Send Gift Baskets to Izola, Slovenia

A port and a settlement in Ancient Rome called Haliaetum existed southwest of today’s town and next to Jagodje village. It was thought to be the origin of the 2nd century B.C. Izola was established in the 7th century by people who fled what is now called Aquilea. The coastal town became a subject of trade to Venice in the 9th century. Izola was first mentioned in writing as Insula 1297 AD. Under the Republic of Venice, it became the territory of this region. Venetian occupation left a lasting effect on this area. The eastern edge of Istra has been a part of the Venetian Republic for centuries. It became a part of the Austrian Empire following the Treaty of Campo Formio in 1797 and still is today, except that now it is in the autonomous region within Italy. After a short time, Izola’s walls were