. when they reached their lowest level. In the raising. Large areas are also under sugar period between 1995 and 1998 wages in beet cultivation. Small farms prevail, while Value added generated by the services Pomurska increased by only 11% which in the central part of the plains large com- sector is below the national average, how- was the smallest increase among all plexes of farmland belong to the Rakičan ever it is similar to the majority of other Slovene regions. agricultural company. There are also sever- regions with the exception of Obalna- al large pig farms. Wine growing is impor- kraška and Osrednjeslovenska. The posi- In Pomurska, the average net monthly tant in Lendavske gorice and Slovenske tion of trade and tourism is relatively strong wage at the end of 1998 was 474 ECU gorice. The relatively strong food-process- in Pomurska. Tourism is based on abun- which was 12% below the national aver- ing industry, located mainly in Murska dant natural mineral and thermal water age. Wages were lower only in Koroška. Sobota, Gornja Radgona and Lendava, sources, and health resorts have been The lowest wages were recorded in labour- has close links with agriculture (flour mills, developed in , , intensive industries, where they reached meat and milk products). There is a large Lendava and Banovci. The annual agricul- only two thirds of the average net wage in bottling plant for natural mineral water and ture and food industry fair in Gornja Slovenia. Average wages in market ser- non-alcoholic beverages in Radenci. Radgona is important within Slovenia and vices in Pomurska are also 12% below the further afield. national average. After World War II industry was mostly established in towns on the plains. Labour- Compared to Podravska, Pomurska’s Wages and salaries represent more than half of all household income, while one third comes from and other social security payments. In rural areas some additional income is brought in to the household from farming since house- holders produce the majority of the food they consume and then sell the surplus at market.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 5 eurostat High unemployment, few new far above the national average. The unem- Resident employment jobs ployment rate is higher only in Podravska. by sex (%) Male The number of people unemployed almost 60 Female As a typically agricultural region, Pomurska doubled between 1990 and 1991 due to has throughout the 20th century been per- the severe economic crisis in former 50 manently faced with a larger workforce Yugoslavia and has continued to increase than it can use. Before World War II, people since then. There are two main factors con- 40 used to work as seasonal labourers in the tributing to this persistent rise in unem- surrounding regions, while in the 1960s ployment levels. Firstly, workers are being and 1970s many found temporary jobs in laid off as production processes are ratio- 30 Austria and Germany. Part of the workforce nalised, and then there is a lack of new job from rural areas was attracted to local opportunities. 20 towns, especially where industry was expanding, although there were never While the share of women among the 10 enough jobs locally for the entire work- unemployed in Pomurska is the lowest in force. Slovenia, it is worrying that the unemploy- 0 ment rate is increasing most rapidly 1988 1991 1994 1998 Industry employs the largest share of the among people who have been seeking a workforce (45.9%), especially in labour- job for a long period of time and among intensive industries. 42.2% of the work- those under 26. No major reduction in Unemployment (1 000) force is employed in the service sector unemployment is anticipated in the near 15 which is below the national average, while future. New job opportunities can be its share in agriculture is three times the expected only in the service sector and are national average. As in other parts of related to the construction and operation 12 Total Slovenia, the majority of employees are of new railway and motorway connections employed on a full-time basis, with one with Hungary. fifth employed on a temporary basis. The 9 number of employees from other regions is very low. 6 Female More than one fifth (20.8%) of the work- force in Pomurska is unemployed, which is 3 < 26 years

Employment by sector (%) 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 70 Break in methodology 60 Furthest from the heartland employment centres. However, Pomurska, with 42 000 cars, has the lowest level of car 50 Industry Pomurska is the region most remote from ownership with 335 cars per 1000 persons. the central part of the country and remains 40 off the main Slovene traffic axes. Its posi- Pomurje has 56 km of railway track. The Services tion along the Austrian and Hungarian bor- most important is the Ormož-Ljutomer- 30 ders has became an advantage only Murska Sobota line. The railway connect- recently, almost a decade after the collapse ing Murska Sobota with Hungary, con- 20 of the Iron Curtain, while in the past it was structed in 1907, was removed in 1968. At the main obstacle to cross-border cooper- present, the Murska Sobota-Hodoš- 10 Agriculture ation between neighbouring countries. Zalaövő (Hungary) railway line is being re- built along almost the same route. 0 During the 1990s, transit freight transport 19881990 1992 1994 1996 1998 through Pomurska increased dramatically Pomurje has no and the nearest air- and the existing main road, running from ports are in Maribor and (Austria). , via Lenart, Murska Sobota and in the region are not navigable. Employment structure by residency - 1998 Lendava to where it crosses the border at Dolga vas, can hardly cope. The situation Residents will not improve until the motorway con- Non-residents nection with Hungary in the direction of the 5th European traffic corridor (- Ljubljana-Budapest-Kiev) is constructed. 97.5% According to the Slovene National Motorway Construction Programme, the 75.7% motorway will be constructed by 2004.

Nevertheless, the region has a dense net- work of local roads. In the plains, they are mostly paved, while in hilly areas there is still a large portion of unpaved local roads. 2.5% They are very important for commuter traf- fic between rural areas and the main

6 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Surfaced public roads – 1997 Utilities - 1997

Pomurska Slovenia Pomurska Slovenia

Length in km per km2 0.24 0.23 Dwellings connected to water supply system (%) 93.7 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 population 2.5 2.4 Dwellings connected to sewerage system (%) 93.7 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 private passenger cars 7.5 6.1 Per capita consumption 3 % private passenger cars of water (m ) 43.7 71.9 in total number of vehicles 73 86 Telephone connections Number of accidental deaths per 1000 population 236 357 per 1 000 private passenger cars 0.6 0.5 Number of doctors per 1000 population 1.6 2.2 Agriculture a major pollutor Number of hospital beds Current expenditure for per 1000 population 4.1 5.7 Pomurska is densely populated in parts environmental protection - 1997 and intensively cultivated, which makes agriculture a major source of pollution in Waste removal the region. Since there is plenty of air Water local radio station. movement above the open plains, emis- sions of harmful substances rarely exceed Lendava is the cultural centre of the the legal values. However, intensive agri- Hungarian ethnic minority in Slovenia. They culture causes high levels of pollution in 77% publish a weekly paper in Hungarian and the groundwater deposits in gravel sedi- the local radio station is also of great ments on both sides of the Mura river importance for preserving the national which are the only source of drinking water identity and culture of the ethnic minority. in the region. Especially serious are high There is a local museum and art gallery in and still increasing levels of nitrates and the Lendava castle. 23% chlorinated organic solvents.

Rivers are also considerably polluted in Pomurska. The Mura is already polluted when it enters Slovenia from Austria. This Pannonian culture poses a serious threat to -plain forests along the river, where there is a Pomurska has high school centres in wide range of biodiversity. The most pollut- Murska Sobota and Lendava, offering var- ed are small rivers such as the and ious courses at high-school and vocation- Ščavnica, which receive municipal waste al level. Bilingual education in both Slovene water and waste water from livestock and Hungarian at pre-school, primary and farms. Conditions are not improving since secondary levels was introduced in 1959 in it is only in several of the larger towns that the area settled by both Slovenes and sewage is treated by municipal treatment Hungarians. plants. There are four bilingual kindergardens with Virtually all settlements in the plains are about 400 children, 4 bilingual elementary connected to municipal water supply sys- schools with about 1000 pupils and a tems, while in the hilly areas of Goričko bilingual secondary school in Lendava with and Slovenske gorice wells are also used. about 400 students. Number of pupils - 1998 Most municipal waste is disposed of at the landfill, where the first waste sort- Students normally continue their tertiary Pre-school 3 808 ing and recycling programme in Slovenia education at either Maribor or Ljubljana Primary 11 856 was initiated, and at a landfill near Dolga university.There are no large research insti- Lower secondary 1 160 vas. tutions in the region. Higher secondary (vocational/general) 5 314 Almost all households are connected to There is a general hospital in Murska Tertiary the national electricity network. The major- Sobota serving the region. Complementary (higher education) 2 497 ity of industry in Murska Sobota, Lendava, health services are also available in resorts Gornja Radgona and Ljutomer, as well as with natural mineral and thermal water, Total 24 635 an increasing number of households, is especially in Radenci and Lendava. connected to the natural gas network. The penetration of telephones is the lowest in Murska Sobota is the main cultural centre Slovenia as Pomurska has only 236 tele- in Pomurska, with a regional museum and phone lines per 1000 inhabitants, which is a study library in a castle built in the 16th only two thirds of the national average. century in the style and a

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 7 eurostat Podravska

Slovenia’s second city Ranking fourth among Slovenian regions by its size and second in terms of popula- tion, Podravska is situated between the Austrian border in the north and the Croatian border in the south-east. Its cen- tre, Maribor, was established on the banks of the river where its narrow opens up and the river enters the extensive Drava plain.

The region consists of two geographically very different parts. The larger eastern sec- tion comprises hills on the western edge of the Pannonian Plain (among them espe- cially the Slovenske gorice hills between the Drava and Mura rivers and the steep hills along the Croatian border), and Old Lent in Maribor, where timber rafts from the mountains once landed, is now a the densely populated Drava and plains along the Drava river. The western venue for summer festivals (Photograph: Karel Natek) part of the region, geographically belong- ing to sub-alpine mountains, is entirely dif- ferent, consisting of the heavily forested Main indicators and sparsely populated and National level = 100

Kozjak ranges, broken up by numerous 200 watercourses and separated from each other by the narrow Drava valley.

Historically, the region was part of , a 150 hereditary Habsburg possession centred on Graz (Austria), from the beginning of 14th century until the end of . 100 The present border between Austria and Slovenia was drawn up following the disin- tegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire 50 in 1918.

Podravska is characterised by its accessi- bility from all sides since it lies on the main 0 traffic route between the former Habsburg capital, , and the port of on 65 Infant Population Age < 25 Age > Activity rate Activity rate EmploymentEmploymentEmployment Unemploy- Forested Per capita Unemploy- area Agricultural the Adriatic coast, which was declared an mortality density (M + F) (F) in agriculturein industry in services ment (M + F)ment (F) area* GDP imperial free port in 1719 by Emperor Charles VI. Its role was further reinforced by the construction of the Southern Eternally second with severe vice sector, i.e. trade and banking, avoided Railway in the middle of the 19th century. economic problems Maribor and concentrated on Ljubljana. As a consequence, Maribor took over the role of regional centre previously held by For decades, Maribor has been “con- To date, Maribor’s weak position as a the ancient town of Ptuj situated further demned” to forever being in second posi- regional capital for the entire north-eastern along the Drava river. The motorway con- tion in the country. Moreover, centralisation part of Slovenia has not improved despite nection between Vienna and Trieste, which even reinforced Ljubljana’s prime position the transfer of certain state administration will be completed by 2004, follows the old after Slovenia gained its independence. In and governmental functions (such as the trade route. the socialist period, Maribor was a National Post Administration and the markedly industrial town when compared Ministry of Small Enterprises and Tourism) The region is divided among 34 municipal- to Ljubljana, while during the process of to Maribor. One of Maribor’s plus points is ities, ranging from the city municipality of ownership transformation and opening up its successful university providing a sub- Maribor, the second largest municipality in to the world market several large compa- stantial share of highly educated gradu- Slovenia in terms of population, to smaller nies that were established after World War ates for Maribor and neighbouring regions. rural municipalities in hilly areas lacking II went bankrupt. This caused above aver- more distinctive local centres since they age unemployment and social problems in Among the advantages of the region, suc- were established only in 1994. the town itself. In addition, its smaller pop- cessful specialisation of agriculture in fruit ulation and decreasing purchasing power, and wine growing in several hilly areas is in comparison with Ljubljana, also con- worth mentioning. In other areas, the tributed to the fact that the first, large- unfavourable land ownership structure scale, direct foreign investment in the ser- (such as occurs in Haloze in the southern

8 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Which regions are similar to Podravska? Population: 319 000 inhabitants Oost-Zuid-Holland (NL) Arezzo (I) Pazardzhik (BG) Population density: 147 inhabitants per km2 Isère (F) Mansfelder Land (D) Łódzkie (PL) Land use: 36% agriculture Thessalia (EL) Corse (F) Kurzeme (LV)

Agriculture 1997 Number of private farms 15 257

Persons working in agriculture 5 204 part of the region) has accelerated the Total agricultural area (ha) 77 350 abandonment of agriculture, depopulation Agricultural land use in 1997 (%) and the decline in cultural facilities. Total livestock 246 927 Permanent grassland Cattle per 100 ha of total Apart from being the region’s most impor- Arable land tant source of drinking water, the plains are Permanent crops agricultural land 102.0 also characterised by their dense popula- tion, industry and intensive agriculture. Pigs per 100 ha of total Therefore, one of the essential problems of agricultural land 210.7 the region is also the increasing groundwa- ter pollution in gravel sediments on the 38.5% Main products - proportion of arable Drava and Ptuj plains. land devoted to production of: Cereals 66.8 Sugar beet 5.2 Fodder plants 21.2 52.7% Potatoes 2.3 8.8%

Sub-alpine forests and wine- and north of the Drava river, an area built of (2 300). Only Ruše in the Drava valley growing hills metamorphic and igneous rocks and cov- (4 700) and Lenart v Slovenskih goricah ered with vast coniferous and deciduous (2 600) are not located on the plains. Podravska covers 2 170 km2 (10.7 % of forests. Villages are scattered over wide the national territory) and is composed of ridges, reaching an altitude of approxi- The region has no or fossil fuel two entirely different parts: the plains and mately 900 m, while the narrow valleys are deposits. Its most important natural hills in the eastern part, and forested mostly uninhabited. resources are the fertile soil, water and for- mountains in the . The hilly area can est. Arable land covers more than half of be divided into the low Slovenske gorice The central part of the region comprises the Ptuj and Središče plains, one third of hills between the Drava and Mura rivers, densely settled and intensively cultivated the Drava Plain and around one fifth of the and the much more dissected and steeper plains along the Drava river. The three main hills. The Drava river is the most important Haloze hills along the Croatian border in plains are the Drava Plain between Maribor hydroelectric power source in Slovenia. the south-east. and Ptuj, the Ptuj Plain between Ptuj and Three hydroelectric plants are located on Ormož and the Središče Plain on the same the Drava in this region, while the Drava The climate is moderately continental with side of the river downstream from Ormož. Plain boasts the second most abundant average temperatures between –1.3°C The plains are characterised by numerous aquifer in Slovenia, the main source of (January) and 19.6°C (July) and annual pre- roadside villages, some of them several drinking water for most of the region. On cipitation around 1000 mm (falling mostly kilometers long. Along the edges of the the plains, there are several gravel and clay in June and July). plains are situated the towns of Maribor pits for the local building materials indus- In the west, Podravska extends into the (population 101 000), Ptuj (19 500), try, while in (the Pohorje massif) Pohorje and mountains to the south (7 000) and Ormož there is a quarry mining decorative stone.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 9 eurostat < 25 Population by age-groups (1 000) 25-65 200 > 65

150

100

50

0 1981 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

Age-sex pyramid in 1998 (1000) Males Females 85+ 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39

30-34 1020304050600 25-29 20-24 15-19 * 10-14 5-9 0-4 12 12 9 6 3 0 0 3 6 12 9 * see explanatory notes 15 12 9 6 3 0 0 3 6 9 12 15

Population in slight decline exception being the percentage of people under the age of 25 which is slightly below With 319 000 inhabitants (16.1 % of the the national average. The age structure has national population) at the end of 1998, altered considerably in the last decade, as Podravska is the second largest Slovenian in the period between 1990 and 1998, the region in terms of population. The region number of young people decreased more also ranks second by population density, rapidly than in other parts of Slovenia (a with 147 people per km2, which is well 14.8 % decrease) which is already reflect- above the national average of 98 people ed in the below-average birth rate. per km2. Population density is highest in Main enterprises the city municipalities of Ptuj and Maribor According to the 1991 census, the per- and in the plains, where it exceeds 200 centage of non-Slovenes in the population Name Activity people per km2, while in hilly parts it was 8%. These are mostly immigrants from Splošna bolnišnica Hospital activities ranges between 60 and 100 people per other parts of former Yugoslavia, Croats Maribor km2. (2.3 %) and Serbs (1.2 %) and their Paloma-Sladkogorska Paper products descendants, who live almost exclusively tovarna papirja Podravska’s population decreased by 2.7 in the larger towns. ISS-Servisystem Industrial cleaning % in the period between 1990 and 1998 d.o.o. Maribor (1.1 % in Slovenia as a whole). As the Before World War II, an economically pow- ZD . Adolfa Medical practice activities region’s economic problems escalated in erful German minority (approximately 10 Drolca Maribor the mid-1990s, this decline became more 000 people) lived mainly in Maribor, Ptuj Talum d.d. Kidričevo Aluminium production rapid. The main cause of the declining and some other Slovenian towns. However, Impol d.d. Slovenska Metal products population is the low birth rate, which is most of them had emigrated by the end of Bistrica lower only in Obalno-kraška. By 1997 the the war. The remaining , who are Perutnina Ptuj d.d Poultry products mortality rate exceeded the birth rate by 25 now scattered all over Slovenia (in Maribor Carrera Optyl d.o.o. Optical instruments %. Population decline cannot really be they number 115), continue to strive to gain Schmidt Kidričevo Leather goods attributed to migratory factors, since the ethnic minority status. Nova kreditna banka Financial services region, as well as Slovenia as a whole, is Maribor characterised by weak migratory flows.

The age structure of the population is very close to the national average, the only

10 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

(thermal health resort). Several specialised Gross value-added by sector - 1996 (%) Podravska trade-fairs also take place in Maribor. Slovenia 40 Following the difficult transition period at the start of the 1990s, Podravska’s econo- my is now gradually beginning to improve, 30 if somewhat slowly. An important advan- tage for the region is the presence of Maribor university, which covers the major- 20 ity of the demands from the local economy for highly skilled graduates.

10

0 Agriculture Energy Industry Building & Market Non-market construction services services

Second weakest region; Wages slightly below the Fruit growing areas (apples and pears) can industry facing crisis be found in the northern parts of national average In the past, Podravska’s economy was Slovenske gorice and the Pohorje foothills, In the period between 1995 and 1998 aver- based both on industry and agriculture. while the main wine growing areas are age net wages in Podravska increased by Today service activities generate more around Maribor, in Slovenske gorice to the 13.6 %, which equals the Slovenian aver- than half (59.6 %) of the region’s gross north-east of Ptuj and in the eastern part age. The highest increase was recorded in value added, followed by the secondary of Haloze. agriculture, the construction sector and in sector (35.1 %), while agriculture and non-commercial service activities, while contribute 5.4 %. Heavy industry, Maribor is the largest industrial town. the smallest increases in wages went to car manufacturing, machine-building and Metal products are still manufactured here, those working in the energy sector and in other industries, established in the social- as well as chemicals (detergents), textiles market services. ist period after World War II, largely failed and wood-processing products. During to survive the demanding transition to a World War II, a hydrated alumina and alu- The lowest wages were recorded in the modern, market-oriented economy. This is plant was constructed in industrial and construction sectors at 444 also the main reason why the region’s per Kidričevo, which was intended to use and 466 ECU respectively. Those capita GDP is the second lowest in Hungarian bauxite and cheap electricity employed in services, and especially non- Slovenia, followed only by Pomurska. from the nearby hydroelectric power plants commercial activities financed from the on the Drava river. Later, it was trans- national and municipal budgets, received The most important agricultural areas are formed into an aluminium plant which salaries which were relatively close to the the plains along the Drava and surrounding today is connected with a semi-manufac- national average. Wages were above the hills. However, despite abundant land, tured aluminium goods plant in Slovenska national average by sector for agricultural small farms prevail, and only about 10 % Bistrica. Other industries include a paper workers who were paid an average salary of farms have more than 5 hectares of agri- factory in , the manufacturing of of 551 ECU, representing 4% more than cultural land. Agriculture is quite diverse, a spectacles and sugar refining in Ormož the Slovenian average in this sector. number of different crops are grown and and the production of ferro-alloys, carbide today there is a tendency towards dairy and fertilizers in Ruše. With wages tied to General and poultry production. A sub- Agreements negotiated at a national level, stantial part of the food processing indus- All types of service activities are well devel- in 1998, the average net monthly wage in try depends on the latter. Fodder crops oped in Maribor but the region is rather Podravska at 511 ECU was 5 % below the (silage corn and grain corn) are grown on weak in tourist and catering services which national average of 538 ECU. This is also most of the fields, while sugar beet is are mainly developed in Maribor, in the because of the small number of well-paid becoming more and more popular. Pohorje massif (skiing centre) and in Ptuj government jobs in Maribor, since most are concentrated in the capital Ljubljana. In spite of the university, the number of bet- ter-paid intellectuals with additional incomes from copyright royalties and simi- lar sources is much smaller here.

To some degree, the people in the country- side are at an advantage over those in towns, because a large number of mixed farmer-employee households get addition- al income from farming, partly from selling of some market surpluses and partly from the production of the food for own con- sumption.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 11 eurostat Worryingly high unemploy- behind Obalno-kraška and Osrednje- Resident employment ment slovenska. by sex (%) Male 60 Female Due to the planned industrial development These changes were felt most dramatically in Maribor, which by the end of the 1990s of Maribor and several other towns after 50 World War II, Podravska became one of the was gradually being transformed from a most important industrial areas in classical industrial into a service sector Slovenia. New factories employed most of economy. 40 the local workforce who could no longer find work in agriculture and led to wide- For Podravska the worst period was 30 spread from neighbouring between 1991 and 1993, when the unem- regions. A substantial number of smaller ployment rate increased by 132 % and 20 industrial plants were also established in has remained practically unchanged since less developed parts of Podravska. The then. Especially worrying is the trend employment of at least one family member towards increasing long-term unemploy- 10 in such a plant enabled the existence of ment. Those who lost their jobs from now bankrupt metal manufacturing and 0 numerous small farms in hilly areas where 1988 1991 1994 1998 there was not enough income generated machine-building companies remain from the land to enable survival from that unemployed, while the rationalisation of alone. production in other branches of the econ- omy adds more people to the long-term Unemployment (1 000) The employment structure changed con- unemployed. Skilled labourers, over the 40 siderably in the 1990s due to the severe age of 40 with vocational and secondary crisis faced by industry during the transi- education, form the hard-core of the Total tion from a planned to a market economy. unemployed. Such people are hard to 30 Between 1991 and 1998 the workforce retrain, while at the same time revitalisation employed in industry dropped from 54.5 of these industrial sectors is anticipated, % to 39.7 %, which was below the nation- as considerable state investment is being al average. In the same period the share of made in these areas. 20 the service sector rose from 41.5 % to

55.2 %, making the service sector in Female Podravska the third strongest in Slovenia, 10

< 26 years Employment by sector (%) 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 70 Break in methodology There are 114 000 cars in Podravska or 357 60 Services Important sub-alpine trans- port route cars per 1 000 persons which is slightly 50 below the national average. Although pas- Podravska is situated on an important sub- senger cars prevail in commuter traffic, 40 alpine traffic route that connects Central Maribor and Ptuj each has a dense net- Industry Europe with the Mediterranean along the works of local buses connecting the two 30 eastern edge of the Alps. The Southern towns with nearby settlements. Railway between Vienna and Trieste, con- 20 structed between 1841-1857, runs along With 130 km of railway track in the region, this route, as well as the main E57 Wels- the Vienna-Trieste railway is the most 10 Agriculture Graz-Maribor-Ljubljana road and the E59 important line. It is a double-track line, Vienna-Graz-Maribor- road. The except between Maribor and the Austrian 0 Podravska section of the E57 road is border, and is entirely electrified. From this 19881990 1992 1994 1996 1998 almost entirely motorway, while the con- main railway, two other lines branch off. struction of a section of motorway from These are the -Čakovec Maribor to the Croatian border via Ptuj is (Croatia)-Nagykanizsa (Hungary) line, Employment structure by residency - 1998 planned after 2004. At the moment, how- constructed in 1860, and the Maribor- ever, the region has only 39 km of motor- - (Austria) line, construct- Residents way. ed in 1864. Non-residents The most important major roads include Maribor airport with a 2 500 m long runway the Pesnica-Lenart-Murska Sobota- was constructed in 1976, but it has never developed into an airport with more than 95.35% Hungarian border road (the main transit road towards Hungary), the Pragersko- just a marginal role, carrying modest 75.7% Ptuj-Ormož-Varaždin (Croatia) road and amounts of freight and charter passenger the Maribor-Dravograd- (Austria) traffic. Furthermore, rivers in Podravska road. There is also a dense network of local are not navigable. roads in the plains and in hilly areas, which are for the most part paved. All settlements are accessible by car, even in mountainous 4.65% areas.

12 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

industrial and household energy source, Surfaced public roads – 1997 Utilities - 1997 and the largest local natural gas network is in Maribor. There are 322 telephone lines Podravska Slovenia Podravska Slovenia per 1 000 inhabitants in Podravska which is 10 % below the national average. Length in km per km2 0.25 0.23 Dwellings connected to water supply system (%) 95.8 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 population 1.7 2.4 Dwellings connected to sewerage system (%) 95.8 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 private passenger cars 4.8 6.1 Per capita consumption 3 % private passenger cars of water (m ) 58.9 71.9 in total number of vehicles 86 86 Telephone connections Number of accidental deaths per 1000 population 322 357 per 1 000 private passenger cars 0.4 0.5 Number of doctors per 1000 population 1.9 2.2 Serious groundwater pollution Number of hospital beds The densely settled plains in Podravska Current expenditure for per 1000 population 6.4 5.7 have intensive agriculture, a lot of industry environmental protection - 1997 and a dense road network. Due to frequent Waste removal winds, air pollution does not represent a Air Other important institutions are a new the- serious problem in the region although Water atre in Ptuj, the Art Gallery in Maribor and concentrations of sulphur dioxide, mainly Nature & Landscape regional museums in Maribor and Ptuj. from domestic heating, and nitrogene Other Several local radio stations as well as the oxides, from dense traffic, periodically 37% regional radio- centre which is a exceed the legal values. The largest indus- 29% part of the National Radio and Television trial air polluter in the region is the alumini- Network operate in Maribor. um plant in Kidričevo (sulphur dioxide, car- bon monoxide, fluorohydrogen), however emissions were reduced considerably with 26% 1% the introduction of improved technology. 7% A more serious problem relates to the pol- lution of groundwater in the Drava and Ptuj plains, the source of drinking water for the The University city of Maribor majority of the region’s population. The nitrate content is still increasing, although Maribor is the second most important cul- high values of pesticides and heavy metals tural and educational centre in Slovenia, have been decreasing recently. Surface following Ljubljana. The university, which water is considerably polluted as well, with currently includes 9 faculties and 17 000 the main sources of pollution coming from students, was formally established in 1975 agriculture, industry and municipal waste when several colleges were united. It also water. There is only one large treatment has extensive research activities. plant in the region, which is situated in Ptuj. Numerous high schools are also situated in Maribor, ranging from classical The majority of municipal waste is dis- schools to various vocational schools, posed of at municipal landfills without hav- which are also attended by pupils from ing been treated. Illegal waste disposal neighbouring regions. Smaller high-school sites still represent a large problem. centres can be found in Ptuj and Ruše. Number of pupils - 1998 Several companies from Podravska collect and process hazardous industrial waste. There is a large regional general hospital in Pre-school 8 936 Maribor with approximately 1 700 hospital Primary 29 871 On the plains all settlements are connect- beds and numerous specialist activities. A Lower secondary 3 677 ed to municipal water supply systems, smaller general hospital is located in Ptuj. Higher secondary while local and private water supply sys- There is also a psychiatric hospital in (vocational/general) 12 979 tems and wells are also used in the hilly Ormož, while in near Ptuj there is Tertiary (higher education) 7 683 areas. Municipal water supply systems use an institute for the protection and voca- groundwater from the Drava and Ptuj tional training of young people who are Total 63 146 plains, therefore disturbances in the sup- physically and mentally handicapped. ply, caused by groundwater pollution, occur periodically. Maribor and Ptuj are also very active cul- tural centres. The most distinguished cul- All settlements are connected to the tural institution in Podravska is the national electricity network. Natural gas is Slovenian National Theatre in Maribor, becoming more and more important as an which also includes opera and ballet.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 13 eurostat Korosˇka

3 regional centres in the 3 valleys

Koroška region is situated in mountainous northern Slovenia along the Austrian bor- der. It comprises heavily forested moun- tains and three narrow valleys along the Drava, and Meža rivers. The high- est mountain ranges are the Pohorje (with the highest peak, Črni vrh, at 1 543 m) and Kozjak ridges on the southern and north- ern side of the Drava valley.

While small settlements can be found in the valleys, isolated farmsteads are a typi- cal feature of the mountainous areas. Here harsh natural conditions have been endured for centuries up to altitudes of 1 An isolated mountain farm in the Valley typifies the hardships of settlement in 300 m. In spite of roads connecting the the Slovanian Mountains (Photograph: Karel Natek) highland areas to the valleys below, these areas today face rapid depopulation, a diminishing workforce and tough condi- Main indicators tions on the crop and timber markets. National level = 100

Historically, Koroška was part of the medi- 200 aeval duchy of , one of the Habsburg lands since the 14th century. After the disintegration of the Austro- 150 Hungarian Empire in 1918, the present state border was delimited by the Treaty of Saint-Germain (1919). 100 This is the least accessible of all Slovenian regions, and has very poor links to central Slovenia. Roads connecting the Drava val- 50 ley to Maribor and to the Austrian state of Carinthia are somewhat better. 0 The region is divided among 12 municipal-

ities, but due to its mountainous terrain 65 Infant Population Age < 25 Age > Activity rate Activity rate EmploymentEmploymentEmployment Unemploy- Forested Per capita and historical development, Koroška has Unemploy- area Agricultural no single regional centre. Instead, there is mortality density (M + F) (F) in agriculturein industry in services ment (M + F)ment (F) area* GDP a local centre in each valley: in the Mislinja valley, Dravograd in Forested mountains with the Drava valley and Ravne na Koroškem in Meža valley has lived for almost 200 years the Meža valley. Moreover, central func- industrial centres in the from and mining and iron and tions are further dispersed among several valleys steel manufacturing. After the mine was other smaller towns. closed down, the Ravne steel mill At present, Koroška is faced with two remained the largest employer in the Meža severe problems that can not be solved by valley. However it faces similar problems to the region alone, and which will not go the rest of the European iron and steel away by themselves. Its remoteness repre- industry. Mining has also caused consider- sents the first problem, as the region has a able environmental pollution, which will poor transport infrastructure to central have to be tackled. Slovenia and its peripheral position will become even more evident after the con- On a more positive note, the reinforcement struction of the trans-Slovenia motorway of cross-border co-operation with the which by-passes the region. state of Carinthia in neighbouring Austria can be expected in the future. The other major problem here relates to the very strong dependency on mining and Farms in this region are relatively large by industry, which together provide almost Slovenian standards, mostly due to the half the jobs and generate nearly one half extensive forest covering the region. of gross value added in the region. The Following the closure of the mines, the for-

14 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Which regions are similar to Koroška? Population density: 71 inhabitants per km2 Mostviertel-Eisenwurzen (A) Ribe amt (DK) Gorj (RO) Age structure: 12% over 65 (LT) Noord-Brabant (NL) Madeira (P) Employment structure: 40% services Podkarpackie (PL) Centro (P) Dytiki Makedonia (EL)

Agriculture 1997 Number of private farms 3 082

Persons working in agriculture 1 693

Total agricultural area (ha) 21 320 est remains the most important natural resource of Koroška and a very important Agricultural land use in 1997 (%) Total livestock 41 716 source of timber for the local wood pro- Permanent grassland cessing industry. Arable land Cattle per 100 ha of total Permanent crops agricultural land 121.3 A particular problem of the region is how to preserve mountain farms and existing pat- Pigs per 100 ha of total terns of land use, since otherwise the land- agricultural land 53.6 scape will be overgrown by forest. While diversification could be achieved through Main products - proportion of arable 78.4% beef cattle rearing and agro-tourism, the land devoted to production of: latter will not be easy due to the competi- Cereals 17.6 tion from similarly picturesque but more Sugar beet 0.7 easily accessible mountain regions in other 2.2% Fodder plants 66.0 parts of Slovenia and in neighbouring Potatoes 12.1 Carinthia. 19.4%

Most forested region in valleys, while it persists longer in higher of wider valleys. Meadows and pastures Slovenia areas. Temperature inversions are also cover slightly over 10%, mostly on steep common in the narrow valleys at this time slopes in the mountains. The Drava river, Koroška covers 1 041 km2 (5.1% of the of the year. fed by glaciers high in the Alps, has peak national territory) of mountainous land on discharges in June which makes it the the south-western edge of the Alps. It The vast majority of the population lives in most suitable river for hydroelectric-power mostly consists of forested mountains the three main valleys where all the towns generation in the country, as a result of belonging to the Central Alps, made of are situated. Dravograd (population 3 500), which five hydroelectric plants are located metamorphic and igneous rocks, with (2 700) and Muta (2 500) in the narrow Drava valley downstream Košenjak (1 522 m) and Kozjak (1 050 m) to are in the Drava valley, Slovenj Gradec from Dravograd. Other rivers are fast-flow- the north of the Drava river, (1 054 (8 000) in the Mislinja valley and Ravne na ing torrents and have only a few small pri- m) and Pohorje (Črni vrh, 1 543 m) on its Koroškem (8 200), (4 700) and vate hydroelectric plants installed. southern side. In the south-west, the Mežica (3 600) in the Meža valley. region extends into the high Karavanke The extraction of lead and zinc ore at the mountains with their imposing Peca lime- Forest, covering over 70% of the region, is foothills of the Peca mountain was very stone massif (2 125 m). The region has a its most important natural resource and important for almost two centuries. The moderate mountain climate with annual extends from the bottom of the valleys up peak of mining activities was reached after precipitation between 1 100 and 1 500 mm. to 1 800 m. Arable land comprises less World War II when over 2 000 people were During the winter months, snow covers the than 4% of the region, and is found almost employed in the Mežica mine. The extrac- ground for three months of the year in the exclusively on river terraces at the bottom tion of ore was abandoned in 1993 as the

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 15 eurostat ore ran out, and the mine is scheduled to < 25 be completely shut down by the year 2000. Population by age-groups (1 000) 25-65 50 > 65

40

30

20

10

0 1981 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

Age-sex pyramid in 1998 (1000) Males Females 85+ 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39

30-34 1020304050600 25-29 20-24 15-19 * 10-14 5-9 0-4 5 4 3 2 1 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 * see explanatory notes 543210 012345

Natural increase offset by Koroška. People are migrating predomi- high emigration nantly to the regions of Podravska, Savinjska and Osrednjeslovenska. The 74 000 inhabitants (3.7% of the national result of such demographic trends has population) lived in this predominantly been a minimal decrease in the population mountainous region in 1998, resulting in an since 1991. average density of 71 people per km2. The majority of the population is concentrated Despite the region’s border position, there in the three river valleys, while the sur- are no ethnic minorities. According to the Main enterprises rounding mountains are sparsely settled. 1991 census, the region also has the low- est percentages of non-Slovene inhabi- Name Activity With one third of Koroška’s population tants at 3.1%. Due to its lack of employ- Tus-Prevent d.d. Textile articles under the age of 25, this is considerably ment opportunities and remoteness, the Slovenj Gradec higher than the national average. In con- region was not a popular immigration des- SZ-Matal Ravne Iron and steel products trast, the percentage of people above the tination for people from other parts of for- Johnson Controls-NTU Plastic products age of 65 (11.9%) is the lowest among the mer Yugoslavia in the 1970s and 1980s. d.o.o. Slovenj Gradec Slovenian regions. Both of these figures SZ-Stroji in tehnološka Machine-tools are quite stable, and they have remained opre. Ravne virtually unchanged since 1990. Splošna bolnišnica Hospital activities Slovenj Gradec As the region’s birth rate still slightly “Tus-Prevent d.d. Textile articles exceeds the mortality rate, this should help Slovenj Gradec, to create a positive demographic account, PE Radlje” although the number of births is decreas- Mežica TAB Vehicle batteries ing at the same rate as in other parts of d.d. Mežica Slovenia and between 1985 and 1997 it Livarna Iron casting dropped by 37%. However, overall demo- Inpod d.o.o. Otiški Vrh Social work activities graphic trends are rather unfavourable Nova oprema d.d. Furniture when the migration balance is taken into Slovenj Gradec consideration, as, since 1991, the highest deficits in Slovenia have been recorded in

16 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

and high-school centre in Slovenj Gradec. Gross value-added by sector - 1996 (%) Koroska A fragmented trade sector started to Slovenia 50 emerge only in 1999 under the pressure of competition from other regions.

40 Compared to Podravska, Koroška was rel- atively successful in overcoming the diffi- 30 culties of the transition period. In part, this was due to considerable funds from the state budget for the closure of the Mežica 20 mine, and the reorganisation of the Ravne steel mill, and partly through the attraction 10 of foreign capital. All its large companies are highly export-oriented, while the small- er ones depend on domestic raw materials 0 Agriculture Energy Industry Building & Market Non-market and labour. The region has, however, limit- construction services services ed possibilities for investment in research

Industrial region with weak through specialising in the production of and development due to a lack of capital services sector alloy steel, industrial knives and industrial and a sufficiently educated workforce. machinery components. It is part of the Of all the Slovenian regions, Koroška is the Slovenske železarne concern and is entire- most industrial. Industry generates 50.9% ly state owned. A lead smelter operated for Monthly salaries are of the region’s gross value added. On the many decades at the Mežica lead and zinc other hand, the share of the service sector mine. After the mine was closed down, Slovenia’s lowest is the second lowest in Slovenia (42.9%), only a factory producing batteries in while the contribution of agriculture and Mežica has remained in operation. In the period between 1995 and 1998, the forestry is 5.7%. Recently, its production was redirected 12.1% increase in average net wages in into waste battery processing. Koroška was below the national average, In agriculture, dairy and beef cattle farming mainly due to the weak development of the prevail, as a consequence of which fodder In the past, there was not much industrial services sector. crops (silage corn) are also grown on farm- development in the Mislinja valley around land in the valleys. Isolated farmsteads, Slovenj Gradec. It started to flourish only in At the end of 1998, employees in Koroška characteristic of the region’s mountainous the 1990s when capital was injected by the earned the lowest average net monthly parts, are very large by Slovenian stan- European automobile industry to start wage of all the Slovenian regions. With dards. They generate most of their income local production of seat covers for cars average earnings running at 472 ECU, they through cattle raising and timber. Although and plastic foam for car seats. There are were 12% below the national average. roads were constructed after World War II five hydroelectric plants in the Drava valley, to connect all of them with the valleys, with a total capacity of 21-59 MW, and sev- As in other parts of Slovenia, the lowest massive emigration of young people is eral plants manufacturing metal products net wages recorded here were in the causing a shortage of labour and is putting in different places in the valley. Vast forests industry and construction sectors. With the survival of these farms in question. provide a good base for the well developed earnings in the services sector some 15% wood processing industry in the Drava and below the national average, this pulls the The Meža valley is the most industrial val- Mislinja valleys, where sawn timber, fibre- overall average earnings downwards. ley in the region. A steel mill was estab- board, plywood, and furniture are pro- Furthermore, the region has failed to devel- lished in Ravne na Koroškem in the 19th duced. op service activities of supra-regional century which was the basis for the devel- importance. opment of machine production. In the The weak services sector is a result of the harsh economic conditions after Slovenia’s peripheral position of Koroška. Among the In rural areas, mixed farmer-employee independence, the mill managed to survive larger institutions are the regional hospital households predominate, where additional income is earned from agriculture and forests and, in some cases, from tourism, too.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 17 eurostat Highest percentage of indus- nomic crisis led to a substantial increase in Resident employment trial employees unemployment, the unemployment rate in by sex (%) Male Koroška (12.8%) is among the lowest in 60 Female Mountainous Koroška has been predomi- Slovenia and 2 percentage points below nantly a mining and industrial region since the national average. Despite the gradual 50 the second half of the 19th century. It has closure of lead mining and smelting in the the second highest percentage of workers Meža valley, a relatively successful retrain- 40 employed in industry in the country as a ing programme of redundant workers was whole, and at 54.4% this figure is sur- carried out with the help of funds from the passed only in Zasavska. The share of the national budget. A simultaneous boom in 30 workforce employed in the services sector light industry in the neighbouring Mislinja is the second lowest in Slovenia (40.4%), valley further off-set rising unemployment, 20 and it is lower only in Zasavska. Agriculture and meant that the overall number of and forestry employ slightly over 5% of the employees in the industrial sector was cut 10 workforce. by only 14%, substantially less than in other regions. Some of the unemployed 0 Among other factors, rapid industrialisa- and the majority of new job seekers found 1988 1991 1994 1998 tion of Koroška after World War II enabled jobs in the rapidly developing services sec- the survival of numerous mountain farms. tor where the number of employees in the During this period road connections with period between 1991 and 1998 increased Unemployment (1 000) the valleys were built, enabling at least one by 47%. 0thers were, however, obliged to 5 family member in most mountain farms to move to larger Slovenian towns. find a job outside agriculture, predomi- Total nantly in industry. Such conditions are also 4 the main reason that the share of women among employees is slightly lower than in other parts of Slovenia. While full-time 3 employment still prevails, almost one quar- ter of employees are now employed on Female temporary contracts. 2

In contrast to Podravska, where the eco- 1 < 26 years

Employment by sector (%) 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 70

60 Region remains inaccessible A single-track railway, constructed in 1864, as motorway links by-pass it runs through the Drava and Meža valleys, 50 Industry Break in connecting Maribor, Dravograd and Villach methodology Koroška is the least accessible Slovenian (Austria). However, traffic is relatively light 40 region, connected to the rest of Slovenia both for passenger and freight transport. Services only by road and railway through the Drava 30 valley towards Maribor and by road Koroška has no or navigable through the valley towards . rivers. Dravograd is 120 km from Ljubljana 20 After the construction of the Slovenian airport and 65 km from Klagenfurt airport. motorway hub, Koroška and Zasavska will 10 Agriculture be the only regions without motorway con- nections. The closest motorway access will 0 be near Maribor (63 km away) and at St. 19881990 1992 1994 1996 1998 Paul in neighbouring Austria (30 km away).

Main roads running through the three main Employment structure by residency - 1998 valleys converge in Dravograd: the road through the Drava valley to Maribor Residents and Klagenfurt (Austria), the road through Non-residents the Mislinja valley connects Koroška with Velenje, while the regional road through the Meža valley leads to in Austria. 97,3% These roads serve as a back-bone to the network of local and forest roads, which 75.7% are mostly unpaved and which connect all the settlements and isolated farmsteads with the valleys. With passenger cars of vital importance for the residents who commute daily to the valleys, the region has 26 000 passenger cars or 352 cars per 2,7% 1 000 persons which is slightly below the national average.

18 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Surfaced public roads – 1997 water supply systems, while almost every Utilities - 1997 farm in the mountains has its own water Koroška Slovenia supply system. Despite the mountainous Koroška Slovenia terrain, all households are connected to Length in km per km2 0.15 0.23 the national electricity network. Koroška Dwellings connected to has 322 telephone lines per 1 000 inhabi- water supply system (%) 98.4 97.6 Length in km per tants which is 10% below the national 1 000 population 2.2 2.4 average. Nevertheless, almost all isolated Dwellings connected to sewerage system (%) 98.5 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 farmsteads have telephone lines. private passenger cars 6.1 6.1 Per capita consumption 3 % private passenger cars of water (m ) 69.4 71.9 in total number of vehicles 90 86 Telephone connections Number of accidental deaths per 1000 population 322 357 per 1 000 private passenger cars 0.4 0.5 Number of doctors per 1000 population 1.7 2.2 Environment upgraded after Number of hospital beds mine closures Current expenditure for per 1000 population 5.0 5.7 environmental protection - 1997 Two hundred years of lead and zinc ore exploitation and processing have caused Waste removal considerable environmental damage in the Air narrow Meža valley. The vegetation has Nature & Landscape almost entirely disappeared from the sur- roundings of the Žerjav smelter due to sul- phur dioxide emissions, while the Meža 16% and Drava rivers suffered from high lead concentrations. After mining was aban- doned in the 1990s, many negative impacts were rectified, as environmental 50% recovery gradually started to occur through natural processes. 34%

A more serious problem in the entire area of Koroška is the severe damage to forests, especially , due to heavy Activities dispersed among sulphur dioxide emissions from the Šoštanj smaller towns thermal power plant, the iron works in Ravne na Koroškem and the lead smelter Since the region has no distinct centre, in Žerjav, which is now closed down. In the educational establishments and other worst hit areas, 30-40% of the trees are activities are dispersed among several damaged. small towns. Thanks to its successful eco- nomic development, Slovenj Gradec has a Most settlements are located in narrow high-school centre, which includes a valleys where the air gets heavily polluted grammar school and several other spe- in the autumn and winter as a result of cialised high schools and vocational temperature inversions combined with air schools, and is gradually establishing a pollution from households, industry and firmer position as a regional centre. There traffic. Conditions have been improving are smaller high-schools in Ravne na lately due to the increased use of natural Koroškem and Muta. Students continue gas. their tertiary education at the universities Number of pupils - 1998 of Maribor and Ljubljana. The majority of municipal waste water Pre-school 2 058 ends up in septic tanks, while the condi- There are no large research institutions in Primary 7 899 tions in industry have improved consider- Koroška. In Slovenj Gradec there is a gen- Lower secondary 1 053 ably with the introduction of modern tech- eral hospital serving the region and in Črna Higher secondary nology and closed water cycles. Municipal na Koroškem there is a centre for the pro- (vocational/general) 3 266 solid waste is mostly disposed of at tection and vocational training of young Tertiary (higher education) 1 983 municipal landfills. Since Koroška is people who are physically and mentally sparsely settled, waste does not represent handicapped. Total 16 259 a major environmental problem in the region. Other important cultural institutions include the Koroška Central Library and Due to its mountainous terrain and the the Koroška Museum in Ravne na prevalence of impermeable rock, water Koroškem and the Koroška Regional sources are abundant here. Settlements in Museum, the Gallery of Fine Arts and a the valleys are connected to municipal local radio station in Slovenj Gradec.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 19 eurostat Savinjska

From one side of Slovenia to the other

Savinjska is the second largest region in Slovenia, and it is the third in terms of pop- ulation size. It extends from the Austrian border in the north-west to the Croatian border in the south-east. Its core area is the 30 km long and 10 km wide Lower valley in the middle part of the Savinja river, where , the third largest Slovenian city and regional centre, was established at the of several rivers.

The region is geographically very diverse, from the high, rugged and Savinja Alps in the north-west to low, gently rolling For more than a century, the Lower Savinja Valley has been an important hop pro- wine-growing hills in the east. The popula- ducer and exporter (Photograph: Karel Natek) tion and economic centres of the region are the hop-growing Lower Savinja Valley with Celje and Žalec as the main towns, Main indicators and the smaller Velenje Basin, the energy National level = 100 producing centre of Slovenia, with Velenje as its main town. 200

In the late , the region was owned by the local feudal family, the Dukes 150 of Celje. As the allies of the Habsburgs and through strategic family links, the Dukes firmly established themselves in 15th cen- tury south-eastern Europe, an area which 100 still resisted the expansion of the at that time. After the family had died out (1456), their property was taken 50 over by the Habsburgs and remained part of the until the end of World War I. 0

Due to its position on the subalpine traffic 65 Infant Population Age < 25 Age > Activity rate Activity rate EmploymentEmploymentEmployment Unemploy- Forested Per capita route, the region is easily accessible from Unemploy- area Agricultural all sides, since numerous routes towards mortality density (M + F) (F) in agriculturein industry in services ment (M + F)ment (F) area* GDP neighbouring regions fork out from the road and railway junctions at Celje. Hop-growing and electricity Nevertheless, the mountainous part of the intensive agriculture with employment in region in the upper reaches of the Savinja non-agricultural sectors. In the 1990s, a is quite far-off and is connected with the The region’s diverse landscape and its very severe world-wide hop-growing crisis rest of Slovenia only by two regional roads, location dictate its division into two eco- brought a high level of uncertainty into the while there is not a single local road con- nomically developed nuclei and two eco- region, although this should be off-set by necting the region with Carinthia in Austria. nomically less developed areas with a the development possibilities afforded by weak economy and declining population, the region’s position along the newly con- The national and ethnic border between each with different advantages and disad- structed motorway. Slovenia and Croatia is the Sotla river, and vantages. there are several border crossings here Lignite is the main source of prosperity and since the population from both sides has The Lower Savinja Valley and the Velenje also the main problem of the Velenje Basin. been tightly connected for centuries. The Basin are among the most economically It gives jobs to many people from the area region is administratively divided among developed areas of Slovenia with a well- who work in the mine and thermal power 32 municipalities, of which several are developed infrastructure and a large skilled plant, which on the other hand are the among the strongest economically in workforce. A considerable share of labour- cause of the highly polluted environment Slovenia (Velenje, Celje), although the intensive industry in the Lower Savinja and the loss of a considerable part of the majority of the rural municipalities in the Valley is distributed among rural settle- basin floor due to subsidence. mountainous parts of the region are eco- ments. In this way, close ties with local nomically weak and endangered by communities are maintained, enabling the The Alpine part of the region in the upper depopulation. majority of the local population to combine reach of the Savinja river and the hilly area

20 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Which regions are similar to Savinjska? Land use: 28% agriculture Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (F) Peloponnisos (EL) Kesk-Eesti (EE) Population: 255 000 inhabitants Göppingen (D) Västernorrlands län (S) Vratsa (BG) Population density: 107 inhabitants per km2 Unterallgäu (D) Constanţa (RO) (I)

Agriculture 1997 Number of private farms 13 807

Persons working in agriculture 5 747

Total agricultural area (ha) 67 076 south-east of Celje are economically very weak since it is virtually impossible to Agricultural land use in 1997 (%) Total livestock 131 547 make a living from agriculture due to the Permanent grassland unfavourable natural conditions and the Arable land Cattle per 100 ha of total structure of land ownership. Permanent crops agricultural land 128.8 Despite the fact that agro-tourism (com- Pigs per 100 ha of total bined with forestry) has been an important agricultural land 56.8 source of income for mountain farms in the Upper Savinja Valley and surrounding 70.4% Main products - proportion of arable mountains since the end of World War I, it land devoted to production of: is now facing difficulties, mainly because Cereals 39.1 of a decreasing demand for such recre- 4.1% Sugar beet 0.7 ational and holiday activities among the Fodder plants 42.6 Slovenian population. Potatoes 5.6 25.4%

In the Savinja river basin Lower Savinja Valley and the Velenje Basin This zone offers extremely favourable con- The region covers 2 384 km2 (11.8% of the during autumn and winter months. ditions for hop growing, and arable land national territory), of which only around covers more than half of the area. In other 150 km2 is a plain in the Lower Savinja The largest town in the region is Celje parts of Savinjska agricultural land is found Valley. The rest of the region is covered by (population 39 700). Other towns are Žalec only at the bottom of the valleys and on forested mountains in the upper reaches of (5 200), the centre of the hop growing area, gentler sunny slopes. Forests cover more the Savinja , extending into Velenje (27 600) which developed rapidly than half of the region; the most important the high Kamnik and Savinja Alps towards after World War II thanks to the lignite are coniferous and mixed forests in the the west. In the south-eastern part the mine, Mozirje (2 100), (4 Upper Savinja Valley. Kozjansko hills are severely broken up by 900) and Šentjur (4 700). deep valleys, while in the south, forested There are substantial groundwater sup- ridges in the Mountains reach up to 1 A layer of lignite up to 164 m thick is locat- plies in the Lower Savinja Valley, while sev- 204 m. Except in the alpine part where the ed under almost the entire Velenje Basin. It eral thermal springs serve as a basis for mountain climate becomes more extreme is extracted underground (approximately 4 the development of health resorts around with increasing altitude, the region has a million tonnes annually) and is mostly used Celje and in the eastern part of the region. moderate . Average in the nearby Šoštanj thermal power plant. Like its tributaries, the Savinja river’s fluc- temperatures are between –1.8°C tuating level makes it unsuitable for power (January) and 19.2°C (July) and precipita- The next most important natural resource generation. Due to its low volume in sum- tion between 1 000-1 200 mm. in Savinjska is its fertile soil, especially on mer months, the river also has little water Temperature inversions are common in the gravel deposits in the Lower Savinja Valley. available for irrigation.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 21 eurostat < 25 Population by age-groups (1 000) 25-65 150 > 65

120

90

60

30

0 1981 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

Age-sex pyramid in 1998 (1000) Males Females 85+ 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39

30-34 1020304050600 25-29 20-24 15-19 * 10-14 5-9 0-4 12 12 9 6 3 0 0 3 6 12 9 * see explanatory notes 15 12 9 6 3 0 0 3 6 9 12 15

Stable, slightly declining pop- decreasing in the last few years, while the ulation older population is increasing. A similar sit- uation is found with other demographic The population of the third most populated indicators, too, but only if we consider the region in Slovenia numbered 255 000 region as a whole. Within the region the (12.9% of the national population) in 1998. demographic trends are not so favourable, Population density at 107 people per km2 because most of the villages in the moun- substantially exceeds the national average, tainous area around the Upper Savinja especially if the relatively small proportion Valley and in the hills south-east of Celje Main enterprises of lowland and more gently sloping terrain are faced with depopulation and ageing of is taken into consideration. the remaining population. Name Activity Gorenje d.d. Velenje Electrical equipment The municipalities of Celje and Velenje While there are no indigenous ethnic Premogovnik Velenje d.d.Lignite mining have the highest population density, minorities in Savinjska, according to the Unior d.d. Zreče Manufacture of tools exceeding 400 people per km2; while in 1991 census, 10.5% of the region’s popu- Steklarna Rogaška d.d. Glass products hilly areas in the east the figure is around lation are non-Slovene. Their number Rogaška 80 people per km2, and in mountainous increased rapidly in the 1980s when a Polzela tovarna Knitted garments areas to the west it ranges between 10 and great number of people came from other nogavic Polzela 40 people per km2. parts of former Yugoslavia to work in the Gorenje notranja Kitchen furniture Velenje lignite mine. Together with their oprema Velenje In overall terms, between 1985 and 1998 families, they represent almost one third of Termoelektrarna Electricity supply the population of Savinjska increased the present population of Velenje. Šoštanj d.o.o. slightly, although a gradual decline started Alpos Šentjur pri Celju Steel tubes after 1991. In the same period, the number Radeče papir Paper and cardboard of births in the region decreased by one Comet Zreče Abrasive products third, while immigration slightly surpassed emigration during the 1990s.

The age structure of the region’s popula- tion deviates very slightly from the national average, with the younger population

22 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

tourism is also an important activity. Gross value-added by sector - 1996 (%) Savinjska Slovenia While Celje and the Lower Savinja Valley 40 had to face a severe crisis in several areas of industry after Slovenia became indepen- dent, other areas took advantage of their 30 qualified work-force and established them- selves successfully in the world market. Considerable investment by larger compa- 20 nies in research and development as well as the successful development of small businesses in smaller settlements should 10 ensure rapid economic development for Savinjska in the future.

0 Agriculture Energy Industry Building & Market Non-market construction services services

Major contributor to Slovene Wages still below the national There are two industrial areas in the region: economy an older one in Celje and the Lower Savinja average Valley, and another in the Velenje Basin, Savinjska is the third Slovenian region in established after World War II. Industry was In the period between 1995 and 1998 aver- terms of economic power (generating initiated in Celje soon after the construc- age net wages in Savinjska increased by 12.2% of the national gross value added). tion of the Vienna-Trieste railway (1857). 12.8% which was slightly below the The region’s industry contributes 15.9% to Chemical and food-processing, the manu- national average. The highest increase was the gross value added produced by all facture of metal products and printing are recorded in the construction and industry industry in Slovenia, surpassed only by important industries today. In the mining sectors and non-commercial service activ- Osrednjeslovenska region (26.4%). Within town of Velenje, the Gorenje factory, estab- ities, while those working in agriculture the region’s gross value added, the share lished in the 1960s, is one of the largest recorded the smallest increase in this peri- of industry is 47.0%. The contribution of producers of household appliances in od. the service sector (48,4%) is considerably Europe. A large thermal power plant (745 below the national average (58.0%), while MW), of great importance for electricity In Savinjska, the average net monthly agriculture and forestry contribute 4.6%. production in Slovenia, is situated in near- wage at the end of 1998 was 501 ECU, by Šoštanj. It generates more than a third which was 7% below the national average. The region’s main agricultural area is in the of all Slovenian electricity in winter months, The lowest net monthly wages were Lower Savinja Valley where hops for export when the river discharge is at its lowest. recorded in industry (466 ECU) and agri- are the most important crop (accounting culture (471 ECU), the highest in non-com- for approximately 3% of world production). Numerous smaller industrial towns (each mercial service activities (582 ECU) and In the central part of the valley, arable providing 500-2 000 jobs) can also be energy production (581 ECU). Earnings in fields, which were at one time merged into found here. Among the most successful of the agricultural and market services sec- large agricultural complexes, are today these are Zreče (production of forge tools tors deviated furthest from the national state owned, though hops is also pro- and artificial grindstones), Rogaška Slatina average, being over 10% lower in each duced by numerous individual farmers. (glassworks), Laško (brewery), (fur- case as compared to the sectorial average. Dairy and beef cattle farming are also niture) and Polzela (stockings factory). important in lowland areas as well as in the The presence of labour-intensive industry mountainous Upper Savinja Valley where Service activities are concentrated mainly in the countryside and commuting to both forests are an important source of income, in Celje which is the third most important larger industrial centres have contributed too. Fruit is grown along the edges of the service centre in Slovenia. It is also an to the widespread formation of mixed Lower Savinja Valley and in the eastern exhibition centre with the renowned annu- farmer-employee households, so even in part of the region. al International Craft Fair. Health-resort the fertile Lower Savinja Valley there are very few pure agricultural households at all. Such a situation has considerably miti- gated the negative effects of workforce reduction in the 1990s, because the own- ership of good agricultural land made it possible for many households to earn additional income from producing food for their own consumption and from selling the surplus at the local market.

In the mountainous parts of the region incomes from large private forests is of vital importance for many isolated farm- steads, while in the health resorts some extra income comes from tourist-related activities.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 23 eurostat A persistently high unemploy- mer. This workforce used to come mostly Resident employment ment rate from economically less developed parts of by sex (%) Male eastern Slovenia and the region of Hrvatsko 60 Female Savinjska has a rather balanced employ- zagorje in Croatia, whereas in the 1990s it ment structure since all three sectors are has come almost exclusively from Croatia. 50 important and none of them prevails sub- stantially. Industry employs the largest At 16.4% the unemployment rate in 40 share of the workforce (49.2%), which is Savinjska is slightly above the national significantly above the national average of average. It is lower in the Velenje Basin 42.1%. 45.6% of the workforce is where mining, energy production and other 30 employed in the service sector and 5.1% areas of industry successfully avoided a in agriculture and forestry, and these pro- severe crisis following independence. The 20 portions have been relatively stable for a rate is higher in the wider Celje area and considerable period of time. the Lower Savinja Valley where many peo- 10 ple have lost their jobs due to the crisis in As elsewhere in Slovenia, the number of the metal-working and wood processing 0 employees in industry has been decreasing, industries or due to the rationalisation in 1988 1991 1994 1998 and in fact it dropped by 14.5% between other, labour-intensive branches, especial- 1991 and 1998. At the same time, employ- ly the textile industry. ment in the services sector increased by Unemployment (1 000) 34% in the same period. The vast majority As well as overall unemployment increas- 20 of employees live and work in the region, ing throughout the 1990s, long-term and commute daily to nearby Celje and unemployment has also been rising. By Total Velenje. The jobs are mostly full-time, as is 1998 two-thirds of the unemployed had 16 the case for other parts of Slovenia. been out of work for more than year, a fig- Approximately one fifth of the workforce is ure which is above the national average employed on a temporary contract. and the second highest in Slovenia. 12 Considering the existing economic struc- For decades, a special feature of the Lower ture (labour intensive industry and agricul- Savinja Valley has been the employment of a ture), no rapid reduction of unemployment 8 Female seasonal workforce for spring time work on is expected in Savinjska. It is of concern hop fields and for picking hops in late sum- that the number of young unemployed < 26 years people almost doubled between 1990- 4 1992, has shown no decrease since then Employment by sector (%) and today a third of the unemployed are 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 70 young people. Break in methodology 60 At the crossroads of major with the valleys in mountainous areas. 50 Industry transport routes Savinjska has 91 800 passenger cars or 358 cars per 1 000 persons which is slight- 40 Services The regional centre of Celje is the third ly below the national average. most important traffic hub in Slovenia. 30 Here, roads from Koroška, Spodnje- There are 161 km of railway track in posavska and neighbouring Croatia join Savinjska. The most important is the 20 the sub-Alpine traffic route connecting southern railway line between Vienna and Central Europe and the Mediterranean. The Trieste, constructed between 1841 and 10 Agriculture E57, a major road connecting Wels-Graz- 1857. Its Savinjska section is an entirely Maribor-Celje-Ljubljana, runs through the electrified double-track railway. In the 0 region. It is motorway except for the sec- important railway junction at , 19881990 1992 1994 1996 1998 tion crossing the pass which will be another line of the same category (con- constructed by 2004. structed in 1862) branches off, leading towards Zagreb. Other local lines include Employment structure by residency - 1998 There are 628 km of major roads in the the Savinjska track (constructed in 1891) region. Apart from the aforementioned E57 connecting Celje and Velenje, in Grobelno Residents road, the most important are the Celje- a local track leading towards Rogatec and Non-residents Šentjur-Rogaška Slatina- (Croatia) Krapina (Croatia) branches off, while in road, the -Velenje-Slovenj Gradec- 1960, the Stranje-Kumrovec-Harmica line Dravograd road and the Celje-Laško- was constructed through the Sotla valley, 94.20% Zidani Most road. The main traffic route in leading towards Zagreb. the mountainous part of Savinjska is the 75.7% regional Šentrupert-Mozirje-Solčava road, There are no airports in Savinjska, which has not yet been extended to con- Ljubljana international airport is 75 km nect the region with Austria. from Celje, and rivers in the region are not navigable. A dense network of mostly paved local roads covers the plains and hilly areas of 5.80% Savinjska, while local and forest roads connect villages and isolated farmsteads

24 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Surfaced public roads – 1997 al gas network in Celje and some other Utilities - 1997 towns. A heating system using hot Savinjska Slovenia water from the thermal power plant was Savinjska Slovenia constructed in 1971 in Velenje and Šoštanj. Length in km per km2 0.23 0.23 All settlements and almost all isolated Dwellings connected to farmsteads in the mountains are connect- water supply system (%) 97.4 97.6 Length in km per ed to the telephone network, however tele- 1 000 population 2.1 2.4 phone penetration at 289 telephone lines Dwellings connected to sewerage system (%) 97.4 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 per 1 000 inhabitants is 20% below the national average. private passenger cars 6.0 6.1 Per capita consumption 3 % private passenger cars of water ( m ) 83.2 71.9 in total number of vehicles 88 86 Telephone connections Number of accidental deaths per 1000 population 289 357 per 1 000 private passenger cars 0.6 0.5 Number of doctors per 1000 population 1.7 2.2 The largest investment in Number of hospital beds environmental protection Current expenditure for per 1000 population 4.6 5.7 environmental protection - 1997 The environment in the Velenje Basin and around Celje, which had been consider- Waste removal ably affected, has already improved in the Air with a professional theatre, a regional 1990s thanks to a huge investment in envi- Water museum, the Gallery of Modern Art and a ronmental protection measures. In 1996, Nature & Landscape study library. Other important institutions half of all investment funds intended for include the Mining Museum in Velenje and environmental protection in Slovenia were the open-air Museum near 65% disbursed in the region, mostly for the 14% Rogatec, as well as local radio and televi- installation of a desulphurisation unit on sion stations in Celje and Velenje. part of the Šoštanj thermal power plant. Despite this investment the power plant is 8% still the largest “producer” of sulphur diox- 13% ide (SO2) in Slovenia, and to combat this a similar unit is currently being installed on another area of the plant. Due to the power plant operation, critical Education and culture centred SO2 concentration levels are commonly on Celje exceeded in the Velenje Basin and the sur- rounding mountains. Additional environ- Celje is one of the most important high- mental damage in the Velenje Basin is school centres in Slovenia, providing a caused by the subsidence of the basin wide variety of options ranging from clas- floor, which is the result of mining, and the sical grammar schools to specialised huge quantities of ash which are generated vocational schools. A technical school of during the combustion of low quality lignite mechanical engineering and a department and then deposited in the subsiding area. of the Maribor faculty of economics and business are also located in Celje. In In Celje and its surroundings, the environ- Velenje, there is a high-school centre and a mental pollution is caused by industry, traf- technical school of electronics. Students fic and domestic heating, with the problem wishing to continue their studies must do exacerbated by temperature inversions in so at the universitites of Ljubljana and the autumn and winter months. Maribor. Number of pupils - 1998

A serious problem in Savinjska is the con- Research institutions in Savinjska include Pre-school 8 094 siderable damage to forests caused by the the Institute for Hop-Growing and Brewing Primary 26 521 SO2 emissions from the Šoštanj and the in Žalec and the Institute for Environmental Lower secondary 2 764 thermal power plants. Rivers are Research in Velenje. The Gorenje factory in Higher secondary seriously polluted as well and even Celje Velenje also has a strong research team. (vocational/general) 11 605 has no waste water treatment plant. The region’s general hospital is also sited Tertiary (higher education) 6 606 Concentrations of nitrates, pesticides and in Celje, while there is a smaller hospital in heavy metals in groundwater in the Lower Topolšica near Velenje and a psychiatric Total 55 590 Savinja Valley, an important source of hospital in Vojnik. Health services are also drinking water for Celje, are also too high. available in Dobrna, Laško, Atomske toplice near Podčetrtek and Rogaška The majority of the population is connect- Slatina, where there are health resorts with ed to municipal water supply networks. natural mineral water. Environment pressures were reduced con- siderably after the construction of a natur- The most important cultural centre is Celje

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 25 eurostat Zasavska

Slovenia’s smallest region The smallest Slovenian region by size and population, and the only one without an external border, is situated in the Sava Mountains in the centre of Slovenia and was formed around the brown coal deposits found in the three narrow valleys of the Sava river’s tributaries. In the 19th century, these deposits were the key rea- son to construct the Southern Railway between Vienna and Trieste through the narrow and nearly impassable Sava gorge, since they were at that time the only source of engine fuel between Graz and Trieste.

Due to its steep mountainous terrain, which presents a major constraint on agri- cultural development, Zasavska remains To disperse emissions from the Trbovlje power station in the Sava Valley, a 362-m largely a mining and industrial region. chimney was built in the 1970s (Photograph: Karel Natek) Since mining operations in two out of the three existing mines will close down short- ly, great structural changes and new chal- Main indicators lenges await the region in the forthcoming National level = 100 years, including tackling the region’s rather polluted environment. 200

In the mid-19th century, the mining towns of , Trbovlje and 150 grew from the villages where the three main mines were established, resulting in a regional division which has been preserved until today. Each town acts as a focal point 100 for its own municipality. Thanks to the close ties between these towns and their outlying villages, the Zasavska municipali- 50 ties are among the few that remained unchanged after the local self-governance reform in 1994. Since the 19th century, 0 when Trbovlje established its position as a

regional centre, it has been performing 65 Infant Population Age < 25 Age > Activity rate Activity rate EmploymentEmploymentEmployment Unemploy- Forested Per capita certain functions for the entire region. Unemploy- area Agricultural However, the three town centres retained a mortality density (M + F) (F) in agriculturein industry in services ment (M + F)ment (F) area* GDP considerable level of individuality and strong ties with other centres. Zagorje ob Comprehensive restructuring Savi and Trbovlje are closely tied to with the region’s small population, does Ljubljana, 60 km away, while Hrastnik required not offer many possibilities for the devel- maintains strong ties with Ljubljana as well opment of a services sector, so that the as with nearby Celje. In the near future, the mining region of only viable option would be to attract new Zasavska will be subject to the most radi- branches of industry. Although the railway no longer depends on cal economic and structural changes in the Zasavska coal, the role of the railway in the country, and it is anticipated that they will Factors working in the region’s favour region remains very important due to its largely be financed from the national bud- include its position along the main railway mountainous terrain. get. Due to the region’s poor natural line, the existing infrastructure, and its pool resource base and unfavourable location, of labour with almost two centuries’ expe- there are relatively few alternatives for its rience of a classical industrial tradition. further development. A comprehensive Furthermore, favourable conditions for programme of restructuring for the whole new investment will be offered by the state region will have to be carried out at the in the framework of the restructuring pro- same time as the gradual shutdown of the gramme. mines, otherwise the region will find itself in a very difficult position. In addition to its high dependency on brown coal, the region’s environment is The pull of other, larger regional centres, also heavily polluted by the burning of coal especially Ljubljana and Celje, together with a high sulphur content in the Trbovlje

26 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Which regions are similar to Zasavska? Employment structure: 1% agriculture Karlovarský (CZ) Surrey, East and West Sussex (UK) Karlsruhe (D) Population density: 176 inhabitants per km2 Ascoli Piceno (I) Kerkyra (EL) Ilfov (RO) Area: 264 km2 Birmingham (UK) Delfzijl en omgeving (NL) București (RO)

Agriculture 1997 Number of private farms 1 083

Persons working in agriculture 195

Total agricultural area (ha) 6 717 thermal power plant. The fact that all three towns are located in narrow valleys, means Agricultural land use in 1997 (%) Total livestock 9 448 that traffic, domestic heating and several Permanent grassland other large industrial plants also contribute Arable land Cattle per 100 ha of total their share of pollution. Permanent crops agricultural land 104.0 Pigs per 100 ha of total agricultural land 29.3

87.7% Main products - proportion of arable land devoted to production of: Cereals 35.6 Sugar beet 0.8 Fodder plants 54.0 0.4% Potatoes 8.6 11.9%

Three brown coal mines predominately in the lower, more gently Zasavska region, which covers only 264 Due to severe faulting of the coalbearing inclined sunny slopes. Almost two thirds of km2 (1.3% of the national territory), is strata, coal extraction is very difficult and the area is covered by forest, which is located in the central part of the Sava extractable deposits are nearly depleted. heavily affected by sulphur dioxide emis- Mountains with their ridges (the The Zagorje mine has been gradually shut- sions from the thermal power plant and is highest peak, , at 1 220 m). Here too, ting down since 1996. The other two mines therefore of low economic significance. the Sava river carved a gorge more than 30 are in Trbovlje and Hrastnik, and most of km long and up to 500 m deep. A few km their coal is used in the Trbovlje thermal Although the Sava runs through a narrow north of the gorge, the Moravče-Trbovlje- power plant. Besides coal, limestone is gorge, it is at present not exploited for Laško valley system runs in an east– west extracted in several quarries for the local energy production. There are, however, direction. The Sava’s left tributaries carved cement and lime industry. plans to construct hydroelectric plants their transverse narrow valleys into this here in the future. system, facilitating access to brown coal Near the mines, three towns developed in deposits. the 19th century, each in its own valley. These towns are Zagorje ob Savi (popula- A moderate continental climate is found tion 7 200), Trbovlje (16 800) and Hrastnik here, with annual precipitation around 1 (6 200). 200 mm. In the winter, temperature inver- sion is common, bringing fog into the val- Due to its mostly steep slopes, agricultural leys and causing heavy air pollution. land covers only one quarter of the region,

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 27 eurostat < 25 Population by age-groups (1 000) 25-65 30 > 65

24

18

12

6

0 1981 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

Age-sex pyramid in 1998 (1000) Males Females 85+ 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39

30-34 1020304050600 25-29 20-24 15-19 * 10-14 5-9 0-4 5 4 3 2 1 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 * see explanatory notes 543210 012345

Population concentrated in the national average. The average age of the three valleys population in the region is also above the national average. Comparing this with the Of all the Slovenian regions, Zasavska has geographically and economically similar the smallest population with only 46 000 Koroška region it is obvious that Koroška inhabitants (only 2.3% of the national pop- has proportionally more young people and ulation), however it is by far the most considerably fewer older people. densely settled region with 176 people per km2 as against the Slovenian average of There are no ethnic minorities in Zasavska, Main enterprises 98. but a substantial number of people from other parts of former Yugoslavia were Name Activity After reaching its peak in 1989, the popu- attracted to the region because of job ETI d.d. Glass products lation has been gradually decreasing since opportunities in mining and industry. Steklarna d.d. Hrastnik Glass products then, showing a 2.8% decline in the period However the percentage of non-Slovenes “Rudnik Trbovlje- Lignite mining 1990-1998. If other demographic indica- in the region’s population (12.7%) is only hrastnik d.o.o., tors are considered, then a further decline slightly above the national average Rudnik Hrastnik” can be expected in the coming years, as (12.2%). As a consequence of a severe “Rudnik Trbovlje- Lignite mining the mortality rate exceeds the birth rate, labour shortage especially in the mines, hrastnik d.o.o., and the number of births has dropped by their number increased by 85% between Rudnik Trbovlje” one third in the period 1985-1997. the 1981 and 1991censuses. Among the TET Trbovlje Electricity supply Furthermore, the region also has a nega- immigrants, the most numerous were Splošna bolnišnica Hospital activities tive migration balance, with people from Bosnians and Croats from mining areas in Trbovlje the region mostly migrating to Bosnia and . Svea Zagorje ob Savi Kitchen furniture Osrednjeslovenska or Savinjska. SGP Zasavje Construction Trbovlje d.d. The age structure of the region’s popula- Rudnik Zagorje v Lignite mining tion differs somewhat from the national zapiranju d.o.o. picture, as the percentage of people under STT strojegradnja Mining/quarrying the age of 25 is a little below the national d.d. Trbovlje machinery average, while the percentage of people over the age of 65 slightly exceeds the

28 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Little income generated from Gross value-added by sector - 1996 (%) Zasavska agriculture Slovenia 50 In the period between 1995 and 1998 aver- age net wages in Zasavska increased by 40 12.9% which was slightly below the national average. The highest increase was 30 recorded in the construction sector and non-commercial service activities, while it was the lowest in industry, mining and the 20 commercial services sectors.

10 In Zasavska, the average net monthly wage in October 1998 was 515 ECU, which was 4% below the national average. 0 Agriculture Energy Industry Building & Market Non-market Earnings in industry and mining were even construction services services above the national average, which to some extent can be explained by the high per- Mining and industry dominate centage of people employed in state mines tory in Zagorje ob Savi are important. who receive allowances for hardship con- the economy ditions. The relatively poorly developed Due to the region’s small population and services sector remains the furthest Apart from Koroška, Zasavska is the most the proximity of other, larger regional cen- behind the national average. industrialised region in Slovenia with the tres the services sector is relatively weak. largest share of gross value added (56.7%) Main services, including a regional hospital The region’s geography makes agricultural generated by the secondary sector and the and a high school centre, are largely con- development very limited, and therefore smallest share coming from the services centrated in Trbovlje, while other service there are few pure farming households. In sector (39.9%). The region’s dependency activities are of a local character, with the contrast to all other Slovenian regions, only on mining and industry is also reflected in exception of a small health resort in a few households in Zasavska are generat- its low per capita GDP, a figure which is Medijske toplice at the source of a thermal ing additional income from agriculture, lower only in Podravska and Pomurska. spring. mainly from animal husbandry (dairy and beef cattle, poultry). This characteristic The region’s economy is based on brown With only the Trbovlje mine due to operate makes the region the most “classical coal. Currently used primarily in the for two more decades, the gradual shut- industrial region of Slovenia” with the Trbovlje thermal power plant (188 MW), down of the coal-mines brings numerous majority of households completely depen- brown coal was also a decisive factor in problems and uncertainty to Zasavska, dent on monthly salaries and without any directing the course of the Vienna-Trieste which now must face these new chal- other significant source of income. railway through barely passable mountains lenges. The mines and the thermal power in the middle of the 19th century. Energy plant are owned by the state, therefore a intensive industries, parts of which are still large part of the shutdown costs and relat- in operation (glassworks, the production of ed economic restructuring will be covered inorganic chemicals in Hrastnik, and the by the national budget. Since this process cement factory in Trbovlje), were developed will result in a considerable surplus of due to the presence of coal in the second skilled labour and lead to state-run incen- half of the 19th century. The production of tives for new investment, Zasavska will machinery for use in the coal mines was offer favourable conditions for domestic started in Trbovlje after World War II. and foreign investors in the future, espe- Among industrial branches that are not cially in industry and small businesses. directly related to coal mining, the produc- tion of electrical insulation material in Izlake, the furniture industry and a lime fac-

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 29 eurostat Unemployment on the by the state, the shutdown and retraining Resident employment increase as mines close down of redundant labour will mostly be by sex (%) Male financed from the national budget and is 60 Female If the employment structure alone is con- not expected to cause additional unem- sidered, then Zasavska is the most indus- ployment. The unemployment rate is 50 trial region in Slovenia. Industry employs already very high in Zasavska (20.6%), and 59.1% of the workforce, while the share of is higher only in Podravska and Pomurska. 40 employees in the services sector is the During the 1980s unemployment was lowest in Slovenia (39.9%). Despite the almost unknown in the region and some dominance of mining and industry there workers also came from other regions and 30 are no large differences between male and even from other parts of the former female employment rates since several Yugoslavia. However, unemployment has 20 medium-size plants were established in been gradually increasing since 1994. the past by the state, employing women 10 from mining families. A further disadvantage faced by Zasavska is its extremely unfavourable unemploy- 0 Considerable employment difficulties are ment structure. While more than half of the 1988 1991 1994 1998 also alleviated by the 20% of the workforce unemployed are women, the worst prob- who daily commute to work outside the lems are a permanently high percentage of region, especially to Ljubljana, and the young people among the unemployed Unemployment (1 000) number of commuters more than doubled (almost a third are under the age of 26) and 5 during the 1991-1998 period. a high percentage of long-term unem- Nevertheless, Zasavska is the only region ployed (almost two thirds have been unem- in Slovenia where the number of employ- ployed for more than one year). Due to 4 Total ees actually decreased in the same period their rather low educational level, it will be by just over 10%. extremely difficult to retrain these people. 3 The gradual closing-down of Zasavska’s coal mines began in 1996, and should lead 2 to large changes in the employment struc- Female ture. Since all three of the mines as well as the Trbovlje thermal power plant are owned 1 < 26 years

Employment by sector (%) 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 80 Break in methodology 70 The Southern Railway divert- together with Pomurska, the lowest num- Industry ber in all of Slovenia. 60 ed for brown coal

50 Despite its position in central Slovenia, Zasavska has no airports; Ljubljana inter-

Services main traffic routes would have bypassed national airport is 75 km from Trbovlje. 40 the mountainous Zasavska region were it Plans were made to construct a navigable not for the region’s brown coal deposits. waterway through the Sava valley that 30 This was the only reason why the Southern would connect the Sava river basin with 20 Railway between Vienna and Trieste was the , but these were finally constructed through the picturesque but abandoned in the 1990s. 10 almost impassable Sava gorge. Zasavska’s Agriculture three main towns are situated only a few 0 kilometers away from the Sava valley, and 19881990 1992 1994 1996 1998 they depend on the railway more than other Slovenian towns.

Employment structure by residency - 1998 The region’s most important road connec- tion is the Ljubljana--Zidani Most road Residents running through the Sava valley. When the Non-residents Ljubljana-Celje motorway is constructed (due by 2004), the regional road running through Hrastnik-Trbovlje-Zagorje ob Savi- 92.51% Trojane will become the main connection between Zasavska and the Slovenian 75.7% motorway network.

Local paved or tarmacked roads connect all villages and isolated farmsteads in the mountains with towns in the valleys. Most of the residents commute daily to work by 7.49% car. The region has 15 700 passenger cars or 336 cars per 1 000 persons, which is,

30 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Surfaced public roads – 1997 air pollution in the most critical winter Utilities - 1997 months. All settlements are also connect- Zasavska Slovenia ed to a telephone network, however the Zasavska Slovenia telephone penetration rate is more than Length in km per km2 0.26 0.23 25% below the national average at 280 Dwellings connected to telephones per 1 000 inhabitants. water supply system (%) 98.8 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 population 1.4 2.4 Dwellings connected to sewerage system (%) 98.8 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 private passenger cars 4.3 6.1 Per capita consumption 3 % private passenger cars of water (m ) 64.2 71.9 in total number of vehicles 91 86 Telephone connections Number of accidental deaths per 1000 population 280 357 per 1 000 private passenger cars 0.8 0.5 Number of doctors per 1000 population 1.5 2.2 High rates of environmental Number of hospital beds pollution Current expenditure for per 1000 population 3.4 5.7 environmental protection - 1997 Due to its unfavourable terrain, charac- terised by narrow valleys, the region has Waste removal the most polluted environment in Slovenia. Air Furthermore this is already reflected in the Water local population’s health, where there are Nature & Landscape signs of deterioration due to prevailing environmental conditions. The main reason 2% 28% for this is brown coal with its high content of non-combustible substances and sul- phur.

Mining itself causes considerable environ- 38% 32% mental damage in the form of surface sub- sidence, large quantities of tailings and water pollution caused by coal screening. Nevertheless, the largest contributor to air pollution is the Trbovlje thermal power Educational and cultural infra- plant, the second largest source of sulphur structure rather weak dioxide (SO2) in Slovenia. The problem of the accumulation of harmful gases in the With regional development mainly centred narrow valleys was “solved” in the 1970s on mining and with the strong influence of by the construction of a 362 m high stack, near-by Ljubljana, Zasavska is among the however this only caused the dispersal of weakest regions in Slovenia in terms of the pollution over a wider area. SO2 con- education and culture. These activities centration levels commonly exceed critical have been dispersed among the three values, resulting in damaged forests and towns in the region during recent decades, danger to human health. although Trbovlje has been gradually taking a leading role. Apart from air pollution, rivers in Zasavska are also heavily polluted by untreated There is a high-school centre in Trbovlje municipal waste-water combined with with a grammar school and several other industrial and coal screening waste water. secondary and vocational schools. In Number of pupils - 1998 Zagorje ob Savi, there is a high-school for In terms of network connections, the electronics and catering. Many students Pre-school 1 050 majority of the population is connected to attend schools in Ljubljana and continue Primary 4 562 municipal water supply networks using their studies at Ljubljana University. Lower secondary 462 water sources from the surrounding moun- Higher secondary tains. Municipal waste is disposed without Zasavska has no important research insti- (vocational/general) 1 926 prior treatment in more or less adequately tutions. There is a regional general hospital Tertiary (higher education) 1 205 managed landfills, ash from the thermal in Trbovlje. power plant is disposed of in a special Total 9 205 landfill, while tailings are mostly used for Cultural institutions of regional importance filling the abandoned mine shafts. include workers’ associations in Trbovlje and Zagorje ob Savi with well developed All settlements in the region are connected amateur cultural activities, the Revir to the national electricity network. The Museum and a regional radio and televi- expansion of local natural gas networks sion station in Trbovlje. has already contributed to a reduction in

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 31 eurostat Spodnjeposavska

Historic frontier Spodnjeposavska is the second smallest region in Slovenia, situated in its south- eastern part where the Sava river, flowing from sub-Alpine mountains, enters the Pannonian Plain. In the east and south the region extends to the Croatian border. Before Slovenia gained its independence in 1991, most of the region was part of the wider metropolitan area of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.

This is a transitional region between forest- ed sub-Alpine mountains, reaching 1 023 m, where steep slopes can support only small villages and isolated farms, and a wider, cultivated plain at the confluence of the Sava, and Sotla rivers where cli- The Brežice plain on bank of the Sava River is a densely populated mosaic matic, cultural and other influences from of villages, fields and woods (Photograph: Karel Natek) the Pannonian Plain are felt. A belt of low wine-growing hills separates these two regions. Main indicators National level = 100 The towns of , , and Brežice were established in ancient 200 times around medieval castles on an important traffic route along the Sava river connecting Central and South-Eastern 150 Europe. The region’s favourable position along this traffic route and its good traffic by road and railway are still an advantage, spurring border-related service 100 activities after 1991 at two important road and railway border crossings. 50 The region is divided among the munici- palities of Sevnica, Krško and Brežice, all established in 1955. The municipalities 0 remained unchanged during the local self-

governance reform (1994) after Slovenia’s 65 Infant Population Age < 25 Age > Activity rate Activity rate EmploymentEmploymentEmployment Unemploy- Forested Per capita independence. Unemploy- area Agricultural mortality density (M + F) (F) in agriculturein industry in services ment (M + F)ment (F) area* GDP A historical peculiarity of the Spodnjeposavska region is the stable eth- Rival urban centres The considerable distance from Ljubljana nic boundary between Croats and (110 km) made Spodnjeposavska rather Slovenes, set on the Sotla river, which has Situated along the main Ljubljana-Zagreb peripheral when the state border was not changed since the railway and road, the region is easily established, separating it from Zagreb. So and which was also the south-eastern bor- accessible from central Slovenia and from far, however, it faces fewer difficulties than der of the Habsburg Empire for centuries. neighbouring Croatia. Its frontier position other Slovene border regions, which have This frontier has never represented an results in many jobs at border crossings. been affected by depopulation and declin- obstacle to cross-border economic coop- ing economic activity. eration which was especially reinforced Well developed service activities and dif- after World War II when Zagreb developed ferences in the economic structure of the More than in other Slovene regions, its fur- into one of the most important economic three urban centres (Sevnica, Krško, ther economic development depends on centres of the former Yugoslavia. The Brežice) mean that there is a variety of political and economic relations between Spodnjeposavska region - important as a employment options, while local high Slovenia and Croatia and on the open bor- source of workforce and electricity, as well schools provide an educated workforce der between the neighbouring countries, as an attractive recreational area - became with considerable employment possibili- which entails some degree of uncertainty. a part of Zagreb’s catchment area. While ties in their home region. This became the formation of a state border in 1991 especially evident after 1991 when the Apart from Koroška, Spodnjeposavska is interrupted some ties, such as the com- influx from Croatia of immigrants and com- the only region in Slovenia without a dis- muting of Slovene workers to Zagreb, new muters with high-school or university edu- tinctive regional centre. Instead, there are ones, such as trade activity along the bor- cation almost entirely dried up. two competing regional centres 12 km der, were established. apart. The older one, Brežice, was built

32 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Which regions are similar to Spodnjeposavska? Land use: 48% forest Caras-Severin (RO) Övre Norrland (S) Luxembourg (B) Age structure: 15% over 65 Calabria (I) Greater Manchester (UK) Lõuna-Eesti (EE) Population density: 80 inhabitants per km2 Nordjyllands amt (DK) Cuneo (I) Zala (HU)

Agriculture 1997 Number of private farms 6 027

Persons working in agriculture 1 737 around a strategically important mediaeval Total agricultural area (ha) 25 403 castle. Its primacy was challenged by Agricultural land use in 1997 (%) Krško’s faster economic development after Total livestock 62 559 World War II, especially after the nuclear Permanent grassland Cattle per 100 ha of total power plant was constructed in 1982. This Arable land dualism causes unnecessary duplication Permanent crops agricultural land 86.3 of some activities and slight tensions hin- dering communication within the region. Pigs per 100 ha of total agricultural land 151.6 The Krško nuclear power plant offers Main products - proportion of arable advantages and disadvantages. One of the 38.6% 51.1% most successful Slovene companies, it is a land devoted to production of: major employer of high-school and univer- Cereals 70.7 sity graduates. There are, however, envi- Sugar beet 2.2 ronmental concerns since an appropriate Fodder plants 18.9 site for a radioactive waste repository has Potatoes 5.5 not yet been found either in Slovenia or in 10.3% Croatia. Waste has thus been accumulat- ing in a temporary repository at the power plant. towns - Krško (population 7 070) and Sava a chain of hydroelectric power plants Brežice (population 6 880) - are situated is planned, including three power plants in Extensive water resources here. The Gorjanci range rises in the south- the Spodnjeposavska region. The plain is ern part of the region along the Croatian very rich in groundwater found in gravel The region covers 885 km2 (4.4% of border. It is an almost completely uninhab- and loam sediments, supplying the major- Slovenia) and can be divided into four ited, densely forested area. ity of the local population with drinking parts. Its northern and western parts con- water. The Čatež thermal spa was devel- sist of dissected sub-Alpine mountains The main natural resources are fertile land oped to exploit abundant wells of naturally with vast forests on steep slopes and mod- and an abundance of water in the plain, radioactive water with a temperature of up est agricultural possibilities. On the south- together with forests in the mountains. In to 62.5 °C, pumped from a depth of ern foothills of these mountains there is a Senovo, a small coal mine has been approximately 300 m. 10 km-wide belt of low hills with vineyards extracting brown coal since 1839, however, and orchards on sunny slopes. The town of it has been in the process of closing down Two thirds of the plain are covered with Sevnica (population 5 000) is situated in since 1995. Near Globoko there are unex- arable fields and one third with meadows. the Sava valley in the middle of this belt. ploited lignite deposits, while quartz sand Fields prevail on river terraces and at the The central part of the region is a plain (up and gravel are extracted at several sites. foot of the hilly area, while meadows pre- to 10 km wide) along the Sava, Krka and vail in more humid areas and on flood- Sotla rivers. This is the most densely pop- Among the three major rivers, the Krka and plains along the rivers. More than half of ulated part of the region with the most the Sotla are slow lowland rivers unsuitable the hilly area is covered with forest, with important agricultural areas. Both bigger for electricity production, while on the vineyards and orchards (5-10% of the area)

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 33 eurostat on sunny slopes. Fields and meadows pre- < 25 vail on other gentle slopes. In the moun- Population by age-groups (1 000) 25-65 tains, forests cover more than three-quar- > 65 ters of the area, the rest is covered with 40 meadows which are being gradually over- grown due to the abandonment of agricul- 32 ture. 24

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0 1981 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

Age-sex pyramid in 1998 (1000) Males Females 85+ 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39

30-34 1020304050600 25-29 20-24 15-19 * 10-14 5-9 0-4 5 4 3 2 1 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 * see explanatory notes 543210 012345

Homogenous but ageing pop- sons) during 1991-1997 can be attributed ulation to the emigration of the non-Slovene pop- ulation after Slovenia’s independence. The region’s population numbered 70 533 at the end of 1998. With 79.7 people per As in other parts of Slovenia, the percent- km2, the population density in the region is age of the population over 65 years of age below the Slovene average (97.6 people is increasing due to a considerable per km2). The average density has decrease in fertility in the 1990s. At the remained almost unchanged since 1971. same time, the percentage of younger Main enterprises However, it does not reflect the large differ- people has been decreasing. The share of ences between the densely populated younger people is close to the national Name Activity plain and the Sava valley, where all towns average, while the share of the population Lisca d.d. Sevnica Clothing and numerous larger villages are situated, over 65 is higher. Nuklearna elektrarna Electricity production on the one hand, and the extremely Krško d.o.o. sparsely populated mountains on the According to the population census from Jutranjka Sevnica Clothing other. Most mountain villages have lost half 1991, 8.2% of the population was of non- Terme Čatež Spa centres their population since World War II, and Slovene origin. Of this, one third were Labod Krško Clothing there is a continuing trend of emigration to Croats and the rest were immigrants from Kopitarna Sevnica d.d Footwear lower areas. other republics of the former Yugoslavia. Splošna bolnišnica Hospital activities The staff of the military airport at Cerklje Brežice The age structure of the population is ob Krki represented a considerable num- Pohištvo d.d. Brežice Furniture almost identical to the structure at the ber of non-Slovenes in the region and they “SŽ-Centralne Railway repair shops national level. Other demographic indica- left Slovenia together with their families delavnice Ljubljana, tors also indicate a stable population when the Yugoslav army retreated in the pro.” development. The population in the region autumn of 1991. As a result, despite the Lisca d.d. Sevnica Clothing decreased by 3.5% in the 1990-1998 peri- region’s location on the Croatian border, Šivalnica Senovo od. The natural increment is also almost there are no ethnic minorities. identical to the Slovene average, while the inter-regional migration balance was slightly negative in the 1991-1997 period. An absolute population decline (3 170 per-

34 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

one at the Obrežje border crossing. Gross value-added by sector - 1996 (%) Spodnjeposavska Slovenia 50 Industry is oriented predominantly towards the domestic market with the exception of the metal industry. Local industry was 40 spared major shocks after 1991 and adapted to new conditions relatively suc- 30 cessfully. Domestic private capital prevails, except for the pulp and paper mill in Krško where a Czech investor has been the 20 majority shareholder since 1997. Since the entire region is faced with a lack of capital 10 and new development schemes, it has not been able to carry out more radical restructuring. As a consequence, it is 0 Agriculture Energy Industry Building & Market Non-market already lagging behind more agile Slovene construction services services regions.

Slovenia’s nuclear power plant mill, and in Brežice a furniture factory and Taking into account the number of com- brickworks. Only the central workshops of Low wages mercial companies and generated value Slovene Railways in Dobova have added, the most important sector is indus- remained after 1995 from a once important After significant fluctuations of wages try, contributing 46.3% of value added, fol- metal industry. caused by high inflation rates at the end of lowed by the services sector (45%), energy the 1980s and in the early 1990s, resulting and agriculture. The nuclear power plant near Krško (691 in decreasing wages in real terms, wages MW power), built in 1982 with joint Slovene stabilized after 1992. Since then, they have Spodnjeposavska’s lowlands and hills are and Croatian capital, makes the region been gradually increasing, with the slowest among the most important agricultural very important for the Slovene electricity growth rates in industry and agriculture regions of Slovenia. Small farms prevail. In production sector. Negotiations have been and the fastest growth rates in the services the plain they focus on corn production (for taking place between the countries since and energy sectors. silage and grain), which is a basis for live- 1991 regarding the distribution of the stock (dairy and meat farms) and pig rais- plant’s ownership and liabilities. The power Average gross wages in the 1992-1998 ing and to a lesser extent poultry produc- plant used to cover one third of electricity period were 12% below the Slovene aver- tion. In the hilly area, wine production is needs in Slovenia and one fifth in Croatia, age, especially in the construction and the most important activity, especially which has been refusing to receive its agricultural sectors where they were more around and at the foothills of the share of electricity since 1998. There is a than 20% below average. In contrast to Gorjanci. Fruit growing (apples) is also gas-steam power plant in Brestanica with this, wages in the energy sector were actu- important. In the 1990s, strawberry pro- a nominal power of 95 MW, used to pro- ally 25% above the national average for the duction expanded substantially in the vide additional power during peak con- sector. plain, while in Čatež ob Savi flowers and sumption periods. Its operation is based pot plants are grown in greenhouses heat- on the use of gasoline and natural gas. Wage inequalities between men and women ed with natural thermal water. are comparable to the national average. The Within the service sector, the most impor- largest inequalities are found in the work- Industry is concentrated in towns along the tant activities are trade, with small private force categories of ‘unskilled’, ‘skilled’ and main railway. Medium-size companies with companies prevailing, and tourism con- ‘highly educated’ where women are paid 200 - 300 employees prevail. In Sevnica, trolled by the Terme Čatež company. Trade almost 20% less than men. Within the textile industry predominates (ladies’ is noticeably concentrated in Brežice; region, there are no striking wage inequali- underwear and clothes, children’s clothes), since 1991, two shopping malls adapted to ties with the exception of Krško, which has while in Brestanica there is a packaging demands of Croatian customers have a higher share of employees in the energy plant, in Krško there is a pulp and paper been built - one in Brežice and the other sector receiving higher wages.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 35 eurostat Shift from industry to services tions, finance services and business ser- Resident employment vices (26.6%) and public administration, by sex (%) Male Immediately after World War II, self-suffi- education, health and other public, com- 60 Female cient agriculture with small market surplus- munity service and personal service activi- es prevailed, employing one half of the ties (19.6%). The region’s share of employ- 50 active population. The non-agrarian popu- ees in the last two sectors is below the lation, employed in industry, mining and national average, while the share of 40 the services sector, lived only in towns. employees in agriculture/forestry (6.2%) Rapid industrialisation in the 1950s and and energy (4.5%) sectors is above the 1960s spurred intensive emigration from national average. 30 rural areas to nearby towns with satisfac- tory employment possibilities in labour- During the period 1991-1998, radical 20 intensive industrial branches. A higher changes occurred in the employment standard of living and the widespread use structure - the share of employees in 10 of cars caused rural depopulation and an industry and mining dropped from 51.1% abandonment of farming, resulting in the to 35.1% as unprofitable companies 0 formation of households with a combined closed down after the transition to a mar- 1988 1991 1994 1998 source of income, i.e. income from agricul- ket economy. Part of the redundant work- ture plus one or more family members force joined self-employment schemes employed in other sectors. In the 1990s the while the rest sought work in service activ- Unemployment (1 000) share of the farming population dropped ities. The number of employees in the ser- 6 below 7%, resulting in the non-farming vices sector in the period 1991-1998

population being in the majority even in increased from 7 300 to 10 700 while their Total rural areas. share increased from 35.6% to 46.2%. 5 Almost all employees are employed full- Of the active population (27 900 in 1998 time. After 1991 the share of people 4 which represents an activity rate of employed for a limited period of time 49.6%), 46% are women which is equal to increased, amounting to one fifth of all 3 the Slovene average. Industry and mining employees. Female employ the largest share of employees (35.1%), followed by trade, hotels and A 60% increase in unemployment in the 2 restaurants, transport and communica- period 1991-1998 can be attributed almost entirely to the discharging of redundant 1 < 26 years workers in industry and mining, so that the Employment by sector (%) unemployment rate in the region (17.3% of 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 70 the active population) is above the Slovene Break in methodology average (14.2%). Among the unemployed, 60 49% are women and as many as 63% are long-term unemployed; all these values are A 52 km long section of the Ljubljana- 50 Industry very close to the national average. Zagreb railway built in 1862 runs through the region. This double-track electrified 40 Services Especially worth mentioning is the planned railway is also the most important connec- retraining of former miners from the tion between Croatia and other countries 30 Senovo coal mine, financed from the in South-Eastern Europe and Central national budget as part of the mine shut- Europe. In Sevnica, the single-track local 20 down programme. railway Sevnica- branches off from the main railway. 10 Agriculture Extensive road network In there is a large military 0 airport, which belonged to the former 19881990 1992 1994 1996 1998 Due to its position along the Sava traffic Yugoslav army, and is now partly used by route, the region is characterized by easy the Slovene army. The nearest civil airport access in an international and interregion- is Zagreb airport 45 km away, while Employment structure by residency - 1998 al sense. Among major roads (totalling 291 Ljubljana airport is 140 km away. km), the most important are the E70 Residents Ljubljana-Zagreb road (planned to be con- Rivers in the region are not navigable. Non-residents structed as a motorway by 2004), the -Krško-Sevnica-Zidani Most-Celje road and the regional road Brežice- 94.40% through the Sotla valley. Besides these roads, there is - especially in lowland 75.7% and hilly parts of the region - a dense net- work of local, almost entirely paved roads. All villages in the mountainous part of the region are accessible by road.

There are 25 100 passenger cars in the 5.60% region – 356 cars per 1 000 persons, which is slightly below the national average.

36 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Surfaced public roads – 1997 Utilities - 1997 The majority of households in towns and in Spodnjeposavska Slovenia rural areas are connected to a fixed tele- Spodnjeposavska Slovenia phone network, while the whole area is Length in km per km2 0.25 0.23 also covered with analogue and digital sys- Dwellings connected to tems of mobile telephony. water supply system (%) 96.7 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 population 3.1 2.4 Dwellings connected to sewerage system (%) 96.7 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 private passenger cars 8.7 6.1 Per capita consumption 3 % private passenger cars of water (m ) 50.8 71.9 in total number of vehicles 86 86 Telephone connections Number of accidental deaths per 1000 population 286 357 per 1 000 private passenger cars 1.5 0.5 Number of doctors per 1000 population 1.3 2.2 Water pollution from industry Number of hospital beds and sewage Current expenditure for per 1000 population 2.1 5.7 environmental protection - 1997 The most serious environmental problem is considerable pollution of all three major Waste removal rivers (Sava, Sotla and Krka). In particular, Air renovated former Cistercian monastery, the border river Sotla is heavily polluted Water and a nearby permanent open-air exhibi- throughout the year with municipal and Other tion of wooden sculptures known as Forma industrial waste-water, while the Sava car- viva. ries the burden of industrial waste-water 94% from most of Slovenia. After the construc- tion of the chain of hydroelectric power plants on the Sava river, a considerable reduction of this pollution is planned.

1% 4% Thanks to Spodnjeposavska’s open posi- 1% tion and frequent winds, air pollution is low. Higher sulphur dioxide pollution levels appear only during temperature inversion periods in the winter months in the area Well-developed infrastructure around Krško. Brežice is among the smaller Slovene high- The Krško nuclear power plant has been school centres with a grammar school, and operating without major problems; emis- a high-school of economics. The technical sions are within legal limit values. high-school is in Krško. Students continue their university and post-graduate studies Of 24 500 housing units, 99.1% are con- at Ljubljana University. nected to the public electricity network and 96.6% to the drinking water supply A general hospital was built in Brežice in network, while 96.7% are connected to 1872 for the entire region, while for spe- sewerage systems or have their own septic cialist treatment people are directed to the tanks. The water supply is satisfactory; all hospital and the Ljubljana larger settlements are connected to the Medical Centre. The Terme Čatež spa is a public water supply network, while smaller health resort and recreational centre spe- villages in the mountains are supplied from cialised in healing rheumatism and dis- Number of pupils - 1998 local or private water supply networks. The eases of the female reproductive organs. situation regarding sewerage is less Primary health care is carried out by health Pre-school 2 114 favourable since septic tanks prevail in centres in Brežice, Krško and Sevnica, by Primary 7 213 individual houses, while sewerage systems several health stations in smaller settle- Lower secondary 696 were built in all towns, however without ments and, since 1991 by an increasing Higher secondary wastewater treatment plants. All settle- number of private medical and dental clin- (vocational/general) 2 996 ments are also included in the collection of ics. Tertiary (higher education) 1 684 municipal waste which is disposed off untreated at the municipal landfill. Only 3% Brežice is also a regional cultural centre Total 14 703 of waste is recycled. with a regional museum in the 16th centu- ry Rennaissance castle, a library and a A natural gas pipeline, from Rogaška local radio station. Krško and Sevnica are Slatina to Novo mesto, crosses the region. also smaller culture centres. Kostanjevica Apart from larger industrial consumers, na Krki is a picturesque little town on the some residential districts in Krško and in the Krka river with the Gorjup Sevnica are also connected to the pipeline. Gallery, the Božidar Jakac Gallery in the

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 37 eurostat Dolenjska

South-east European influence Dolenjska region is situated in the south- eastern part of Slovenia in a transitional area between forested Dinaric Mountains and gently undulating hills on the extreme south-western margin of the Pannonian Plain. Despite relatively low altitudes, the plain is not extensive, mostly along the middle reach of the Krka river where the regional centre Novo mesto is situated. The landscape is characterised by low, rolling hills with numerous clustered villages and churches on hilltops. Relatively sparse water sources and surface streams reflect the karst character of the limestone area, where rainwater disappears underground, although the karst phenomena are not as spectacular as in the Dinaric Mountains. Hilltop church in Trška , surrounded by scattered plots of vineyards, orchards and fields (Photograph: Karel Natek) The extreme south-eastern part of the region, between the forested Gorjanci range and the Kolpa river on the Croatian Main indicators border, is called Bela . This is an National level = 100 atypical part of Slovenia featuring land- scape and cultural characteristics of near- 200 by south-eastern Europe. During the expansion of the Ottoman Empire in the 15th and 16th centuries, many refugees, 150 the so-called , found refuge in this area, and in some villages they have pre- served their and ortho- dox religion until today. 100

From 1335 until the end of World War I, the whole Dolenjska region was part of the 50 duchy of , a part of the Habsburg monarchy. Today the region is divided among 10 municipalities, of which Novo 0 mesto, covering more than one third of the

region, is the largest municipality by area in 65 Infant Population Age < 25 Age > Activity rate Activity rate EmploymentEmploymentEmployment Unemploy- Forested Per capita Slovenia, outranking even Ljubljana in Unemploy- area Agricultural terms of area. mortality density (M + F) (F) in agriculturein industry in services ment (M + F)ment (F) area* GDP

The Ljubljana-Zagreb (due to be Agricultural region with upgraded to a motorway by 2004) runs Consequently, the region’s automobile, through central Dolenjska, making these successful industry pharmaceutical and other light industry two places easily accessible. The railway has been very successful by Slovenian connecting Ljubljana to Croatia runs As early as the second half of the 19th cen- standards, especially in Novo mesto, through Novo mesto. Because of its tury when industrialisation began, this part which is developing into a regional centre peripheral position in south-east of Slovenia was considered undeveloped. of growing importance, with ambitions to Dolenjska, Bela krajina will also remain at a In the socialist period after World War II become a supra-regional centre. distance from the Slovenian motorway some (especially marginal) parts of the system in the future. region were exempt from development The advantage which central parts of the schemes for political reasons. This caused region have is their favourable location intensive depopulation, accompanied by along the Ljubljana – Zagreb motorway farmland reverting to forest, especially in (currently under construction), giving good the karst area of Suha krajina on either side access from all directions and relatively of the upper Krka valley. good traffic links within the region. Bela krajina, however, which is separated from However, this lack of economic develop- the rest of the region by the Gorjanci ment “saved” Dolenjska from the presence mountain range, remains peripheral in of heavy industry, a sector which has been spite of rail and road links. facing severe problems in all other regions since Slovenia’s independence. Bela krajina is also economically weak,

38 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Which regions are similar to Dolenjska? Age structure: 34% under 25 Pays de la Loire (F) Vorarlberg (A) (EE) Land use: 61% forest Östra Mellansverige (S) (E) Uusimaa (FIN) Employment structure: 54% industry Pernik (BG) Trenciansky (SK) Norte (P) 48%

Agriculture 1997 Number of private farms 8 799

Persons working in agriculture 2 393

Total agricultural area (ha) 39 774 divided between two local centres of equal importance and lacking natural resources Agricultural land use in 1997 (%) Total livestock 71 932 of any worth. An additional problem is also Permanent grassland the fact that it an economically Arable land Cattle per 100 ha of total underdeveloped region of neighbouring Permanent crops agricultural land 98.7 Croatia from where no developmental impetus can be expected. Pigs per 100 ha of total agricultural land 48.7 The entire region faces a considerable problem in the agricultural sector, mainly 41.6% Main products - proportion of arable due to the prevalence of small farms with land devoted to production of: widely scattered plots, and in some parts 51.5% Cereals 49.2 also due to the karst terrain which prevents Sugar beet 0.2 the introduction of modern farming meth- Fodder plants 42.5 ods. On the other hand, problems relating Potatoes 6.4 to a previously severe shortage of drinking 6.9% water have been overcome almost every- where in the region.

Undulating karst landscape Almost a quarter of Dolenjska is comprised upper Krka valley (1 100); Črnomelj (5 700) with few natural resources of Bela krajina, a large, low-lying karst and (3 200) in Bela krajina. with altitudes between 160-200 m, Dolenjska region covers 1 684 km2 (8.3% which is quite sparsely populated due to Dolenjska’s fertile soil (agricultural land of the national territory) and is, in spite of its poor soils. covers 23.6% of the region) and forest, its relatively low altitude, the third most which covers three fifths of the region, are sparsely populated Slovenian region. In The climate is moderately continental with both of economic importance to the the west it extends into the Dinaric average temperatures between –1.3°C region. Quartz sand extraction on several Mountains, containing the vast, complete- (January) and 19.4°C (July) and annual pre- sites is also worth mentioning, while the ly uninhabited Kočevski (1 099 m) and cipitation between 1 000-1 200 mm, falling Kanižarica brown coal mine has been Poljanska gora (864 m) mountain ranges, mostly in the summer months. gradually winding down its operation since and the sparsely populated Suha krajina 1995. , dotted with only a few small Extensive plains are found in the Novo villages. Other parts of the region are char- mesto Basin along the Krka river where Near Novo mesto, natural thermal water acterised by an undulating, partially karst more than one third of the region’s popula- abounds in two locations, and has led to landscape with a colourful mosaic of tion is settled. Novo mesto (population the development of health resorts. fields, meadows and vineyards around 22 500), the regional centre, is situated Otherwise, surface water and springs are clustered villages, mostly inhabited by no here. Other local centres are Trebnje on the relatively sparse due to the permeable more than 100 people. river (3 100); Žužemberk in the bedrock. Thanks to their clean water, the

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 39 eurostat region’s largest rivers, the Krka and Kolpa, < 25 are popular for leisure pursuits and fishing. Population by age-groups (1 000) 25-65 In the northern part of its course the > 65 Temenica river disappears twice and reap- 60 pears again on its way towards the Krka 50 valley.

40

30

20

10

0 1981 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

Age-sex pyramid in 1998 (1000) Males Females 85+ 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39

30-34 1020304050600 25-29 20-24 15-19 * 10-14 5-9

012345 0-4 0 1 2 3 4 5 * see explanatory notes 543210 012345

Low population density and a decreased by slightly over 20%. lot of young people The age structure of the population is also At the end of 1998, the population of favourable compared to the national aver- Dolenjska numbered 105 000, or 5.3% of age. Dolenjska has the highest percentage the national population, which is a small of population below the age of 25 (34.4%) number considering the region’s surface and the second smallest percentage above area and economic potential. With 63 peo- the age of 65 (12.6%), with the percentage ple per km2, Dolenjska is among the most of older people smaller only in Koroška. Main enterprises sparsely settled regions in Slovenia, with Nevertheless, the region’s younger popula- population density lower only in the tion decreased by 7.8% in the 1990-1998 Name Activity Goriška and Notranjsko-kraška regions. In period, while its older population increased d.d. Novo mesto Motor vehicles comparison with other regions, the popu- by as much as 27.7% in the same period. It Krka Novo mesto d.d. Pharmaceutical products lation is relatively evenly distributed is also worth mentioning that in all munici- Iskra kondenzatorji Electronic components throughout the region, ranging between 45 palities the average age of the population d.d. Semič and 75 people per km2. There is a slightly is below the national average. Danfoss Compressors Electrical equipment higher density in the urban municipality of d.o.o. Črnomelj Novo mesto due to the concentration of Non-Slovenes native to the region include Splošna bolnišnica Hospital activities the population in the Novo mesto Basin (83 gypsies around Novo mesto and in Bela Novo mesto people per km2). krajina, and orthodox Serbs in three vil- Novoles d.d. Straža Furniture lages near the Kolpa river. According to the CP Novo mesto d.o. Civil engineering Dolenjska also differs from other regions 1991 census, the percentage of non- “Krka Novo mesto Pharmaceutical R & D through having had slow but steady popu- Slovene immigrants and their descendants d.d., Institut” lation growth during the 1990-1998 period, was 9.9%, showing a slight change from Konfekcija Komet Clothing in the main due to having the highest birth the 1981 census. The most numerous of Metlika d.d. rate among the Slovenian regions, a low these immigrants are Croats, numbering Trimo Trebnje Metal products mortality rate (lower than the birth rate) over a third of the total. and a considerable surplus in its migratory balance. The number of births is also declining more slowly than in other regions, as in the 1985-1997 period it

40 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Slovenia was reduced due to the establish- Gross value-added by sector - 1996 (%) Dolenjska ment of the Croatian border. As a result, Slovenia Novo mesto reinforced its position consid- 40 erably as a regional centre. Its main ser- vices include the regional hospital, a large high school centre with a wide array of 30 educational programmes, and a trade and banking sector. Tourism is also an impor- tant activity, especially in Otočec and at 20 the health resorts of and Šmarješke Toplice which were established near natural thermal springs. 10

0 Agriculture Energy Industry Building & Market Non-market construction services services

Rapid transition from an Earnings are a positive feature undeveloped to an economi- meadows and pastures are now being In the period between 1995 and 1998 aver- cally successful region overgrown by forests. age net wages in Dolenjska increased by 13.6% which equals the national average. Dolenjska can be placed among Slovenia’s At the end of the Second World War, The highest increases in salaries were most successful regions economically, Dolenjska was economically undeveloped recorded in the construction and industry ranking fourth (after Osrednjeslovenska, with a surplus of workers and little industry. sectors, while they were slightly lower in Obalno-kraška and Goriška) according to The local workforce was the basis for the the services sector. generated GDP per capita. The driving development of the textile industry in Novo force of the region’s economic develop- mesto and Metlika, followed in the 1960s The average net monthly wage earned ment is industry, generating 47.6% of the by the arrival of the electronics industry in here in 1998 was 525 ECU, a figure which region’s gross value added, while the share smaller towns such as Semič. Today, the is the highest among regions in eastern coming from the services sector is sub- three main pillars of Dolenjska and Bela Slovenia and only 2% below the national stantially below the national average krajina’s economy are Krka (pharmacy) average. Relatively high wages can primar- (45.2%). The contribution of agriculture is and Revoz (cars) in Novo mesto and ily be attributed to successful companies almost twice the national average (7.2%). Danfoss (compressors) in Črnomelj. These working in industry (478 ECU) and con- companies are also among the region’s struction (496 ECU) where the salaries In terms of agriculture, the region is char- most successful large companies and are paid even exceed the national averages for acterised by mixed farming with a slight major exporters at the national level. both branches. By contrast, in the service bias towards dairy and beef cattle farming. sector earnings are slightly below the In some parts of eastern Dolenjska and on The Krka pharmaceutical company is pri- national average, both in market services hills surrounding Bela krajina, fruit (apples, vately owned by Slovenian investors and (551 ECU) and non-market services (614 pears) and wine growing are important. has, apart from the country’s two main uni- ECU). Due to the unfavourable natural conditions versities, the strongest research and devel- (stony, mostly uneven terrain), almost all opment team in the country. The other two Monthly wages represent more than a half land remained in private ownership during factories are owned by foreign investors: of all household incomes, while one third the socialist period, resulting in numerous Revoz operates as a member of the comes from pensions and other social small farms and plots. This reduces the group, while Danfoss is owned by insurance sources. While most of the economic efficiency of farms on the one Danish investors. farms in the region are not market-oriented hand, but importantly contributes to land- and characterised by low productivity, they scape variety on the other. In marginal, hilly After Slovenia gained its independence, are of great importance for many mixed areas, as farming is abandoned, former the direct impact of Zagreb on eastern farmer-employee households as an addi- tional source of income from farming, either as the production of food for own consumption or for sale at local market.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 41 eurostat Increasing employment percentage coming from neighbouring Resident employment opportunities Spodnjeposavska and from Croatia. The by sex (%) Male majority of those working do so on a full- 60 Female From its post-war position of a poor agri- time basis, although not all of them have cultural region, Dolenjska experienced permanent contracts, as almost 25% of 50 intensive industrialisation after 1960 and employees have temporary contracts. today it is one of the most economically 40 successful Slovenian regions. The main With unemployment running at just over driving force of dynamic development is 10%, it causes fewer problems in the region’s industry, which is also reflect- Dolenjska than elsewhere in Slovenia, and 30 ed in the employment structure with indus- it is lower only in Osrednjeslovenska and in try employing the largest proportion of the Goriška. The unemployment rate increased 20 workforce (54.2%). In fact, this share is most rapidly during the transition to a mar- exceeded only in the mining and industrial ket economy (it more than doubled 10 regions of Zasavska and Koroška. On the between 1990-1993). After it reached a other hand, the percentage of the work- peak in 1996, it then decreased by more 0 force employed in the service sector than 25%. It is also interesting that the 1988 1991 1994 1998 (40.7%) is relatively low, and again it is share of young people among the jobless lower only in the aforementioned regions. is the smallest in Slovenia, in part due to Agriculture and forestry employ 5.1% of employers tending to employ a younger Unemployment (1 000) the workforce. workforce when they expand their activi- 7 ties. On a less positive note, more than two During the years of great structural change thirds of the unemployed have been seek- 6 following Slovenia’s independence, there ing employment for more than one year. Total was an initial decline in the region’s indus- 5 try and the number of employees decreased by more than 25%. Since then, 4 employment has risen by almost 13%, whereas at the national level it has 3 Female decreased by almost 2%. Despite such an increase, almost all the workforce comes 2 from the home region, with only a small 1 < 26 years Employment by sector (%) 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 70 Break in methodology 60 Easy access from all directions Dolenjska has a relatively dense network of local, partly unpaved roads. There are 39 50 Industry Dolenjska is situated on the 10th European 000 passenger cars in Dolenjska or 368 traffic corridor, the -- cars per 1 000 persons which is almost 40 Ljubljana-Zagreb- route, which is equal to the national average. Services the most important traffic route connecting 30 Western and Central Europe with South- The main Ljubljana-Zagreb railway line was eastern Europe and the Middle East. The constructed through the Sava valley and 20 road from Ljubljana to Zagreb via Novo therefore bypassed Dolenjska. mesto, constructed between 1947-1958 as Nevertheless, the region has 91 km of sin- 10 Agriculture part of the most important traffic route in gle railway track. The -Novo the former Yugoslavia, brought great mesto track was constructed in 1894 and 0 changes to the region which at that time was extended in 1914 to Metlika and 19881990 1992 1994 1996 1998 had poor links with other regions. This sec- Karlovac (Croatia). There is also a local tion is a part of the E70 Venice-Ljubljana- track between Trebnje and Sevnica. Zagreb-Belgrad road and there are plans Employment structure by residency - 1998 to upgrade it to a motorway by 2004. There are no airports in Dolenjska, and Ljubljana international airport is 90 km Residents Other important roads include the main from Novo mesto. Rivers in the region are Non-residents highway from Novo mesto to Metlika and not navigable. on to Karlovac (Croatia), which is the main connection between Bela krajina and the

92.66% rest of Slovenia, the regional road Trebnje- Sevnica through the valley and the 75.7% Ivančna Gorica-Žužemberk-Črnomelj regional road through the picturesque Krka valley.

7.34%

42 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Surfaced public roads – 1997 national electricity network, while natural Utilities - 1997 gas is supplied only in Novo mesto. The Dolenjska Slovenia region has 319 telephone lines per 1 000 Dolenjska Slovenia inhabitants, which is 11% below the Length in km per km2 0.23 0.23 national average. Several smaller, remote Dwellings connected to settlements still have no telephone con- water supply system (%) 95.1 97.6 Length in km per nection. 1 000 population 3.7 2.4 Dwellings connected to sewerage system (%) 95.1 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 private passenger cars 9.9 6.1 Per capita consumption 3 % private passenger cars of water (m ) 57.5 71.9 in total number of vehicles 82 86 Telephone connections Number of accidental deaths per 1000 population 319 357 per 1 000 private passenger cars 0.3 0.5 Number of doctors per 1000 population 2.1 2.2 Relatively well preserved Number of hospital beds environment Current expenditure for per 1000 population 4.8 5.7 environmental protection - 1997 Due to its dispersed settlements, hills and late industrialisation, the environment in Waste removal Dolenjska is relatively well preserved. Noise stations. The Bela krajina regional museum Although there are no large sources of Air and the Fire Fighting Museum are located Water harmful gases, sulphur dioxide (SO2) and in Metlika castle. The Pleterje Carthusian black smoke concentrations tend to Other monastery, established in 1136, is also very increase in the autumn and winter months 67% important for Slovenian culture. in larger settlements, due, in particular, to household heating. 1% Most farms are small with extensive or moderately intensive production but 21% 9% despite there being no large livestock 2% farms in the area, the contribution of agri- culture to environmental pollution is not negligible because large parts of the region are karst areas with highly perme- Everything in the regional able bedrock. centre Novo mesto Most at risk are the surface waters Although the population of Novo mesto because of their weak self-purification exceeded 5 000 people only at the begin- capacity in karst areas. This is especially ning of the 1950s, it was already an impor- so for the Krka which receives most of its tant cultural centre in the 19th century, water from karst springs fed by water from thanks in particular to a grammar school higher karst areas constantly threatened established in 1746 which still exists today. by water pollution. A severe environmental Novo mesto also has a high-school centre disaster occurred in the 1980s on the karst with numerous educational programmes river, the , in Bela krajina. The river, a on the high school and vocational school major source of drinking water for the levels, as well as a technical school of entire Bela krajina region, was polluted to mechanical engineering. There is also a toxic levels by PCBs from the inadequate- smaller high-school centre in Črnomelj. ly managed landfill near a factory produc- Number of pupils - 1998 ing condensers. After the landfill site was In recent years, the successful and finan- properly contained, pollution levels cially strong industrial community in the Pre-school 3 370 decreased considerably. region has been advocating the idea of Primary 12 048 establishing a completely new university Lower secondary 1 063 Larger settlements are connected to the centre in Novo mesto. Higher secondary municipal water supply networks, which (vocational/general) 4 931 are fed by several major karst springs. In There is a regional general hospital in Novo Tertiary (higher education) 2 973 remote karst areas, people use water from mesto. Health services are also provided in rainwater tanks. An important source of thermal health resorts in Dolenjske Toplice Total 24 385 water pollution in the region is due to and Šmarješke Toplice. municipal waste-water leaking out through septic tanks in rural areas, while in larger Cultural attractions in Novo mesto include settlements it is only partially cleaned by the Dolenjska Museum with its rich collec- treatment plants. tions of items from the Bronze and Iron Ages, the Dolenjska Gallery, a study library, All settlements are connected to the as well as two local radio and television

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 43 eurostat Osrednjeslovenska

Home to Slovenia’s capital The largest Slovenian region by size and population extends down through Slovenia from the Austrian border in the north to the Kolpa river on the Croatian border in the south. Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, is situated in the large , and forms the economic and population nucle- us of the country. Ljubljana was estab- lished on the site of the Roman settlement of , and nowadays sits at the junc- tion of two of Slovenia’s most important traffic routes. From the 14th century, it was the capital of the Carniola duchy. Since the 19th century, it has been a cultural capital for all Slovenes, scattered among five Habsburg hereditary lands as they were at that time, and also one of the nation’s uni- Ljubljana - winter in the older part of the capital beside the River below fying forces. Today, the region is divided the medieval castle (Photograph: Jerneja Fridl) between 30 municipalities.

The region has a rich diversity of land- Main indicators scape arching around the densely populat- National level = 100 ed and economically strong eastern part of the Ljubljana Basin. To the north are the 200 high Kamnik and Savinja Alps with several peaks over 2 000 m. The and Sava subalpine mountains are situated 150 to the west and east, while to the south are the vast , offering a rich diversity of swamp and marsh-land habi- tats. Densely forested Dinaric karst, one of 100 the last Central European refuges of , and , rises abruptly from the southern border of the Ljubljana marshes. 50 This karst area with no springs nor surface water consists mostly of forested mountain ranges, with the majority of its population 0 living in the fertile “” (broad depres-

sions in karst area with flat and fertile bot- 65 Infant Population Age < 25 Age > Activity rate Activity rate EmploymentEmploymentEmployment Unemploy- Forested Per capita tom surrounded by forested mountains) Unemploy- area Agricultural between them. mortality density (M + F) (F) in agriculturein industry in services ment (M + F)ment (F) area* GDP

In the 14th century, local feudal lords The pull of the capital colonised the karst area around the town large catchment area of Ljubljana with its of Kočevje with farmers from southern and population of over half a million, which central Germany. They cleared vast forests The most obvious advantages of this makes Ljubljana and its surrounding area and preserved their language and culture region are its favourable position at the the most attractive Slovenian region for through the centuries, until they “voluntar- crossroads of the main transport routes investment in service activities. Many ily” migrated to the Brežice area in what and the presence of the of activities of national importance are also today is Spodnjeposavska region, which Ljubljana. After Slovenia gained its inde- situated in the capital, such as the univer- had at the time been annexed by the pendence, probably too many decision- sity, research institutes and the medical German Reich, during the 1941-1942 peri- making functions, key governmental activ- centre, as well as the various departments od. After the end of World War II, their ities and other services of national impor- of the state administration, the majority of abandoned villages and fields were gradu- tance were concentrated in Ljubljana, whose employees work in the capital. It is, ally overgrown by woodland. which may not be the most appropriate therefore, hardly surprising that the active alternative to the former socialist model of population rate is above the national aver- multi-centred development. In a European age, that almost one third of all people context, Ljubljana is only a medium-sized employed in the country live here, that town, but nevertheless there is easy average wages and purchasing power are access to it from abroad as well as from the highest in Slovenia and that the unem- most of Slovenia. ployment rate is well below the national average. The other advantage the region has is the

44 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Which regions are similar to Osrednjeslovenska? Employment structure: 33% industry (D) Småland med öarna (S) Lääne-Eesti (EE) Area: 3 546 km2 Kent CC (UK) (I) (LV) Population: 515 294 inhabitants Ain (F) Hannover, Kreisfreie Stadt (D) (RO)

Agriculture 1997 Number of private farms 11 802

Persons working in agriculture 6 030

Total agricultural area (ha) 75 017 On the negative side, the decline of eco- nomic power in the south-eastern part of Agricultural land use in 1997 (%) Total livestock 186 704 the region and environmental difficulties Permanent grassland and traffic jams in the capital are worth Arable land Cattle per 100 ha of total mentioning. The rapid development of Permanent crops agricultural land 118.5 Ljubljana has also caused intensive sub- urbanisation of neighbouring municipali- Pigs per 100 ha of total ties, mostly those fringing the city to the agricultural land 113.6 north, causing, among other effects, increasing economic differentiation 72.4% Main products - proportion of arable between suburban areas north and south land devoted to production of: of the capital. 1.2% Cereals 33.0 Sugar beet 0.1 Fodder plants 57.0 Potatoes 7.6 26.4% In the heart of Slovenia

Covering 3 546 km2 (17.5% or more than majority of the region’s farmland and (population 267 000), Domžale (11 600), one sixth of the national territory), this is almost 75% of the region’s population. The Kamnik (12 100) and (7 100). Litija the largest Slovenian region consisting of fourth part of the region consists of most- (6 400) is located in the Sava valley and four different parts. Its largest southern ly forested subalpine mountains, slightly other towns, such as Grosuplje (6 000), part is the Dinaric karst, a region of pre- over 1 000 m in height – the Polhov Gradec (9 300), Kočevje (9 200) and dominantly forested karst mountains, Mountains to the west of Ljubljana and the (7 200) are in poljes in the south- extending from the Ljubljana Basin in the Sava Mountains to the east. ern part of the region. north to the Kolpa river on the Croatian border in the south. Most of the settle- The climate is moderately continental with Osrednjeslovenska has no ore or fossil fuel ments and agricultural land are located in average temperatures between –1.1°C deposits. The largest river is the Sava with poljes between the mountains, and of (January) and 19.9°C (July) and annual pre- two hydroelectric plants installed to date, these the Kočevjepolje (73 km2) is the cipitation between 1 300-1 800 mm, falling while other rivers in the northern part are largest in Slovenia. in all seasons but predominantly in the not suitable for energy production due to autumn. Temperature inversion accompa- their torrential character. The southern In the extreme northern part of the region nied by fog is common in the Ljubljana karst part of the region has only a few there are the Kamnik and Savinja Alps (the Basin (on average 120 days annually), areas of surface water. The western part highest peak, Grintovec, 2 558 m). The while snow cover lasts 55-65 days a year. belongs to the Ljubljanica river basin, while Ljubljana Basin, filled with gravel sedi- the south-eastern parts drain mostly ments, is situated between the Dinaric The majority of towns are situated in the underground into the Kolpa and Krka karst and Alpine mountains. It contains the Ljubljana Basin, including Ljubljana itself rivers.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 45 eurostat < 25 Population by age-groups (1 000) 25-65 300 > 65

250

200

150

100

50

0 1981 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

Age-sex pyramid in 1998 (1000) Males Females 85+ 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39

30-34 1020304050600 25-29 20-24 15-19 * 10-14 5-9

2025 0510 0-4 0 5 20 1025 * see explanatory notes 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 5 10 15 20 25

No further concentration of commuting daily to work in the capital has reinforcement of political and economic the population anticipated enlarged substantially to include some ties with other countries. As a result, at the municipalities from neighbouring regions. beginning of 1999, more than 25% of all More than a quarter of the total Slovenian foreigners residing permanently or tem- population (515 294) lived in this large The age structure of the region’s population porarily in Slovenia lived in the city munic- region at the end of 1998, making it the is almost identical to the Slovenian average. ipality of Ljubljana. third most densely settled region in The decrease in the number of people Slovenia (145 people per km2). This high under the age of 25 in the 1990-1998 period density figure is a consequence of the high was almost the same as that nationally, Main enterprises concentration of the population in and however the number of people over the age around Ljubljana, while the density in the of 65 increased by almost one third. For the Name Activity region’s larger, more forested southern part time being, these figures do not indicate the “Ministrstvo za Defence activities is much lower, running at below 50 people ageing of the region’s population since the obrambo Ljubljana, per km2 in most municipalities. percentage of older people is still marginal- Generalštab SV” ly below the national average. Nevertheless, Ministrstvo za Defence activities In the 1970s and 1980s, the population it is likely that the population will not contin- obrambo Ljubljana grew constantly and rapidly due to immi- ue to concentrate in Osrednjeslovenska in Ministrstvo za notranje Law enforcement gration from other parts of Slovenia and the foreseeable future. zadeve Ljubljana the former Yugoslavia. After 1990, the pop- Lek d.d. Ljubljana Pharmaceutical products ulation remained virtually unchanged, While there are no non-Slovene ethnic “KC Ljubljana, OE Hospital activities although since 1995 a slight decline has minorities in Osrednjeslovenska, the per- Kirurška služba” been recorded. The reduced birth rate centage of the non-Slovene population Nova ljubljanska Financial services (although it is still above the mortality rate) (16%) is the second highest in Slovenia, banka d.o.Ljubljana was the most important contributor to this surpassed only by the Obalno-kraška Titan d.d. Kamnik Metal products trend, followed by migration, since the region. According to the 1991 census, the Lpp d.o.o. Ljubljana Urban passenger once positive migration balance reversed percentage of immigrants from other parts transport after 1995, and has been increasingly neg- of the former Yugoslavia was only slightly “KC Ljubljana, OE Hospital activities ative since. The impact of suburbanisation above the national average, although the Uni.interne klinike is also felt to a certain extent, a conse- percentage of people from other countries Zaloška” quence of the enlargement of the motor- was high. Their number increased rapidly SZ d.d Ljubljana Rail transport way network. The radius covered by people after Slovenia’s independence with the

46 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

above-average purchasing power make Gross value-added by sector - 1996 (%) Osrednjeslovenska Ljubljana also an important trade centre. Slovenia The head offices of several large commer- 50 cial groups are located in Ljubljana while foreign trade corporations are also active in acquiring market share here. 40 Compared to other regions, 30 Osrednjeslovenska’s economy benefits from the presence of a highly skilled and 20 educated workforce, substantial research and development capabilities in Ljubljana and a high concentration of domestic and 10 foreign capital. Much of the potential of these assets has not been sufficiently 0 exploited so far, especially in research and Agriculture Energy Industry Building & Market Non-market development, which has relatively weak construction services services links with the production sector. This partly explains why the region has not been so Service activities dominant in of Slovenia after independence was not felt successful in completing the transition the capital so strongly in the region. Key industrial from labour- intensive to capital- and inno- sectors are the chemical (production of vation-intensive industries. dyes, varnishes and other protective mate- Of all Slovenia’s regions, this is economi- rials in , Domžale and Ljubljana), cally the most important and generates metal and machine engineering (Ljubljana, Capital city lifts average earn- one third of the nation’s total gross value Kamnik), pharmaceutical (Lek in Ljubljana), added (33.5 %). Due to the high concen- food processing and tobacco (Ljubljana), ings tration of service activities of national textile (Domžale, Ljubljana, Kočevje) and importance, the region’s GDP per capita leather (Vrhnika, Domžale) industries. The Average net wages in Osrednjeslovenska exceeds the national average by almost 30 wood processing industry is concentrated increased by 13.1% between 1995 and %. Services, centred on Ljubljana, gener- mostly around Kamnik and in the southern 1998. The highest increase was recorded in ate over two-thirds of gross value added, part of the region (Logatec, Ribnica and the construction and industry sectors and followed by the secondary sector (29.6 Kočevje). in non-commercial service activities, while %). The contribution from agriculture and the lowest rise was noted in agriculture forestry is only 1.8 %. Service activities of national importance and in commercial service activities. were already highly concentrated in The wider Ljubljana area is characterised Ljubljana during the socialist period and Not unsurprisingly with the presence of the by a very diversified agriculture base, rang- this trend was further reinforced after inde- capital city in the region, average earnings ing from dairy and beef cattle breeding to pendence. Government ministries, the uni- are well above average, and in 1998 they poultry and pig farming, as well as to the versity, cultural institutions, many high were 595 ECU, or 11% above the national growing of vegetables to supply the capi- schools, the headquarters of Slovenian average. Wages in industry and commer- tal. In mountainous and karst areas, dairy Telekom, , the electrici- cial service activities are the highest in beef cattle farming prevail. ty distribution company, scheme Slovenia, which is the result of successful and health insurance institutions, the production programmes in industry and a Although there is considerable industry in largest bank in Slovenia (Nova Ljubljanska high concentration of profitable service and around Ljubljana, it is not so predomi- banka) and the stock exchange, are all activities. Furthermore, earnings are above nant as in Maribor, for example. Most are located in Ljubljana. Ljubljana is also an average across all sectors. medium-size and small enterprises: more important centre for specialised interna- than 25 % of all small businesses in tional fairs, as well as being the largest Earned income represent more than a half Slovenia are situated here. Industry is very congress centre in Slovenia. of all household incomes, while one third diverse, so the severe crisis in the classical comes from pensions and other social industrial branches that struck many parts A high concentration of people and its insurance sources. Mixed farmer-employ- ee households in rural areas receive con- siderable additional income from agricul- ture. Due to the high concentration of edu- cated people in Ljubljana, income from copyright royalties and other types of intel- lectual work are also important here.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 47 eurostat Good employment opportuni- lower in Osrednjeslovenska (31.3%) than in Resident employment ties in Ljubljana the rest of Slovenia (35.1%). by sex (%) Male 60 Female By far the highest concentration of jobs in As elsewhere in Slovenia, most people are the country, especially in the service sec- employed on full-time contracts, and the 50 tor, is found in and around the capital. share of temporary employment here is the Head offices of almost one third of all smallest in Slovenia. While female employ- 40 Slovenian firms and commercial compa- ment rates in the region are within the nies are located in the city municipality of norms, what distinguishes the workforce Ljubljana, while many small businesses are here is the very large number of people 30 situated throughout the entire northern commuting daily to Ljubljana within a part of the region. Almost two thirds of the radius of 30 km. More than 10% of the 20 workforce is involved in service activities workforce comes to work from neighbour- (65.3%), 32.6% is employed in industry ing regions, especially from Gorenjska and 10 while only 2.1% is employed in agriculture Zasavska. and forestry. 0 Among the benefits of having a relatively 1988 1991 1994 1998 When Ljubljana became the capital of successful economy is the region’s low Slovenia after independence, the concen- unemployment rate (9.8%), and indeed tration of political and economic power only Goriška has a slightly lower unem- Unemployment (1 000) increased considerably there, although this ployment rate. The period 1990-1993 was 35 is not reflected in the employment struc- characterised by a dramatic increase in ture. In the period 1991-1998, the number unemployment, when the number unem- 30 of employees in Osrednjeslovenska ployed increased by 177%, a substantially Total increased by 14.5% while the combined higher rise than in other Slovenian regions. 25 increase in all other Slovenian regions Since then the number of unemployed has amounted to 7.8%. Interesting differences reduced by almost 25%. A similar trend of 20 arose between this region and the rest of decreasing unemployment in all other Slovenia. While the number of employees regions in western Slovenia, except in 15 in industry declined by 20% in both parts Notranjska-kraška, only confirms the fact Female of the country, the increase in the case of that this part of the country adapted to 10 the service sector was several percent new market conditions more successfully and that the centre of economic power in 5 Slovenia is increasingly shifting westwards. < 26 years Employment by sector (%) 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 70 Services

60 The centre of the Slovenian al roads and streets in the city centre the Break in motorway hub busiest road sections in the whole country 50 methodology in spite of the construction of the 38 km Ljubljana is very favourably located for long motorway ring road around Ljubljana. 40 road transportation. It is situated in the There are 216 000 passenger cars in the Industry heartland of the country where both lines region or 418 cars per 1 000 persons which 30 of the Slovenian motorway hub intersect. is slightly above the national average. These are the European traffic corridors 5 20 (Venice-Ljubljana-Budapest-Kiev) and 10 Ljubljana is also an important railway hub. (Munich-Salzburg-Ljubljana-Beograd- Here, several railway tracks branch off 10 Istanbul). Therefore, four motorways radi- from the electrified double-track Southern Agriculture ate from Ljubljana as well as two other railway (constructed 1841-1857 between 0 important roads: the Ljubljana-Litija-Zidani Vienna and Trieste). These are the electri- 19881990 1992 1994 1996 1998 Most road, leading towards the east fied single-track railway from Ljubljana to through the Sava valley and the Ljubljana- , the single-track railway leading Kočevje-Delnice (Croatia) road, leading towards Novo mesto and Karlovac and the Employment structure by residency - 1998 towards the south-east. local Ljubljana-Kamnik line. The Grosuplje- Kočevje railway line is used only for freight Residents In the plains, a very dense network of local, transport. Non-residents almost entirely paved, roads exists. Road density is lower in the more sparsely set- The Ljubljana Brnik international airport, tled karst part of the region in the south 30 km north of Ljubljana, connects

88.10% and in the mountainous western part of the Slovenia with 19 European cities and Tel region. Local and forest roads connect all Aviv. Rivers in the region are not navigable. 75.7% villages or mountain farms with the valleys which is very important for the people commuting daily to work in local centres or Ljubljana. Although Ljubljana has a good network of bus and railway lines connect- ing the city with the surrounding settle- 11.90% ments, the majority of daily commuters use passenger cars. This makes the arteri-

48 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Surfaced public roads – 1997 gas network, a move which contributed Utilities - 1997 considerably to reducing air pollution. Osrednjeslovenska Slovenia Ljubljana also has two combined heat and Osrednjeslovenska Slovenia power plants that supply the city’s district Length in km per km2 0.24 0.23 heating system. The telephone network in Dwellings connected to the entire region is dense, and with 453 water supply system (%) 99.1 97.6 Length in km per telephone lines per 1 000 inhabitants, the 1 000 population 1.6 2.4 region exceeds the national average by Dwellings connected to sewerage system (%) 99.1 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 25%. private passenger cars 3.9 6.1 Per capita consumption 3 % private passenger cars of water (m ) 76.5 71.9 in total number of vehicles 88 86 Telephone connections Number of accidental deaths per 1000 population 453 357 per 1 000 private passenger cars 0.4 0.5 Number of doctors per 1000 population 3.5 2.2 Polluted environment in the Number of hospital beds central part of the region Current expenditure for per 1000 population 8.2 5.7 environmental protection - 1997 The majority of the region’s population and economic activities are concentrated in the Waste removal Ljubljana Basin where the environment is Air national importance in Ljubljana, such as under enormous pressure, while in outlying Water the National and University Library, several parts of the region this pressure is consid- Other museums (the Natural Sciences Museum) erably less. and galleries (the National Gallery). The annual International Summer Festival has Temperature inversion is frequent in the 77% been taking place in Ljubljana since 1954. Ljubljana Basin during the autumn and 1% winter months. Made worse by the fog, Smaller cultural centres in Kamnik, Ribnica high concentrations of sulphur dioxide and Kočevje remain in the shadow of the (SO2), black smoke, nitrogen oxides and 21% capital. However, the Cistercian monastery carbon monoxide are emitted by house- 1% in , established in 1136, is very hold heating, the two thermal plants and important for Slovenian culture. traffic. Due to increasing road traffic in Ljubljana, ozone concentrations are also increasing. Institutions of national impor- tance in the capital Surface water and groundwater in the basin is also heavily polluted. The worst Ljubljana, the cultural and educational conditions are found in Ljubljana, which is centre for all Slovenes since the mid-19th still without a central waste-water treat- century is home to Ljubljana University ment plant. Increased pollution of ground- with its 20 faculties and 3 art academies. water with pesticides is also a cause for Also located here are the Slovenian concern. Academy of Science and Arts, the Slovenian National Theatre, the Slovenian The southern part of Osrednjeslovenska is Philharmonic Orchestra, the National a karst area with a prevailing underground Radio and Television company and the Ivan run-off. Due to the high bedrock perme- Cankar Cultural and Congress Centre. ability and their weak self-purification Ljubljana is also the largest high-school capacity, karst waters are extremely vul- centre in Slovenia, with smaller high- nerable to pollution from the surface. The school centres in the region’s other towns. Number of pupils - 1998 largest source of pollution is waste-water from households, industry and agriculture, Most of the national research capacity is Pre-school 19 508 while an additional threat is posed by the concentrated here, especially in the Jožef Primary 52 038 transportation of hazardous substances. Stefan research institute and in the Lower secondary 9 491 National Institute of Chemistry. In the Higher secondary Drinking water for the settlements in the humanist area, the most important is the (vocational/general) 18 521 Ljubljana Basin is supplied from ground- Scientific-Research Centre of the Tertiary (higher education) 17 340 water, while regional and local water sup- Slovenian Academy of Science and Arts ply systems in karst areas are fed from with 16 institutes. The Ljubljana Medical Total 116 898 karst springs. Municipal waste is disposed Centre is the largest and the most impor- of at several large landfills, and illegal tant health institution in Slovenia with waste disposal sites represent a problem numerous clinics and institutes, including especially around Ljubljana. the largest rehabilitation institute in the country. Most of Ljubljana and the settlements in its vicinity are now connected to the natural There are numerous other institutions of

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 49 eurostat Gorenjska

Good links across the Alps to Austria

The most Alpine of all Slovenian regions is situated in the north-western part of the country, bordering Austria in the north and Italy in the west. Most of the region is cov- ered by the towering with numerous serrated peaks exceeding 2 000 m, including (2 864 m), the highest Slovenian mountain and one of Slovenia’s national symbols. Due to its natural beau- ty, almost the entire Julian Alps range is protected as the .

The Karavanke range along the Austrian border also belongs to the high Alpine regions. Between these two mountainous Autumn in the Julian Alps - the Škrlatica range in the Triglav National Park areas, the runs in an (Photograph: Karel Natek) east-west direction. Further to the east it opens up into the densely populated Ljubljana Basin where the town of Kranj, Main indicators the centre of Gorenjska, is situated in the National level = 100 middle of the plain. In the south-western part of the region there are the Škofja Loka 200 Mountains with villages clustered in the valleys and isolated farmsteads on steep slopes. 150 From 1335 until the end of World War I, - tually the whole region was part of the duchy of Carniola, one of the Habsburg 100 hereditary lands. Today, the region is divid- ed between 17 municipalities. 50 Economically, Gorenjska is one of the most developed regions in Slovenia. Its prosper- ity is based on a well developed industrial 0 tradition, dating back to the 19th century

when it developed from ironworks and 65 Infant Population Age < 25 Age > Activity rate Activity rate EmploymentEmploymentEmployment Unemploy- Forested Per capita shoemaking which were very important at Unemploy- area Agricultural that time. Tourism in , mortality density (M + F) (F) in agriculturein industry in services ment (M + F)ment (F) area* GDP and , and agriculture on the plains and in the surrounding mountains are also Economically developed of significance. The region has good links environment, especially within the large to Ljubljana and the federal of region at the foot of high Triglav National Park. It also has a wide Carinthia in Austria. As well as a railway rocky mountains variety of tourist facilities which are quite tunnel and an almost 8 km long motorway scarce in many other parts of Slovenia. tunnel that connect the region with Austria, With relatively well developed industry in three mountain passes lead across the the regional centre and in numerous small- As in the Lower Savinja Valley, a substantial Karavanke range. Ljubljana international er towns, successful tourism and agricul- part of Gorenjska’s industry is dispersed airport is situated in the eastern part of the ture (oriented primarily towards dairy farm- among smaller towns. Following their region. ing and beef cattle breeding), Gorenjska is development into small but distinctive among the most economically advanced local supply centres in the second half of regions in Slovenia. Good access to the the 19th century, today they are centres of majority of settlements is also favourable, economically strong municipalities. as the population is concentrated in the Nevertheless, local industry also faced plains along main traffic routes and in substantial difficulties during the transition wider river valleys where the rest of the from the former state-controlled to the cur- infrastructure is also good. rent market oriented economy. The most affected were the iron industry in Jesenice Gorenjska is also a leading resort area and the labour-intensive shoemaking and thanks to its picturesque and carefully textile industries. However, thanks to its maintained alpine landscape and unspoilt geographical situation and its strong

50 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Which regions are similar to Gorenjska? Population: 195 000 inhabitants Zuidoost-Friesland (NL) Schleswig-Flensburg (D) Montana (BG) Age structure: 33% under 25 Brabant Wallon (B) Vilnius (LT) Baleares (E) Area: 2 137 km2 Padova (I) Märkisch-Oderland (D) Komárom- (HU)

Agriculture 1997 Number of private farms 5 459

Persons working in agriculture 2 041

Total agricultural area (ha) 31 633 municipalities, this part of Slovenia is very attractive to foreign capital investment, so Agricultural land use in 1997 (%) Total livestock 63 892 quite a few local industries are owned to Permanent grassland some extent by foreign investors. Arable land Cattle per 100 ha of total Permanent crops agricultural land 158.9 Negative factors include the limited scope for the development of agriculture, due to Pigs per 100 ha of total the less favourable and agricultural land 19.0 steep slopes in the mountains. The proxim- ity of Ljubljana is favourable on the one Main products - proportion of arable hand, while on the other the short distance 75.5% land devoted to production of: between Ljubljana and Kranj makes it diffi- Cereals 26.7 cult for Kranj to develop fully into a region- 1.3% Sugar beet 0.5 al centre comparable to Celje or Novo Fodder plants 54.8 mesto. Potatoes 16.6 23.1%

The most alpine of Slovenia’s the Julian Alps and the Karavanke 130 days a year in the valleys. regions Mountains opens up into the Ljubljana Basin downstream from Jesenice. The Gorenjska has no ore or fossil fuel More than half of Gorenjska, which covers region’s economic activity and the popula- deposits. A uranium mine operated near 2137 km2 (10.5% of the national territory), tion of Gorenjska are concentrated in the Gorenja vas in the Škofja Loka Mountains consists of the Julian Alps and the northern part of the basin as are almost all between 1981-1990 but was closed down Karavanke Mountains. A substantial part of the towns. The regional centre Kranj (pop- because it was unprofitable. Spruce and these mountains, with their deeply incised ulation 36 700), Škofja Loka (12 600), Tržič forests in the lower parts of the Alps valleys reshaped by glaciers, rises above (3 900), (6 000) and Bled (5 600) and in the Škofja Loka Mountains are an the (around 1 800 m). The Škofja are located here. Not many towns are important natural resource since they Loka Mountains in the upper reaches of found outside the basin: Jesenice with iron cover two thirds of the region. Agricultural the river are situated in the southern industry (13 700) and tourist-oriented land comprises only 14.8% of the region, part of the region. They comprise two Kranjska Gora (1 600) are in the Upper almost exclusively in the Ljubljana Basin wider valleys along the Poljanska Sora and Sava Valley. and in the valleys in the Škofja Loka the Selška Sora rivers, with villages, fields Mountains. and meadows at the bottom and mostly Due to its higher altitudes, the region has a forested ridges with isolated farmsteads moderate mountain climate with the lowest The abundance of water is also an impor- on the slopes. average temperatures in Slovenia, annual tant natural resource, especially because precipitation between 1 300-1 700 mm and the rivers in their upper courses are rela- The Upper Sava Valley which lies between substantial snow cover that persists for 65- tively clean and unpolluted. The largest

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 51 eurostat river is the Sava, dammed near for < 25 electricity production, while a few small, Population by age-groups (1 000) 25-65 privately owned hydroelectric plants are > 65 installed on several smaller streams. 120 Bled (1.4 km2) and Bohinj (3.18 km2), situ- 100 ated in the picturesque alpine environ- ment, attract many tourists. 80

60

40

20

0 1981 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

Age-sex pyramid in 1998 (1000) Males Females 85+ 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39

30-34 1020304050600 25-29 20-24 15-19 * 10-14 5-9 0-4 10 10 8 6 4 2 0 0 2 4 6 10 8 * see explanatory notes 10 8 6 4 2 0 0246810

Slight increase in population slightly more favourable than for most of At the end of 1998, 195 000 people lived in the other regions. The region’s percentage this mountainous region (9.9% of the of people below the age of 25 is above the national population). The average popula- national average, while the percentage of tion density at 91 people per km2 was only people above the age of 65 is below aver- slightly below the national average, howev- age. The number of younger people er there are large differences between the declined by 10% in the 1990-1998 period, urban municipality of Kranj in the plain which is below the national average, while (over 350 people per km2) and the moun- the number of people above the age of 65 Main enterprises tainous Bohinj municipality (15.5 people increased substantially (by 29.5%). per km2). Name Activity While the region has no ethnic minorities, Iskrameco d.d. Kranj Electronic devices Gorenjska is one of the few regions where the percentage of non-Slovenes in the Sava Tires d.o.o. Kranj Rubber tyres and tubes the population actually increased in the population (14%) is above the national SŽ Acroni d.o.o. Iron and steel products 1990-1998 period and is, apart from average. They are almost entirely immi- Jesenice Dolenjska, the only region where the pop- grants from other parts of the former Iskratel d.o.o. Kranj Digital exchanges ulation slightly increased even after 1995. Yugoslavia and their descendants, who Domel Železniki Electrical equipment Such a trend is a consequence of the rela- mostly settled in the region before 1981. Alpina Žiri Footwear tively high and above-average birth rate, They mainly live in Jesenice and Kranj, Line Begunje Sports goods which is higher than the mortality rate, and industrial towns with a history of labour Peko Tržič Footwear a positive migration balance. Indeed, the shortages. Planika d.d.Kranj v Footwear region has the lowest mortality rate in stečaju Slovenia at the moment as well as the sec- Aquasava Kranj Rubber products ond highest birth rate. The latter indicator decreased by only 24.8% in the 1985-1997 period (by 30% in Slovenia), while the influx of immigrants from other regions, mostly from Osrednjeslovenska, is also slightly increasing.

The age structure of the population is also

52 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

demands of the world market, with several Gross value-added by sector - 1996 (%) Gorenjska of them receiving financial and technologi- Slovenia cal support from foreign capital investors. 40 Most service activities are concentrated in the regional centre of Kranj, however less 30 than might be expected, due to the prox- imity of Ljubljana. Unlike some of the other Slovenian regions, service activities are 20 well represented in smaller local centres.

In the Alpine parts of the region tourism is 10 well developed, making Gorenjska the sec- ond most important tourist destination in Slovenia, following Obalno-kraška. The 0 Agriculture Energy Industry Building & Market Non-market most important tourist resorts are Bled, construction services services situated on the shores of its picturesque , Kranjska Gora, a skiing resort, and Small industrial centres, and Bohinj, with its own lake. Jesenice (the largest ironworks in is the most popular activity in the Triglav flourishing tourist industry in Slovenia), the footwear industry in Žiri and National Park. the mountains Tržič, and the metal industry in . After World War II, Kranj became an important In terms of economic development centre for the electrical equipment industry assessed on its contribution to national with the establishment of Iskra, a large Rising wages catching up with GDP, Gorenjska ranks fourth among the concern that was dismantled during the national average Slovenian regions. Despite the fact that it is transition to a market economy. The manu- known for its well developed tourist sector, facture of electrical equipment is still one Employees in Gorenjska were fortunate to industry is the driving force of its economy. of the leading industrial branches, espe- enjoy average net wages increasing by It contributes 45.6% to the region’s gross cially in Kranj, Železniki and Škofja Loka. A 16.2% in the period between 1995 and added value, the services sector half of the seizeable workforce was also the basis for 1998, a figure which represents the highest gross added value (51.4%) while the share the development of the textile industry increase in wages of all the Slovenian of agriculture is 3.0%. (Kranj, Radovljica, Škofja Loka), while tim- regions. This is the result of the above- ber from vast forests enabled the develop- average wage growth in industry and mod- Agriculture is oriented towards dairy and ment of a wood processing and furniture erate wage growth in the service sector. beef cattle farming, so fodder (silage corn, industry (Bled, , Škofja grain corn) is produced on most of the Loka). Nevertheless the average net monthly agricultural land in the plains. Other impor- wage in 1998 at 525 ECU was 2.4% below tant crops include potatoes and rye. The Other important companies include the car the national average. Net monthly wages in average farm size is larger than in other tyre manufacturer Sava Kranj, and Elan commercial service activities (especially parts of Slovenia, especially in the Škofja from Begunje, which manufactures sports tourism, catering and trade; 562 ECU) and Loka Mountains where farms include large equipment. A substantial share of gross industry (480 ECU) were among the high- areas of forest. However, once important value added is also generated by small est in Slovenia, while in the construction alpine pastures in the high mountains have businesses. sector they were substantially below the been left to stagnate for several decades. national average (422 ECU). Although the iron, footwear and textile Relatively small industrial centres estab- industries have faced a severe crisis since Although there are only few pure farming lished as early as the 19th century are a the 1980s, a substantial number of them households (usually at least one family characteristic feature of Gorenjska. adapted successfully to the new market member has a job of a different kind), the Typically, one industrial branch prevails in conditions. Most of the companies suc- income from agriculture contributes con- each centre, especially the iron industry in cessfully altered production to meet the siderably to the standard of living of many rural households. Households in tourist resorts earn additional income from private room rentals and other tourist-related activities. Quite a number of daily com- muters have a well-paid civil service job in Ljubljana, which also contributes to the rather high standard of living in most of the region.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 53 eurostat Substantial surplus of industri- from the Kranj area to near-by Ljubljana, Resident employment al workers and in fact almost 14% of the region’s by sex (%) Male workforce is employed outside their home 60 Female Gorenjska can arguably be placed among region. the more successful of Slovenian regions 50 in economic terms, although some parts of Although as elsewhere in Slovenia, most its economy are in great difficulty. More workers enjoy full-time permanent employ- 40 than half (50.9%) of the workforce works ment, the number of people working on within the industrial sector, 46.2% is temporary contract is on the increase and employed in the service sector and 2.8% is now over 20%. 30 in agriculture and forestry. Despite several successful economic sec- 20 Due to the severe economic crisis that tors, the unemployment rate in Gorenjska struck the iron and steel industry, the tex- is relatively high at 13.3%. The percentage 10 tile and the footwear industry after inde- of women among the unemployed is above pendence, the number of employees in the national average, a consequence of a 0 this sector was reduced by almost 20%. At crisis in the footwear and textile industries. 1988 1991 1994 1998 the same time the region lagged far behind As in Osrednjeslovenska, the worst years the rest of Slovenia in opening up new jobs for employment were 1990-1993 when the in the service sector. One of the main rea- number of unemployed increased by Unemployment (1 000) sons for such a situation is the reinforce- 151%. However compared to 15 ment of Ljubljana’s importance at the Osrednjeslovenska, a much smaller expense of the regional centre Kranj, decrease of the unemployment rate was where central functions are relatively less recorded in the following years. 12 developed than in other regional centres Unemployment among young people is Total such as Celje (which has almost the same not critical and has been decreasing con- population). The stagnation of tourism in sistently, while the increase in the number 9 the mountainous part of the region also of people who have been unemployed for

hindered the development of service sec- a longer period of time raises concern. The Female tor employment. Evidence of the “outflow” majority of these people are out-of-work 6 of economic power is also seen in the rel- labourers with a low educational level, who atively large numbers of daily commuters are not easily retrained for new jobs in the more modern industrial branches or in the 3 service sector. < 26 years Employment by sector (%) 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 70

60 Services Important transport routes to 50 between Jesenice and to Austria connect the with the iron- 40 Industry works in Jesenice. Since the region is situated on the 10th 30 European traffic corridor running through The plains, with a dense road network, Break in Munich-Salzburg-Ljubljana-Beograd- contrast with the few valley routes that tra- 20 methodology Istanbul, the Gorenjska plains are easily verse mountainous areas. The region’s 381 accessible. The backbone of the road net- cars per 1 000 persons, almost equal to 10 work is the Ljubljana-Jesenice-Villach the national average, reflect extensive Agriculture (Austria) road, now a motorway for almost commuting from rural areas. 0 all of its length. The 7864 m long 19881990 1992 1994 1996 1998 Karavanke tunnel (opened in 1991) serves The Ljubljana Brnik international airport as the main connection with the Austrian with a 3 300 m long runway (opened in motorway network. Other important road 1963) is situated on the plain east of Kranj. Employment structure by residency - 1998 connections include a major road leading It is suitable for landing the largest air- across the Ljubelj pass to Austria, the planes and is equipped for precise instru- Residents Jesenice- (Italy) regional road and a mental landing even in unfavourable Non-residents regional road leading across the Vršič pass weather conditions (CAT IIIB). It is also (1 611 m; closed during the winter) to the home to , the only Slovenian Soča Valley. airline, and the main base of the Slovenian

94.69% air force. Scheduled flights link the airport Gorenjska has two railway tracks with a with 19 European cities and with Tel Aviv. In 75.7% total length of 79 km. The older one, con- 1998, it served 768 000 passengers and necting Ljubljana and Jesenice (in the past carried 6 600 tons of freight. also Tarvisio in Italy), was constructed in 1870. In 1906, it was connected to the Austrian railway network by a 7 975 m long tunnel through the Karavanke mountain 5.31% range. Between 1901-1906 the picturesque track was constructed

54 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Surfaced public roads – 1997 able share of households and industry use Utilities - 1997 natural gas from the expanding local natur- Gorenjska Slovenia al gas network. All settlements and the Gorenjska Slovenia majority of isolated farmsteads are con- Length in km per km2 0.24 0.23 nected to the telephone network; with 373 Dwellings connected to telephone lines per 1 000 inhabitants, tele- water supply system (%) 99.3 97.6 Length in km per phone penetration is slightly above the 1 000 population 2.6 2.4 national average. Dwellings connected to sewerage system (%) 99.3 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 private passenger cars 6.8 6.1 Per capita consumption 3 % private passenger cars of water (m ) 105.0 71.9 in total number of vehicles 88 86 Telephone connections Number of accidental deaths per 1000 population 373 357 per 1 000 private passenger cars 0.3 0.5 Number of doctors per 1000 population 1.8 2.2 Well preserved alpine envi- Number of hospital beds ronment Current expenditure for environmental protection - 1997 per 1000 population 3.0 5.7 The mountainous parts of Gorenjska are famous for their natural beauty and well Waste removal preserved environment, especially in the Noise in the town’s castle, and Radovljica with its Triglav National Park. Although the region Air Apicultural Museum and art gallery. Water is among the most economically devel- Nature & Landscape oped, the relatively densely settled valleys 1% 6% have succeeded in avoiding serious pollu- 57% tion. Thanks to the region’s position in the upper part of the Ljubljana Basin where temperature inversions are much less fre- 33% quent, the air is relatively clean. There are also no large industrial polluters in the 3% region. After out-dated technology was replaced in the 1980s at the Jesenice iron works, negative impacts from there were reduced considerably. Small regional centres over- Clean mountain lakes and streams are a shadowed by nearby capital great resource in the region. The latter are exposed to some pollution from municipal An important feature of Gorenjska is the and industrial wastewater in their lower much more even distribution of cultural, courses despite the installation of treat- educational and other activities in several ment plants in larger towns. The nitrate small local centres, as well as the strong content in groundwater in the plains below influence of Ljubljana on the region. The Kranj, the main source of drinking water for most important centre is Kranj with a Kranj and Ljubljana, also gives some cause grammar school, several other high for concern. schools and vocational schools, and the Faculty of Organisational Sciences which Serious problems are, however, experi- operates within the framework of Maribor enced in , where algal blooms University. Smaller educational centres are take place every few years due to eutroph- situated in Škofja Loka, Jesenice and ication. Nevertheless, the deterioration of Radovljica, the latter having the GEA Number of pupils - 1998 water quality has been prevented through College of Businessand a College of an artificial influx of fresh water, the moving Catering and Tourism. Pre-school 5 758 of water from the bottom layers of the lake Primary 20 943 through a siphon and the construction of a There are no large research institutions in Lower secondary 2 583 sewage system around the lake. Gorenjska. However, four hospitals are Higher secondary located in the region: a general hospital in (vocational/general) 8 532 Muncipal waste is mostly disposed of at Jesenice, a psychiatric hospital in Begunje, Tertiary (higher education) 6 101 municipal landfills without prior treatment. a hospital for pulmonary diseases and There are certain problems related to ille- tuberculosis in and a maternity hos- Total 43 917 gal waste disposal sites around the settle- pital in Kranj. ments. Cultural life is the most developed in Kranj Most settlements in the plains are con- where the Prešeren Theatre, the Gorenjska nected to municipal water supply systems Museum and the central library are locat- while local and private water supply sys- ed. Other important cultural centres tems prevail in the mountains. A consider- include Škofja Loka with the Loka Museum

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 55 eurostat Notranjsko-krasˇka

Famous for its spectacular karst features

The second smallest Slovenian region by population lies in the southern part of the country and extends all the way to the Croatian border in the south. Its larger eastern part consists of the waterless Snežnik Mountains where all surface water disappears underground through perme- able limestone bedrock and flows through unknown channels towards lower-lying karst valleys or “poljes”, where it comes out as abundant karst springs. The entire eastern part of the region is covered with vast forests, and the only settlements can be found in and around the Ljubljanica river in the north-east where three poljes lie , a small cultivated oasis in a karst hollow, is threatened by forest regrowth as like fertile oases in the middle of forests. All farmland is abandoned (Photograph: Karel Natek) other settlements in the region are located in its western part, especially in the Basin with Postojna as the Main indicators regional centre, and in the fertile Upper National level = 100 Valley where is the main town. 200

In the past, the region was part of the Carniola duchy, one of the Habsburg 150 hereditary lands. After the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of World War I, it became part of Italy with the (1920), while after the 100 Peace Conference it was ceded to Yugoslavia. Today, the region is divided among 6 municipalities. 50

The region’s spectacular karst phenomena are among the most famous landscape 0 features in the world. They had already

attracted considerable international atten- 65 Infant Population Age < 25 Age > Activity rate Activity rate EmploymentEmploymentEmployment Unemploy- Forested Per capita tion in the 17th century thanks to the first Unemploy- area Agricultural descriptions reported by local and foreign mortality density (M + F) (F) in agriculturein industry in services ment (M + F)ment (F) area* GDP authors. Especially well known are the intermittent Lake and the almost Forested transitional area 20 km long Postojna , which was dis- cially the have been exploit- covered in 1818. It is, therefore, hardly sur- between central Slovenia and ed to any great extent. The latter is well prising that one of the most important the Mediterranean equipped for tourism, although short-term karst research institutes is located in visits by tourists travelling towards the Postojna. Economically, Notranjsko-kraška is one of coast tend to prevail. The collapse of the weakest regions in the country. Only Croatian tourism caused by the 1991-1995 2.5% of the country’s population and a lit- war severely affected Postojna, reducing tle over 2% of its active population, gener- the number of visitors by two thirds in only ating only 2% of the nation’s gross value a few years. added, live here. The only important natur- al resource is the extensive area of forest in Due to the limited scope for economic the Dinaric karst mountains, where a well activity at the local level, the population is developed wood processing industry is decreasing in almost all settlements based, while agricultural potential is mod- except in municipal centres where more est due to the prevalence of stony terrain jobs are available. The population decrease and high elevations. in some areas has already seen the forest encroach upon former settlements, conse- While the picturesque features of the karst quently reducing the potential for sustain- landscape are attractive to tourists, only able farming and “green” tourism adapted the Rakov Škocjan karst valley and espe- to the karst environment. These would be

56 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Which regions are similar to Notranjsko-kraška? Area: 1 456 km2 Uelzen (D) Südburgenland (A) Ilfov (RO) Population density: 34 inhabitants per km2 Tauragë (LT) Indre (F) Pirkanmaa (FIN) Age structure: 31% under 25 Zeeland (NL) Algarve (P) Riga (LV)

Agriculture 1997 Number of private farms 3 302

Persons working in agriculture 1 034

Total agricultural area (ha) 19 940 the only appropriate activities in this cur- rently well preserved, but environmentally Agricultural land use in 1997 (%) Total livestock 20 879 extremely vulnerable karst environment. Permanent grassland The state intends to stimulate such activi- Arable land Cattle per 100 ha of total ties through the establishment of a large Permanent crops agricultural land 65.5 regional park in the near future. Pigs per 100 ha of total agricultural land 10.3

82.7% Main products - proportion of arable land devoted to production of: Cereals 19.0 Sugar beet 0.0 Fodder plants 59.4 1.7% Potatoes 13.3 15.6%

Forests and spectacular karst the Brkini flysch hills with villages on wide deposits. Agricultural land, covering only phenomena panoramic ridges. 13.7% of the region, is also not abundant, and is found mostly at the bottom of pol- The most distinctly karst region in Slovenia The lower south-western parts of the jes, in and in the Reka Valley. Vast occupies 1 456 km2 (7.2% of the national region have a sub- forests covering 65.5% of the region are an territory) and is composed of four parts. moderated by the lower altitudes. Average important source of timber for the local The larger eastern part comprises the temperatures here are between –0.9°C wood processing industry, while spectacu- completely waterless Snežnik and (January) and 17.7°C (July) and annual pre- lar karst phenomena, are important for Javorniki karst mountain ranges covered cipitation ranges between 1 500-2 500 tourism. with and beech forests (the highest peak mm, falling mostly in the autumn months. Veliki Snežnik, 1 796 m). To the north lies Most of the region is part of the Ljubljanica the Notranjska valley system, a series of The main regional centre is Postojna (pop- river basin. Its eastern branch flows under poljes which descend towards the ulation 8 300), situated by the Postojna different names through poljes of the Ljubljana Basin, with the largest of them pass on an important transport route. Notranjska valley system, while its western being the Cerknica polje, covering 49 km2. Other towns include Ilirska Bistrica (4 900) branch is the Pivka river, disappearing into The 530-580 m high Pivka area, including in the Reka Valley, Cerknica (2 600) in the the Postojna cave. Downstream, both the Postojna Basin, forms the western Cerknica polje and the railway junction streams meet in the on the foothills of the mountains. The southern Pivka (2 000). southern edge of the Planina polje. The part of the region is comprised of the 2 km largest river in the south-western part of wide valley along the upper Reka river and The region has no ore or fossil fuel the region is the Reka which, after flowing

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 57 eurostat 54 km on the surface, disappears under- < 25 ground into the world famous Škocjan Population by age-groups (1 000) 25-65 . 30 > 65

24

18

12

6

0 1981 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

Age-sex pyramid in 1998 (1000) Males Females 85+ 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39

30-34 1020304050600 25-29 20-24 15-19 * 10-14 5-9

012345 0-4 0 1 2 3 4 5 * see explanatory notes 543210 0123

Ageing population associated with declining birth rate The mortality rate is well above the birth rate, an indication of further population Only 50 140 people (2.5% of the national decline, since in recent years demograph- population) lived in this karst and forested ic trends have not allowed natural repro- region at the end of 1998, making it the duction of the population. Similarly, the most sparsely settled region in Slovenia number of births in the 1985-1997 period with only 34.4 people per km2. In fact, the decreased by 40.3%, considerably more actual population densities are substantial- than the national average of 30%. Main enterprises ly higher since almost half of the region is completely uninhabited. There are no ethnic minorities in Name Activity Notranjsko-kraška and the percentage of Kovinoplastika d.d. Lož Locks and hinges The region’s population decreased by immigrants of non-Slovene origin and their Javor vezan les Pivka Furniture 0.8% in the 1990-1998 period which is descendants is relatively low. The most Liv Postojna Metal equipment below the national average, however it numerous among them are Serbs, Croats TIB d.d. Ilirska Bistrica Freight transport by would be wrong to conclude that it is more and Bosnians, living predominantly in road stable or even more vital than other Postojna and Ilirska Bistrica. According to Brest-pohištvo d.o.o. Furniture regions. the 1991 census, 12% of the population Cerknica was of non-Slovene origin, although the “Ministrstvo za obrambo Defence activities The percentage of people below the of these were Yugoslav military Ljubljana, 4.pokrajinsko 25 is less than the national average and the staff who subsequently left Slovenia when poveljstvo SV” percentage of people above the age of 65 the Yugoslav army withdrew in the autumn Lesonit Ilirska Bistrica Veneer sheets is very high, second only to Goriška. These of 1991. Plama-PUR d.d. Podgrad Plastic products figures are a cause for concern since the “Pivka d.d. , Poultry products ageing of the population is greatest in rural enota meso” areas and is closely related to the aban- Javor opažni elementi Veneer sheets donment of farming. This is also indicated by the data showing the high average age of the population in the municipalities of Ilirska Bistrica, Bloke and Loška dolina, where large areas are now depopulated.

58 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

While industry in the region has adapted to Gross value-added by sector - 1996 (%) Notranjsko-kraska new market conditions, it depends almost Slovenia entirely on labour-intensive branches, pro- 40 ducing mostly semi-finished goods with a low rate of value added. A larger number of jobs are required if the region is to retain its 30 people and preserve its present cultural landscape but, so far, the region has been unable to re-orient itself towards more 20 profitable economic activities.

10

0 Agriculture Energy Industry Building & Market Non-market construction services services

An economically weak region Low earnings particularly for parts of this industry went bankrupt during with forests the main resource the severe crisis following the transition to those employed in the service a market economy, the remaining compa- industries Sparsely settled and second smallest in nies have established themselves suc- terms of population, Notranjsko-kraška cessfully despite the difficulties. The man- With wages increasing by only 11.5% in contributes only 2.2% to the national gross ufacture of furniture (Pivka, Cerknica) and the period between 1995 and 1998, aver- value added, a figure which is lower only in semi-finished wooden products, such as age net wages in Notranjsko-kraška were the mining region of Zasavje. Industry is plywood, panels (Pivka), and fibreboards well below national average, and only in hardly noticeable in the region’s well pre- (Ilirska Bistrica) prevails. Other industrial Obalno-kraška and Pomurska regions did served natural environment, and yet the sectors worth mentioning are metal manu- wages rise at an even slower pace. The secondary sector contributes 39.9% to the facturing, especially in Lož (fittings) and highest increase in net wages was record- region’s gross value added. The service Postojna and the chemical industry in ed in the construction, non-commercial sector is more important even though its Podgrad (polyurethanes). service and industrial sectors. share (49.5%) is slightly below the national average, while the share of agriculture and Postojna is one of the smallest regional In Notranjsko-kraška, the average net forestry (10.6%) is more than twice the centres in Slovenia with only a few central monthly wage in 1998 was 496 ECU, which national average. services (high-school centre, trade). was 7.8% below the national average. Tourism, based around the famous Wages were lower only in Spodnje- Due to the very small area of agricultural Postojna cave, is also important. This is the posavska, Pomurska and Koroška regions. land in the region, the agricultural sector is most visited tourist attraction in Slovenia, They were slightly above the national aver- weak and distinctly oriented towards dairy relying on tourists stopping on their way age only in the construction sector (486 and beef cattle farming. In the Košana towards the Adriatic coast or on their way ECU), while they remained the furthest Valley near Pivka the third largest poultry back from vacation. Since the end of the behind in the relatively poorly developed production centre in Slovenia can be war in Croatia, the number of tourists has market service sector (518 ECU). found. Fruit growing (plums, apples) in been increasing, however it is still far below Brkini, which had once been important, past figures. The contribution from tourism The most important source of revenue is and then almost abandoned, is being sys- to the region’s gross value added is among monthly wages from non-agricultural jobs, tematically revitalised. the lowest in Slovenia, and other service representing more than a half of all house- activities such as road transportation and hold incomes, while one third comes from The region’s vast forests are an important forwarding services in Postojna and Ilirska pensions and social insurance. Although resource, on which a well developed wood Bistrica are now more important. usable land is scarce and stony in the karst processing industry is based. Although areas, quite a number of mixed farmer- employee households in rural areas get additional income from agriculture and, especially, from the sale of timber.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 59 eurostat Region lacks jobs, particularly of temporary employment is almost one Resident employment in slow developing services quarter. by sex (%) Male Female sector 60 Due to the lack of jobs in the home region, Economic development in the region 22.6% of the workforce commutes daily to 50 speeded up only after World War II when neighbouring regions, which is the highest the first large industrial plants were built. In percentage among all Slovenian regions. 40 the following decades some industry was Prior to Slovenian and Croatian indepen- also developed in several of the region’s dence, people from border areas used to small settlements. This industry is today travel to in Croatia to work, a prac- 30 very important for the majority of the local tice now abandoned. Today, many people, population since it represents their only especially from Postojna and Cerknica, 20 employment opportunity outside agricul- commute to Ljubljana. ture and forestry. There is a relatively low 10 percentage of purely industrial workers in The number of employees in the industrial the region, and the strong attachment of sector decreased by 3.7% between 1991 0 local communities to local companies is a and 1998, which is less than elsewhere in 1988 1991 1994 1998 favourable factor for further development. Slovenia. However, the region is lagging behind in the development of its service 49.3% of the workforce is employed in the sector where employment has been Unemployment (1 000) industrial sector and slightly less (45.6%) increasing at a slower rate than in other 5 in the service sector which is not as devel- parts of Slovenia. oped as in other regions in western Slovenia. Despite unfavourable natural Among other factors, a relatively high 4 conditions the share of the workforce unemployment rate (14.4%) indicates the employed in agriculture and forestry is lack of employment opportunities in the above the national average (5.1%). It is region. During the 1991-1993 transitional 3 Total also interesting to note that Notranjsko- years from the socialist to a market econo- kraška has the lowest share of women my, the number of unemployed increased 2 among its workforce. As elsewhere in dramatically in Notranjsko-kraška (by Female Slovenia almost all employees have full- 118%), and, unfortunately, this figure has time permanent employment and the share been increasing slowly but steadily since then. Almost one third of the unemployed 1 are people below the age of 26, which is < 26 years Employment by sector (%) worrying, while the percentage of people 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 70 that have been unemployed for more than Break in methodology a year is lower than in most other regions. 60

Industry 50 Major transit route between structed by 2002. Central Europe and the 40 Services In relatively sparsely settled Notranjsko- Mediterranean kraška, all settlements are accessible by 30 local roads, while forested areas are cov- Strategically, the Postojna pass (612 m ered with a network of unpaved forest 20 above sea level) is one of the most impor- roads. With 19 900 cars in the region or 395 tant passes in all of Slovenia. For a dis- cars per 1 000 persons, this is slightly above 10 Agriculture tance of almost 1 500 km, between the the national average for car ownership. Rhône Valley (France) in the west and the 0 Valley (Yugoslavia) in the south- A single-track electrified railway towards 19881990 1992 1994 1996 1998 east, it is the easiest and the lowest pas- Rijeka (Croatia) branches off in Pivka from sage from Central Europe to the the double-track electrified Vienna-Trieste . Alongside the cen- railway.

Employment structure by residency - 1998 turies-old main road connecting Vienna with the port of Trieste, the Southern rail- There are no airports in Notranjsko-kraška, Residents way was constructed between 1847 and and Ljubljana international airport is 81 Non-residents 1857 through this pass, while from 1970 to km from Postojna. Due to the prevailing 1972 the first Slovenian motorway con- karst terrain there are also no rivers suit- necting Vrhnika and Postojna was also able for navigation. 93.15% built here. Today, the 5th European corri- dor, Venice-Ljubljana-Budapest-Kiev, also 75.7% follows this route.

Near Postojna a major road branches off from the -Ljubljana motorway (E70), connecting it with the port town of Rijeka in Croatia. Near Razdrto, the road, which 6.85% forks off towards Nova Gorica, is currently being modernised and should be recon-

60 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Surfaced public roads – 1997 tal hazards. There is no natural gas network Utilities - 1997 in this sparsely settled region. All settle- Notranjsko-kraška Slovenia ments are connected to electricity and Notranjsko-kraška Slovenia telephone networks, and with 358 tele- Length in km per km2 0.18 0.23 phone lines per 1 000 inhabitants this is Dwellings connected to equal to the national average. water supply system (%) 97.7 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 population 5.2 2.4 Dwellings connected to sewerage system (%) 97.7 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 private passenger cars 13.1 6.1 Per capita consumption 3 % private passenger cars of water (m ) 75.5 71.9 in total number of vehicles 81 86 Telephone connections Number of accidental deaths per 1000 population 358 357 per 1 000 private passenger cars 0.4 0.5 Number of doctors per 1000 population 1.1 2.2 Extremely sensitive karst envi- Number of hospital beds ronment per 1000 population 1.1 5.7

Due to the permeable karst terrain, surface Current expenditure for water disappears underground through fis- environmental protection - 1997 sures and runs through unexplored tunnels towards distant springs. While such Waste removal Cultural activities are rather modest, and springs are very scarce in karst areas, Noise apart from some lively amateur dramatics, where they do appear they can be as large Air only the Notranjska Museum in Postojna is as an entire river. Harmful substances can Water worth mentioning. be washed into these waters from the sur- face or from caves where they have been carelessly dumped. Since the water runs 71% through underground tunnels, it cannot be 6% purified by filtering through clay or sand 1% layers. Every occurrence of water pollution can also be fatal for the unique under- ground fauna of the karst area. 22% All larger settlements in karst areas have waste-water treatment plants. Nevertheless, the few surface water in pol- jes are considerably polluted by waste- water from households, industry and agri- World leader in karst research culture. The same holds true for , which almost entirely dries out The small population of the Notranjsko- during the summer months and fills up kraška region and the relatively short dis- again in the autumn after abundant rainfall. tance between the regional centre Postojna and Ljubljana are the main rea- In the past, the Reka river presented a seri- sons for the lack of educational, health, ous environmental hazard as it used to cultural and similar institutions in the enter the Škocjan caves extremely polluted region. by waste water from the wood processing and chemical industry in Ilirska Bistrica. Almost all of these activities are concen- After Unesco proclaimed the caves a world trated in Postojna where a high-school Number of pupils - 1998 heritage site, pollution was reduced con- centre, with a grammar school, forestry siderably through the introduction of mod- and carpentry departments and other col- Pre-school 1 151 ern technologies in fibreboard production leges with vocational education pro- Primary 5 069 and the closure of the chemical plant. grammes, are located. Lower secondary 693 Higher secondary Municipal waste disposal also causes sub- The Karst Research Institute in Postojna, a (vocational/general) 1 929 stantial problems. It is being piled up constituent part of the Scientific-Research Tertiary (higher education) 1 472 untreated at municipal landfills, and is still Centre of the Slovenian Academy of not being managed as well as it should be Sciences and Arts, is one of the most Total 10 314 in a vulnerable karst environment. important karst research institutes in the world. It was established in 1947 on the The majority of people in Notranjsko- basis of the pre-war Italian National kraška are connected to municipal water Speleological Institute. supply systems that are fed by only a few karst springs, therefore, the water supply is There is a small maternity hospital in highly vulnerable to potential environmen- Postojna, too.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 61 eurostat Gorisˇka

Region forms main border with Italy

By size, Goriška is the third largest Slovenian region, while only the sixth by population. Situated in the western part of Slovenia along the Italian border, it is almost entirely within the catchment area of the Soča (Isonzo in Italian) river, which rises in the heart of the Julian Alps, and flows southwards towards the wide Plain in Italy.

The entire northern part of the region is part of the high Julian Alps, and the Soča is one of the last intact Alpine rivers, very popular with holidaymakers and water sports fans. The central part of the region Goriška brda is a range of distinctively Mediterranean wine and fruit-growing hills consists of the rugged and barely passable along the Slovenian-Italian border (Photograph: Matej Gabrovec) Mountains. Towards the south it con- tinues into the forested karst of Banjšice and Trnovski gozd, and then Main indicators drops abruptly into the fertile and densely National level = 100 populated Valley, distinctively Mediterranean in terms of climate and cul- 200 ture.

In the Middle Ages, the region belonged to 150 the Oglej (in Italian ) patriarchs and the dukes of Gorica (in Italian ) whose heritage was taken over by the Habsburgs in 1500. The northern part of 100 the present border between Slovenia and Italy also separated Austria and the repub- lic of Venice in the 16th century, while its 50 southern part was delimited by the Treaty of Paris between Italy and Yugoslavia (1947) and finally confirmed by the Treaties 0 of Osimo (1975). State and ethnic bound-

aries do not overlap, thus leaving Slovenes 65 Infant Population Age < 25 Age > Activity rate Activity rate EmploymentEmploymentEmployment Unemploy- Forested Per capita also on the Italian side of the border. Unemploy- area Agricultural mortality density (M + F) (F) in agriculturein industry in services ment (M + F)ment (F) area* GDP The famous Isonzo Front, which divided the Austrian and Italian armies during Between high Alps and the mountains, especially in the Triglav World War I, ran across the mountains National Park, offer considerable, as yet above the Soča river. Along this front, over Mediterranean Plain largely unexploited, development opportu- a million soldiers died on both sides. After nities. Strong earthquakes devastated the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian The region’s position along the Slovenian- parts of the region in 1976 and 1998, and Empire (1918), the area was granted to Italy Italian border is very favourable for its repair to the damage caused is largely with the Treaty of Rapallo (1920), while after southern, lowland zone but makes its larg- financed from the national budget. World War II it became part of Yugoslavia er mountainous section even more periph- with the Treaty of Paris (1947). Today, it is eral. At Idrija, in the central mountainous part of divided among 12 municipalities. the region, one of the most important mer- Despite being only a little over 100 km cury mines in the world operated for The southern part of the region is easily away from Ljubljana and relatively close to almost five centuries, before its phased accessible from within Slovenia as well as the densely populated Friuli Plain in neigh- closure began in 1986. Nevertheless, from the Italian side. A motorway through bouring Italy, the upper Soča Valley is not industry in and around the town was very the is currently under con- easily accessible. Furthermore, the main successfully reoriented into the manufac- struction to connect the Slovenian and pass towards Gorenjska across the Julian turing of machine equipment and electron- Italian motorway networks. The only Alps is closed in winter. This part of the ics. access to the region’s northern part is a region experienced severe depopulation road running through the Soča Valley from until 1970. With few natural resources, its The situation in the southern, the south and two high mountain passes. weak economy is dependent on tourism. Mediterranean part of the region is entirely The unspoiled Soča river and picturesque different. After the town of Gorica (Gorizia

62 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Which regions are similar to Goriška? Population: 119 659 inhabitants Nordvorpommern (D) Gwynedd (UK) Alto Alentejo (P) Age structure: 16% over 65 Este (E) Latgale (LV) Kärnten (A) Population density: 52 inhabitants per km2 Harghita (RO) Marche-en Famenne (B) Blekinge län (S)

Agriculture 1997 Number of private farms 7 021

Persons working in agriculture 2 051 in Italian) was given to Italy in 1947, the new Total agricultural area (ha) 29 828 town of Nova Gorica was established on Agricultural land use in 1997 (%) the Slovenian side of the border. Both Total livestock 37 871 sides of the border were able to take Permanent grassland advantage of this location, resulting in Arable land Cattle per 100 ha of total intensive cross-border co-operation espe- Permanent crops agricultural land 77.6 cially in trade, transport and tourism, with the result that Goriška has the lowest Pigs per 100 ha of total unemployment rate in Slovenia. agricultural land 16.0

71.1% A further advantage of this part of the Main products - proportion of arable region is its Mediterranean climate, land devoted to production of: enabling agricultural specialisation in wine, Cereals 37.7 fruit and vegetables. Although the Vipava Sugar beet 0.0 Valley is the largest plain in the 16.1% Fodder plants 37.3 Mediterranean part of Slovenia, its Potatoes 10.3 favourable natural conditions for more 12.8% intensive cultivation of fruit and vegetables are far from being fully exploited compared to the plain on the Italian side of the border. height, into the fertile Vipava Valley along terrain. Here, the largest towns are the Vipava river, the Gorica Plain along the (population 3 900) in the Soča Valley and Soča and the Goriška brda hills along the Idrija (6 100) in the Idrija Mountains. In con- In the Socˇa river basin Italian border. trast to the region’s mountainous part, the south is densely settled. The larger towns The Goriška region occupies 2 325 km2 The southern part of the region has a are Nova Gorica (population 13 900) on the (11.5% of the national territory) and com- Mediterranean climate with average tem- Italian border and Ajdovščina (6 100) and prises the high mountains and hills of the peratures between 3.2°C (January) and Vipava (1 600) in the Vipava Valley. Soča river basin. In the north are the Julian 21.4°C (July) and annual precipitation rang- Alps around the deeply incised upper Soča ing between 1 500-1 700 mm (in the moun- The only ore deposit found here was mer- Valley. The middle part comprise the tainous part between 2 000-3 500 mm). cury, which was extracted in Idrija from rugged Idrija Mountains in the river Peculiar to the Vipava Valley is the “”, a 1490 until 1996, when the mine was per- basin (the highest peak is Porezen, 1 630 turbulent cold wind which blows at speeds manently closed. The Soča river with its m) extending southwards into the forested of over 50 m/s during the winter months. tributaries is an important resource for Trnovski gozd karst plateau at an altitude generation, while its upper of 1 000-1 300 m and into the slightly lower In the mountainous parts of the region, the course is protected as a national heritage Banjšice plateau. majority of settlements and agricultural due to its exceptionally unspoilt beauty. land is located in the narrow river valleys, Numerous small hydroelectric plants are On their southern side, the plateaus fall with areas outside the valleys being installed on smaller tributaries in the away, in an escarpment over 1 000 m in sparsely settled due to the mountainous mountains. Another important natural

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 63 eurostat resource is the broadleaf and mixed forest < 25 covering almost two thirds of the region Population by age-groups (1 000) 25-65 (63.4%), while agricultural land covers only > 65 12.8%, and is found almost exclusively in 70 its southern part. 60

50

40

30

20

10

0 1981 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

Age-sex pyramid in 1998 (1000) Males Females 85+ 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39

30-34 1020304050600 25-29 20-24 15-19 * 10-14 5-9 0-4 5 4 3 2 1 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 * see explanatory notes 543210 012345

The region with the highest not so favourable, as the percentage of percentage of old people people below the age of 25 is among the lowest in Slovenia (30.5%), while the per- The population of the third largest centage of people above the age of 65 is Slovenian region by size numbered only the highest in the country (15.6%). The 119 659 (6% of the national population) at average age of the region’s population is the end of 1998. Unsurprisingly, the aver- above the Slovenian average in all munici- age population density in this mountainous palities, except Ajdovščina and Vipava, border region is only 51.5 people per km2, makes the ageing of the local population Main enterprises and the population density is lower only in even more evident. In mountainous parts Notranjska. Differences within the region of the region, this process is combined Name Activity are also large, as for example 132 people with population decline in small settle- ETA d.o.o. Electrical equipment per km2 live in the town municipality of ments and the abandonment of farming. Iskra-avtoelektrika d.d. Electrical components Nova Gorica and only 9 people per km2 in Šempeter pri Gorici the Alpine municipality of . Although Goriška lies along the Slovenian- Kolektor Idrija Electric motors Italian border, there are no indigenous eth- Splošna bolnišnica Hospital activities Despite unfavourable natural conditions in nic minorities in the region. The main rea- dr.Franc Derganc most of the region, the population decline son is that the historical ethnic boundary Nova Gorica in the 1990-1998 period was no larger than between the Slovenes to the east and the Rotomatika Spodnja Electric motors in other parts of Slovenia. The population and Friulans to the west follows the Idrija decline is a consequence of the decreas- contact line of the Friuli Plain with the Pre- Metalfleks Tolmin Electrical equipment ing birth rate which is already lower than alpine hills and mountains, situated inside Živilska industrija Beverages the mortality rate, although the decrease in Italian territory some kilometres to the Fruktal Ajdovščina the number of births at 13.6% in the 1990- west. The proportion of resident non- “Hit d.d. Nova Gorica, 1997 period was below the national aver- Slovenes is also quite low at 6.9%, the igralnica Perla” age of 18.8%. In the period between 1991 second lowest in Slovenia after Koroška Tekstilna Ajdovščina Textile weaving and 1996, more people left the region than region. They are mostly immigrants from “Hit d.d. Nova Gorica, Casino moved to it, but in 1997 the migratory bal- other parts of former Yugoslavia, who set- Casino park” ance levelled-off. tled down in the newly built town of Nova Gorica after World War II,and their descen- The age structure of the population is also dants.

64 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

juices) and Nova Gorica (meat products). Gross value-added by sector - 1996 (%) Goriäka Slovenia Service activities in Goriška are closely 40 related to its border position. This is espe- cially evident in the case of tourism which is distinctly geared towards and 30 related services and adapted to the needs of Italian visitors. The border cross- ing is also one of the largest cargo border 20 crossings in Slovenia. In the mountainous part of the region, tourism is centred around the Soča river, one of the most 10 beautiful Alpine rivers, which lends itself to water sports and fishing.

0 Agriculture Energy Industry Building & Market Non-market Earnings on the increase construction services services

A border region with a suc- exclusively prevail with sheep farming In 1998 Goriška had one of the highest cessful economy slowly reemerging in some areas. The average net wages in Slovenia at 545 ECU, mountains above the Soča Valley have wit- which was slightly above the national aver- This border region can be placed among nessed a revival of almost abandoned age. Wages were higher only in Obalno- the leading Slovenian regions in terms of alpine pasturing since favourable condi- kraška and Osrednjeslovenska regions. economic power and successful manage- tions for sustainable food production exist ment. Its share (6.0%) in generated nation- here. The southern part of the region is Wages in the region’s non-commercial ser- al gross value added puts it in fourth place specialised in growing frost-sensitive fruits vices (686 ECU) and construction sectors among Slovenian regions, while it is third in (peaches, apricots, cherries) and in wine (523 ECU) are not only well above national terms of GDP per capita, following the growing, especially in the Goriška brda average but are in fact the highest in Osrednjeslovenska and Obalno-kraška hills and in the Lower Vipava Valley. Slovenia, while they are slightly below the regions. Modern industrial branches and national average in the commercial ser- service activities prevail in the region, When this part of Slovenia was included in vices (536 ECU) and industrial sectors (461 therefore its economy is burdened to a former Yugoslavia after World War II, it was ECU). lesser degree with problems that are typi- almost entirely without industry. Only the cal of classical industrial areas. The region Idrija mercury mine was important at that In the period 1995-1998, average net successfully took advantage of its border time. The local workforce served as the wages in Goriška increased by 14.5% position to establish numerous economic basis for the development of a successful which was also slightly above the national ties with Italian communities. electronics industry which adapted to new average. The increase was higher only in market conditions successfully after inde- Gorenjska. The fastest growth in earnings Service activities generate the largest pendence and is today, apart from the ser- was recorded in the non-commercial ser- share (55.2%) of gross value added in the vice sector, the main driving force of fur- vices, construction and industrial sectors, region, (it is larger only in three other ther development. Most of these compa- while wages decreased slightly in the com- regions), the secondary sector contributes nies have long-term relations with foreign mercial services sector. 39.7%, while the contribution from the pri- partners and represent some of the more mary sector is 5.4%. important Slovenian exporters. The main Monthly wages are the most important centres are Cerkno (household and heat- source of household income, representing Within Goriška, agriculture varies extreme- ing appliances), Idrija (commutators for about half of all income, followed by pen- ly between its mountainous parts and its electric motors and electric motors for sions and other incomes from social insur- lower southern part where the impact of cooling appliances) and Šempeter pri Novi ance. Quite a number of people receive the Mediterranean climate is felt. In upland Gorici (starting motors). The food process- pensions from Italian funds, either from areas, dairy and beef cattle farming almost ing industry is present in Ajdovščina (fruit their work during the Italian occupation (1918-1943) or from employment in Italy after the 1950s. In rural areas there is a high percentage of mixed farmer-employee households receiving additional income from farming, partly from growing food for their own consumption and partly from selling any surplus at market. The boom in tourism and recreational activities in the upper reaches of the Soča river since 1990 has also improved the standard of living of a number of rural households.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 65 eurostat Low unemployment rate, new agriculture. The with Italy, var- Resident employment possibilities in the services ious forms of cross-border cooperation, by sex (%) Male Female sector local border trade and tourists coming over 60 to gamble were all contributing factors to When Goriška became part of former such favourable development. Positive 50 Yugoslavia after World War II, it was - trends are expected to continue in the tially an under-developed region with future. 40 almost no industry and without a regional centre since the town of Gorica (Gorizia) The vast majority of employees have full- remained on the Italian side of the border. time employment, however 20.2% are 30 This situation was further exacerbated by employed only temporarily. Due to its posi- the border between the two being tightly tion along the western border, not many 20 closed. The town of Nova Gorica, built in people from neighbouring Slovenian the 1950s, attracted people from nearby regions are employed in Goriška, whereas 10 areas as well as from other parts of many people from the region commute Slovenia. It soon developed into a vibrant daily to Italy. 0 economic centre with its border position 1988 1991 1994 1998 becoming increasingly important. The blossoming of the service sector and the successful retraining of former miners A considerable number of industrial plants from the Idrija mercury mine who are now Unemployment (1 000) were established in small settlements in an mostly employed in the electronics and 6 effort to prevent depopulation of the machinery industry, are the main reasons region’s mountainous parts. Consequently, for the region having the lowest unemploy- industry employed just under two thirds of ment rate in Slovenia (8.7%). As in other 5 the region’s employees at the beginning of regions, the number of unemployed the 1990s. Between 1991 and 1998, the increased rapidly during the difficult period 4 Total number of employees in this sector of transition from a socialist to a market decreased by 12.3%, while in the service economy (a 120% increase between 1990- 3 sector it increased by almost 40%. In 93), however unemployment has been 1998, a slight majority (48.8%) of the work- steadily decreasing since then. force was employed in the service sector, Unfortunately, a relatively high and above 2 Female 47.2% in the industrial sector and 4.1% in average unemployment rate has been recorded among the younger population, 1 < 26 years while the share of the long-term unem- Employment by sector (%) ployed is below the national average. 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 70 Break in methodology 60 Both road and rail open Despite the rugged terrain, local or forest Industry towards Italy roads enable access to all settlements in 50 this part of the region. In the plains and in The southern part of Goriška, including the hilly areas, there is a dense network of 40 Services Vipava Valley and the plain around Nova local, mostly paved roads. In sparsely set- Gorica, is situated at the meeting-point of tled mountain areas cars are very impor- 30 the Italian and the Slovenian motorway tant for the local population commuting to networks and is therefore easily accessi- work, as a result of which car ownership is 20 ble. In Italy, the Trieste Padova motorway well above average. The region has 53 000 (E70) and the -Udine-Villach passenger cars or 445 cars per 1 000 per- Agriculture 10 motorway (E55) run near the border. A sons, and only Obalno-kraška has more major road through the Vipava Valley, con- cars per capita. 0 necting the Vrtojba border pass with the 19881990 1992 1994 1996 1998 -Ljubljana motorway, is currently The single-track Jesenice-Nova Gorica under reconstruction and should be entire- railway, called the Bohinj railway, which ly modernised by 2002. was later extended to and con- Employment structure by residency - 1998 nected with the Southern railway near Due to its mountainous terrain the larger, Sežana in 1948, runs through the moun- Residents northern part of Goriška is not as easily tainous part of Goriška. A local railway line Non-residents accessible. The main road from Nova leading to Ajdovščina branches off near Gorica via Tolmin, to the Italian Prvačina. There is also a rail border cross- border runs through the Soča Valley. In ing near Nova Gorica, connecting the 96.63% Most na Soči it is joined by the Logatec- Slovenian and the Italian railway networks. Idrija-Most na Soči road, which is this part of the region’s most important connection Goriška has no airports, although Ronchi with central Slovenia. The only road con- airport on the Italian side of the border is nections towards the north lead across only 20 km from Nova Gorica, while two mountain passes, the Vršič Pass Ljubljana international airport is 140 km (1 611m; closed during the winter) towards away. There are no navigable rivers in the Kranjska Gora and the Predel Pass (1 156 region. 3.37% m) towards Tarvisio in Italy.

66 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Surfaced public roads – 1997 settlements including isolated farmsteads Utilities - 1997 are connected to the national electricity Goriška Slovenia network. The region has 313 telephone Goriška Slovenia lines per 1 000 inhabitants, which is 12% Length in km per km2 0.22 0.23 below the national average. Dwellings connected to water supply system (%) 98.0 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 population 4.3 2.4 Dwellings connected to sewerage system (%) 98.0 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 private passenger cars 9.6 6.1 Per capita consumption 3 % private passenger cars of water (m ) 61.7 71.9 in total number of vehicles 82 86 Telephone connections Number of accidental deaths per 1000 population 311 357 per 1 000 private passenger cars 0.4 0.5 Number of doctors per 1000 population 1.1 2.2 Clean environment along the Number of hospital beds emerald-green Socˇa river Current expenditure for per 1000 population 6.3 5.7 environmental protection - 1997 The mountainous part of Goriška lies in the upper reaches of the Soča river, one of the Waste removal last large Alpine rivers that have been pre- Noise museum of the year 1993) and the served in a completely natural condition. Water Municipal Museum in Idrija (the best Due to its few settlements and minimal Nature & Landscape European technical museum of 1997). economic development, environmental Galleries include the Gallery in impacts are small, although the area is Ajdovščina, the Riko Debenjak Gallery in faced with the abandonment of farming 76% Kanal and the Zoran Mušič Gallery in and the subsequent deterioration of its tra- 1% Castle in Goriška brda. ditional Alpine landscape.

Nevertheless, environmental problems 22% related to the Idrija mercury mine were felt 1% here, but they have been largely resolved following the closure of the mine. Sediment deposited by the Idrijca and the lower part of the Soča river still contain considerable Several smaller cultural cen- amounts of mercury and other heavy met- tres als which are gradually being transported towards the sea together with other sedi- As in neighbouring Gorenjska, there are ments. Severe environmental problems several educational and cultural centres in were also caused by the manufacture of this large region of western Slovenia. Apart products in the cement from Nova Gorica, which is the most factory, where production was stopped at important centre, smaller centres include the end of 1996. Idrija, Tolmin and Ajdovščina, all of which have high-school centres. Nova Gorica, The environment in the plains and hills in built only after World War II, has numerous the southern part of Goriška, which is schools, from grammar schools to various more densely settled and more economi- high schools and vocational schools. The cally active, is less well preserved. The private polytechnic, specialising in post- rivers are especially affected, and their graduate environmental studies, is also self-purification capacity was reduced based here. Number of pupils - 1998 considerably by extensive land reclamation schemes, especially in the Vipava Valley.. There are no large research centres in Pre-school 3 580 Additional strain is caused by intensive Goriška. In Šempeter pri Novi Gorici there Primary 11 280 agriculture as well as industrial and munic- is a regional general hospital and in Idrija Lower secondary 1 449 ipal waste water deposits. there is a psychiatric hospital. Higher secondary (vocational/general) 4 919 Due to the abundant rainfall in the region’s Since independence, there have been Tertiary (higher education) 3 625 mountainous part, there are numerous increasingly close cultural ties between water sources used by local and private Nova Gorica, the cultural centre of Total 24 853 water supply systems. The abundant karst Goriška, and the town of Gorica (Gorizia) springs in the foothills of the high Dinaric on the Italian side of the border. The plateaus are the main source of drinking Primorska Drama Theatre and the Goriška water in the southern part of the region. Museum are among the most important cultural institutions in Nova Gorica. Other Only Nova Gorica is supplied by natural institutions of note in the region are the gas through a local natural gas network. All World War I Museum in Kobarid (European

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 67 eurostat Obalno-krasˇka

Slovenia’s only coastal region Small in terms of both size and population, this is the only Slovenian region which extends all the way to the Adriatic Sea. Its geographical position along with its natur- al, cultural and historical characteristics mark it out from other Slovenian regions. It is exceptionally important for Slovenia as its “gateway to the world”, specifically to the and beyond.

Unlike continental Slovenia, which was under the influence of Germanic culture for more than a millennium, the coastal area was influenced by Mediterranean culture since the 1st century BC, when it became part of the . Later, it was governed by the Patriarchs of Aquileia and in honours the local composer, (1692-1770) the Venice Republic. The area was under (Photograph: Matej Gabrovec) Habsburg rule only from 1797 (with the Treaty of Campo-Formio) until the end of World War I, a period which brought a con- Main indicators siderable economic boom to the rural hin- National level = 100 terland of Trieste. The area was ceded to Italy with the Treaty of Rapallo (1920). After 200 World War II the Allies established the short-lived Free Territory of Trieste in the disputed area which was subsequently 150 divided between Italy and Yugoslavia in 1954, and eventually confirmed by the Treaties of Osimo (1975). Meanwhile, the sea border between Slovenia and Croatia 100 has still not been definitively determined.

In terms of landscape, the region can be 50 divided into two: a waterless karst interior, descending with a picturesque cliff into gently undulating Mediterranean hills along 0 the coast. In the area named Kras (Carso in

Italian, Karst in German) in the immediate 65 Infant Population Age < 25 Age > Activity rate Activity rate EmploymentEmploymentEmployment Unemploy- Forested Per capita hinterland of Trieste, the first scientific Unemploy- area Agricultural karst research was carried out in the 19th mortality density (M + F) (F) in agriculturein industry in services ment (M + F)ment (F) area* GDP century. Since then, natural phenomena of this kind all over the world have been Slovenia’s window on the named after this region. taken advantage of its coastal position. world Obalno-kraška is divided among 7 munici- Only 47 km in length, the Slovenian coast- palities, and the region has good access to Although the region has had an extremely line is too short for all the activities (from both the Slovenian and Italian road and turbulent history in the 20th century and different kinds of tourism to port activities railway networks. Connections with tourist witnessed drastic demographic and eco- and industry) which Slovenia wants to areas in the Croatian part of the nomic changes, it can still be considered develop there. Policies, which were suc- peninsula are also relatively good. The one of the most economically successful cessful in moving both the population and most important Slovenian port is situated regions in Slovenia. economic activities from the hinterland to in Koper, from which there are good links the coast, are now one of the causes of the to Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. A large proportion of the economy is relat- saturated coastal belt and in some places ed to the sea in one way or the other - from polluted sea. the with its harbour activities to the towns of Portorož, Piran and Koper is a small port by European stan- with their marine tourism, and agriculture dards, and was established after 1945 in which is oriented towards Mediterranean direct competition to the nearby and larger crops and wine-growing. As a whole, the Trieste. For the time being its connections region is only slightly behind the with the hinterland are not as good as Osrednjeslovenska region in terms of its those of Trieste, but its opportunities for economic prosperity, and has successfully further territorial expansion are better, pro-

68 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Which regions are similar to Obalno-kraška? Land use: 50% forest Kirde-Eesti (EE) Övre Norrland (S) Steiermark (A) Age structure: 29% under 25 Castilla y León (E) Dorset and Somerset (UK) Riga (LV) Employment structure: 69% services Brnenský (PL) East Anglia (UK) Sydsverige (S)

Agriculture 1997 Number of private farms 3 083

Persons working in agriculture 1 081

Total agricultural area (ha) 9 602 viding that competition is replaced by the division of activities between both ports in Agricultural land use in 1997 (%) Total livestock 8 238 the future. Slovene and Italian minorities Cattle per 100 ha of total Permanent grassland on both sides of the border could be con- Arable land agricultural land 33.1 sidered an important bridge for future co- Permanent crops operation. Pigs per 100 ha of total agricultural land 18.9 A serious factor limiting further develop- ment is the lack of drinking water, since Main products - proportion of arable most of the region is supplied from two land devoted to production of: large karst water sources. Agriculture, pri- 28.4% 47.8% Cereals 25.5 marily growing Mediterranean crops, has Sugar beet 0.0 problems with both water scarcity and the Fodder plants 34.4 lack of suitable agricultural land, given the Potatoes 9.8 stony karst terrain in the majority of the Kras area. 23.8%

By the Slovenian sea around villages, typically clustered on low itation and average temperatures between With an area of 1 044 km2 (5.2% of the hilltops. 4.9°C (January) and 22.8°C (July). national territory), Obalno-kraška can be divided into two parts, one being the karst The karst area descends with a pic- Situated along the coast are the old towns interior, covering almost two thirds of the turesque, up to 300 m high cliff towards of Koper (Capodistria, population 24 000), region, and the other the low-lying hills on the hilly flysch country, which extend all the Izola (Isola, 10 600) and Piran (Pirano, the coastal belt. The karst interior is char- way to the Adriatic coast. Here villages 5 000). They have preserved all the char- acterised by an undulating landscape, dot- with fields, vineyards and orchards are sit- acteristics of old Mediterranean towns, ted with numerous karst depressions uated on wide ridges at altitudes of 100- while the tourist resort of Portorož (dolines), and no water sources or surface 400 m. Steep slopes, mostly overgrown by (Portorose, 3 100) was established later. waters. The only surface water is the Reka scrub and economically unimportant Inland, along the main Vienna - Trieste rail- river, which disappears underground in the broadleaf forest, descend into the valleys way and road, are the towns of Sežana magnificent Škocjan caves and flows of short streams, and most of the region’s (4 700) and Divača (1 300). through unknown channels towards karst flat land is found around their outlet into springs on the river near the sea. The largest rivers are the Rižana The region’s most important natural in Italy. More than one third of and the border river , at whose resource is the sea, important for tourism, the karst region is covered with broadleaf mouth extensive salt pans are located. the fishing industry and salt production and forest and shrubs. The rest is pas- and, of course, as Slovenia’s gateway to ture-land which is being rapidly overgrown, The climate is sub-Mediterranean with the world. It also has proportionally the as well as fields, meadows and vineyards approximately 1 000 mm of annual precip- smallest agricultural land area (9.2%) of all

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 69 eurostat Slovenian regions and suffers from a short- < 25 age of drinking water, the supply being Population by age-groups (1 000) 25-65 almost entirely dependent on the Rižana > 65 river and a karst water well 60 near Brestovica in the western part of 50 Kras.

40

30

20

10

0 1981 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

Age-sex pyramid in 1998 (1000) Males Females 85+ 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39

30-34 1020304050600 25-29 20-24 15-19 10-14

see explanatory notes * 5-9 * 0-4 5 4 3 2 1 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 543210 012345

Population concentrated along percentage of people below the age of 25 regions were attracted to coastal towns, in Obalno-kraška is below the national while during the 1970s and 1980s, people the coast average and the percentage of people from neighbouring Croatia and also from At the end of 1998, 102 418 people (5.2% above the age of 65 exceeds the national other parts of former Yugoslavia migrated of the country’s population) lived in average. As in other parts of Slovenia, the to the region. Of these immigrants and Slovenia’s only coastal region. The average younger population decreased by more their descendants, Croats (6.7 %) and population density in the region (98.1 peo- than 10% during the 1990-1997 period, Serbs (3.6 %) are the most numerous. ple per km2) is slightly above the national while the older population increased by average. However there are big differences almost one third in the same period (as between the coastal belt where the densi- against the Slovenian average of 24.1%). Main enterprises ty is over 400 people per km2 and the The ageing of the population is greatest in sparsely settled karst interior where the the karst interior, although the average age Name Activity density ranges between 20 and 35 people of the population in all three coastal koper Cargo handling per km2. municipalities is also above the national Splošna bolnišnica Hospital activities average. Izola Obalno-kraška is among the few regions in Mehano Izola Toys Slovenia where the population slightly With a quarter of its population of non- Promo d.o.o. Koper Motorcycles increased during the 1990-1998 period. Slovene extraction, this is by far the high- Casino Portorož d.d. Casino However a slow decline has been recorded est percentage of all Slovenian regions. Mednarodno podjetje Locks and hinges since 1995. This population growth was Apart from Slovenes, approximately 3 000 Lama mostly the consequence of immigration members of the Italian ethnic minority “Intereuropa d.d., Road transport from other regions with the positive migra- (2.8% of the region’s population) live in dejavnost cestnega tory balance increasing even more after coastal towns and near-by villages. Their transporta blaga” 1994. Natural growth indicators are less rights are guaranteed by the constitution, Ortopedska bolnišnica Hospital activities encouraging; the region has the lowest as both Italian and Slovenian are official Valdoltra birth rate in Slovenia, resulting in a mortal- languages in municipalities where there is SGP Kraški Zidar Construction ity rate well above the birth rate. The num- an Italian minority. Nevertheless, after Sežana ber of births decreased by one third in the World War II, and especially after the Free Cimos Koper d.o.o. Vehicle parts 1985-1997 period, which is substantially Territory of Trieste was abolished, most of above the national average. the Italian population moved to Italy.

Despite the high influx of immigrants, the Initially immigrants from other Slovenian

70 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Open access to the world’s seas, connec- Gross value-added by sector - 1996 (%) Obalno-kraska tions with the Mediterranean over a thou- Slovenia 50 sand years, and its border position were factors that undoubtedly contributed to the flourishing of Obalno-kraška and also 40 facilitated the transition from the former socialist regime to a modern market econ- 30 omy. Part of this recovery can be attributed to the local workforce that comes from local high-school centres and three local 20 faculties. A further regional advantage is that the majority of the population is bilin- 10 gual which eases cooperation with Italian partners.

0 Agriculture Energy Industry Building & Market Non-market construction services services

Service activities are the back- Average earnings second important is the manufacture of metal bone of region’s vital econo- products and the machinery industry. The highest in Slovenia my companies in these branches are mostly connected with foreign partners, including Between 1995 and 1998 average net The region’s share in generated national producing car parts for the French firm monthly wages in Obalno-kraška gross value added (5.3%) rank it among Citroën (Koper, Senožeče). The food indus- increased by only 11.4% which is 2% the smaller Slovenian regions, however it is try is based in Portorož and toy manufac- below the national average, and in fact economically one of the most successful. turing in Izola. wage growth was slower only in Pomurska Service activities are by far the most region. important, generating 70.8% of the Transport services, trade, tourism, insur- region’s gross value added, which is the ance and commercial services are the Nevertheless, it is worth noting that aver- highest percentage among the Slovenian main services sector activities. New devel- age net monthly wages in the region in regions. The secondary sector contributes opment incentives will be brought into this 1998 were 3.5% above the national aver- 25.3%, and agriculture and fishing 3.7%. area with the expected establishment of age at 557 ECU, and overall the second the third Slovenian university in Koper. highest in Slovenia after Osrednjeslovenska. Fruit, wine and vegetable growing predom- Wages in the region’s industry (472 ECU), inate in the region’s agriculture which suf- The port of Koper is vital to the transport construction (500 ECU) and commercial fers from insufficient water resources for sector, with 8.4 million tonnes of cargo in services sectors (564 ECU) are among the irrigation and is hindered by small, frag- 1998. This is small in global terms, but highest in Slovenia, while wages in the mented farms. important for Slovenia as well as for the non-commercial services sector are slight- wider Central European hinterland. Koper ly below the national average (618 ECU). The fishing industry had been relatively also has the head office of the largest important up until the 1990s. Since then, it Slovenian road transport company, while in Earned income represent more than a half has been reduced considerably because Portorož there is the head office of the only of all household income, while one third Slovenian fishermen are no longer allowed Slovenian ship transport company. comes from pensions and other social unlimited fishing in Croatian territorial Transport and related services are also insurance sources. Furthermore, many waters. Mussel aquaculture is expanding important in Sežana since the largest people also receive Italian pensions. In in the Bay of Piran where salt has also freight terminal is situated at the nearby rural areas there is a high percentage of been produced in saltpans for centuries. Fernetiči border crossing. Tourism in mixed farmer-employee households Portorož and Piran is also a very important receiving additional income from agricul- As in Goriška, industry was introduced activity. ture, while tourism is an additional source here only in the 1950s and 1960s. The most of income in tourist resorts.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 71 eurostat Plenty of jobs in the services 13.3% during the same period), while in Resident employment sector the service sector an increase of 30% was by sex (%) Male recorded. These favourable trends are 60 Female After Slovenia regained its access to the expected to continue in the future since open sea following the abolishment of the the region will soon be connected to the 50 Free Territory of Trieste (1954), the con- hinterland by a motorway. struction of the Port of Koper and the 40 planned industrialisation of coastal towns As elsewhere in Slovenia, the majority of attracted a lot of labour from other parts of employees have full-time employment, Slovenia. In the following decades, the while the percentages of women employed 30 concentration of jobs in the coastal belt and employees with temporary employ- caused rapid depopulation of the hinter- ment are close to the national average. 20 land, leaving only Sežana as a large centre There are rather few commuters from of employment. neighbouring regions, while a substantial 10 percentage of people commute daily to With the development of transport ser- nearby Trieste. 0 vices and tourism, by the 1970s the ser- 1988 1991 1994 1998 vices sector had already become more The unemployment rate (10.5%) in important than industry. In 1998, the ser- Obalno-kraška is among the lowest in vices sector employed 69.1% of the work- Slovenia. Nevertheless, the transition from Unemployment (1 000) force, which was the highest percentage of a socialist to a market economy caused an 7 all the Slovenian regions. On the other enormous increase in unemployment in hand, Obalno-kraška had the lowest per- this region also. It doubled between 1990- 6 centage of its workforce (28.6%) employed 1993, as companies shed large numbers of in the industrial sector. surplus employees. A large portion of the 5 redundant workforce found new employ- Total Unlike other regions, the problems associ- ment in the services sector, so that the 4 ated with restructuring industry were not unemployment rate has been decreasing so severe here. As a result the number of persistently since 1993. There are relatively 3 employees in this sector increased by few young job-seekers among the unem- Female 10.9% during the 1991-1998 period (at the ployed, and the share of the long-term 2 national level this number decreased by unemployed is also smaller than in other Slovenian regions. 1 < 26 years Employment by sector (%) 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 70 Services 60 Gateway to the world Construction of a second track is planned Break in soon. In Prešnica, a single-track railway 50 methodology Slovenia has only 47 km of Adriatic coast, branches off to (Croatia). but it is extremely important for the coun- 40 try as this gives it access to the sea. After Near Divača, the motorway leading to the port of Trieste was cut off from its hin- Sežana and further to Trieste (Italy) branch- 30 terland by the Italian-Yugoslav border, es off from the Ljubljana-Kozina motorway, Industry Yugoslavia opened a new port at Koper in while at the Fernetiči border crossing there 20 1958. Although not a large port, it is very is one of the largest freight terminals in important for Slovenia and as a transit port Slovenia. Other important roads include 10 for a large section of the Central European the Trieste-Rijeka road and the coastal Agriculture hinterland, especially Austria, Hungary, the road, Koper-Izola-Portorož, which extends 0 Czech Republic and Slovakia. In 1998, it northwards to Trieste and southwards to 19881990 1992 1994 1996 1998 handled 8.4 million tons of cargo. the Croatian part of the Istria peninsula. Specialising in container shipments and ro-ro transport, it also has terminals for Obalno-kraška has a relatively dense net- Employment structure by residency - 1998 general cargo, cars, iron ore and coal, work of local, mostly paved roads. The grain, fruit and other perishable goods, region also has the largest number of cars Residents livestock, timber and liquid fuels. The entire per capita (46 800 passenger cars or 455 Non-residents port area has Free Trade Zone status with cars per 1 000 persons). Near Portorož, attractive business and financial advan- there is a small international airport with a tages for domestic and foreign investors. 1 200 m long runway, used primarily by 92.99% small tourist and business planes. Two smaller ports are also located in Izola 75.7% and Piran, while Izola and Portorož also have marinas.

The port of Koper is connected to the hin- terland by a major road, due to be up- graded to a motorway by 2004, and by a 7.01% single-track electrified railway built in 1967, which joins the Southern railway in Divača.

72 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat SLOVENIA

Surfaced public roads – 1997 1 000 inhabitants, exceeding the national Utilities - 1997 average by more than 30%. Obalno-kraška Slovenia Obalno-kraška Slovenia

Length in km per km2 0.29 0.23 Dwellings connected to water supply system (%) 97.7 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 population 3.0 2.4 Dwellings connected to sewerage system (%) 97.7 97.6 Length in km per 1 000 private passenger cars 6.5 6.1 Per capita consumption 3 % private passenger cars of water (m ) 77.4 71.9 in total number of vehicles 86 86 Telephone connections Number of accidental deaths per 1000 population 479 357 per 1 000 private passenger cars 0.4 0.5 Number of doctors per 1000 population 2.2 2.2 Shallow sea and enormous Number of hospital beds pressure on the coastal belt Current expenditure for per 1000 population 6.3 5.7 environmental protection - 1997 Slovenia has only 180 km2 of the sea in the shallow , part of the Waste removal Adriatic Sea, where the average depth is Water The only large research institution is the only 19 m. Since the Gulf of Trieste is rela- Nature & Landscape Marine Biological Station in Piran which tively closed, sea currents are weak. As a operates within Ljubljana University. There result, occasionally eutrophication occurs, is a regional general hospital in Izola, and causing algal blooms. The seawater is not 39% an orthopaedic hospital in . particularly clean, with most of the pollu- 43% tion coming from the Po river in Italy. In Important cultural institutions include the closed bays along the Slovenian coast, Regional Museum in Koper, the Maritime pollution is also caused by the discharging Museum in Piran, coastal galleries in Piran of municipal and other waste water into the 18% and Koper and a central study library in sea, as none of the coastal towns have Koper. The Koper-Capodistria radio-televi- adequate municipal waste water treatment sion centre, broadcasting in Italian and in plants. Slovenian, is part of the national radio and television network. Along the Slovenian coast the environment Mediterranean character still is also under enormous pressure due to evident the high concentration of population on the coastal belt, intensive agriculture in the Obalno-kraška is characterised by being a immediate hinterland and mass tourism part of the Mediterranean cultural area, during the summer. which survived even the large population and historical changes following World War The interior of Obalno-kraška is essentially II. Close ties with nearby Trieste are also karst in character with no surface water important where ethnic minorities, Italians and almost no water sources. on the Slovenian side of the border and Underground runoff prevails, making karst Slovenes in and around Trieste, have waters extremely vulnerable due to their played an important intermediary role. low self-purification capacity. Cultural, educational and other activities Water supply in the region depends almost are dispersed among all three old coastal entirely on two large karst water sources. towns and in Portorož which is of more Number of pupils - 1998 However, the proximity of the road and rail- recent origin. Sežana is the only important way leading inland from Koper makes the centre in the hinterland. In contrast to Pre-school 3 235 Rižana karst spring most vulnerable to Pomurska, where bilingual education has Primary 9 228 spills of hazardous substances. Water been established, education in areas set- Lower secondary 1 435 quantity is already insufficient during the tled by a mixed Slovene and Italian popu- Higher secondary peak consumption months in the summer, lation is separated at both primary and (vocational/general) 3 790 while new sources of drinking water have secondary levels. As well as the Slovenian Tertiary (higher education) 3 115 not been found so far. Municipal waste is high schools in Koper, Izola, Piran, disposed of without any treatment at more Portorož and Sežana, there are also Italian Total 20 803 of less adequately maintained landfills. grammar schools in Koper and Portorož and a secondary school in Izola. In the Obalno-kraška is the only region in coastal towns there are also four faculties Slovenia that is not connected to the nat- which should be brought together to form ural gas network. On the other hand, its the basis of the third Slovenian university in telephone penetration is the highest in the near future. Slovenia with 479 telephone lines per

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 73 eurostat Explanatory notes

Sources: Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (all data relating to Slovenia) Eurostat database REGIO (all EU data)

Notes on specific graphs and tables

Table: Main indicators Reference year: 1997, except for population density (1999), population < 25 (1999), population > 65 (1999), employment in agriculture (1998), in industry (1998), in services (1998), unemployment (1998) and GDP per capita (1996). Activity rate: labour force as a percentage of the population aged 15 and over. Employment, unemployment: data from the Statistical register of Employment , at 31st December each year Table: Agriculture - 1997 1) Only areas cultivated by EU comparable farms are included. EU comparable farms are those having: a) at least one hectare of area farmed, or b) having less than one hectare of area farmed, but * at least 0.1 hectare of area farmed and 0.9 hectare of forest or * at least 0.3 hectares of vineyards and/or orchards or * two or more livestock units (LSU) or * 0.15 to 0.3 hectare of vineyards/orchards and one to two LSU 2) Permanent Crops: orchards - plantations, orchards - extensive, vineyards. 3) Arable land also includes kitchen gardens. 4) Sums not equal due to rounding. Persons working in agriculture: data taken from Statistical Register of Employment Table: Main enterprises Source: Business Register of Slovenia 1999 Graph: Residents of foreign nationality as a percentage of region’s population The graph excludes persons whose origin is unknown (i.e. they are not included under ‘Others’). By contrast, references in the text do include such persons under ‘non-Slovenes’. Graph: Employment by sector (%) Source: Statistical Register of Employment at 31 October each year Definition of sectors: Agriculture - agriculture, and forestry, fishing (NACE Rev.1. codes A-B); Industry - mining, manufacturing, electricity, gas and water supply, construction (NACE Rev.1. codes C-F); Services - trade, services, etc. (NACE Rev.1. codes G-P); Graph: Gross value added by sector - 1996 (%) The gross value added by sector is based on gross value added at basic prices. Graph: Wages by sectors - 1997 (ECU) Definition: gross monthly average wages and salaries. Graph: Unemployment (1000) Source: Ministry of Employment, Family & Social Affairs: database on registered unemployment at 31st October of each year Graph: Current expenditure for environmental protection - 1997 Source: Statistical Office of RS, Statistical Yearbook 1999

Note on comparability The definitions and methods used by the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia do not always coincide with those used by the Member States of the European Union. Comparisons of Slovenian regions with regions in the EU should therefore be made with cau- tion.

74 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 75 eurostat BIBLIOGRAPHY AND INFORMATION SOURCES

Atlas Slovenije (Atlass of Slovenia). 440 pp. Ljubljana 1996.

Bobek, V., 2000: Foreign trade system of Slovenia. 133 pp. Maribor.

Climate of Slovenia. 70 pp. Ljubljana.

Gams, I. — I. Vrišer (eds.), 1998: Geografija Slovenije (). 501 pp. Ljubljana.

Geografski atlas Slovenije (Geographical atlass of Slovenia). 360 pp. Ljubljana.

Interaktivni atlas Slovenije (Inter-active atlass of Slovenia). CD-ROM. Ljubljana 2000.

Mejač, Ž. (ed.), 2000: Negotiating positions of the Republic of Slovenia for negotiations on accession to the European Union. Ljubljana.

Možina, S. (ed.), 1999: Government of the Republic of Slovenia 1999. The Government Public Relations and Media Office. 160 pp. Ljubljana.

Natek, K. — M. Natek, 1998: Slovenija. Geografska, zgodovinska, pravna, politična, ekonomska in kulturna podoba Slovenije (Slovenia. geographical, historical, legal, political, economic and cultural characteristics). 415 pp. Ljubljana.

Natek, K. et al., 1999: Discover Slovenia. 136 pp. Ljubljana.

National accounts for the Republic of Slovenia: sources, methods and estimates (OECD publication). 150 pp. Paris.

Reviews of national policies for education (OECD publication). 40 pp. Paris 1999.

Slovenia. A Gateway to Central Europe. 96 pp. Ljubljana 1996.

Slovenia: economic transformation and EU accession. Vol. 1 and 2 (A World Bank country study). Washington 1999.

Slovenia: the tourist guide. 720 pp. Ljubljana 1999.

Taxation in Slovenia. Ministry of Finance. Ljubljana 2000.

Welcome to Slovenia (multi-media presentation of Slovenia’s tourist offer). CD_ROM. Murska Sobota 1999.

Zidarič, B., 1999: Doing business in Slovenia. 132 pp.

STATISTICAL PUBLICATIONS AND SOURCES

Statistični letopis - Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Slovenia Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana (Available in English since 1994)

Slovenija v številkah - Slovenia in Figures Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana (Available in English since 1991) Prebivalstvo Republike Slovenije - Population of the Republic of Slovenia

Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana (Available in English since 1995)

Popis prebivalstva, gospodinjstev, stanovanj in kmečkih gospodarstev v Republiki Sloveniji v letu 1991 (Rezultati po občinah) - Census of the population, households, housings and agricultural holdings in the Republic of Slovenia in 1991(Results by municipalities) Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana

Trg dela, Slovenija - Labour Market, Slovenia Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana (Available in English since 1996)

Osnovne in šole na začetku in koncu šolskega leta (Primary and secondary schools at the beginning and the end of the school year) Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana

76 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat Other sources

Centralni register prebivalstva Republike Slovenije (Central Register of Population of the Republic of Slovenia)

Statistični register delovnoaktivnega prebivalstva (Statistical Register of Employment)

Poslovni register Slovenije (The Business Register of Slovenia)

Internet: http://www.sigov.si/zrs.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 77 eurostat Legend to maps

Symbols and abbreviations

> Greater than >_ Greater than or equal < Less than : Not available LEGEND 0 Less than half of the unit used Regions of Slovenia GVA Gross value-added LU Livestock unit Maps revised and supplemented by Marko Krevs, Ph.D inhab. Inhabitant Department Geography, Faculty of Arts M Male Ljubljana University, Slovenia, 2000 F Female Following initial map compilation and design by ha Hectare András Trócsányi and Zoltán Wilhelm km Kilometre Janus Pannonius University, Pécs, Hungary m Metre

78 PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS eurostat European Commission Volume 9: Portrait of the Regions – Slovenia Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities 2000 – VIII, 80 pp. – 21.0 x 29.7 cm Classification themes: 13 and 17 ISBN: 92-828-9404-5 Price (excluding VAT) in Luxembourg: ECU 25,00

Volume 9 of the "Portrait of the Regions" series comprises a detailed presentation of the regions of the Republic of Slovenia. Slovenia’s 12 regions are each presented in a consistent format, using maps, diagrams, statistical tables and commentaries. Topics covered include population patterns and trends, employment, the economic fab- ric, the environment and the strengths and weaknesses of each region. Based on the most comparable official statistics available, the analyses have been compiled by observers with a detailed knowledge of the regions concerned.

PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS 79 eurostat Eurostat Data Shops

BELGIQUE/BELGIË ITALIA — ROMA SUOMI/FINLAND NORGE

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PORTRAIT OF THE REGIONS VOLUME 9 SLOVENIA

13 17 KS-29-00-779-EN-C ISBN 92-828-9403-7 OFFICE FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS OFFICE FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES OF Luxembourg L-2985 Price (excluding VAT) in Luxembourg: ECU 25,00 in Luxembourg: VAT) (excluding Price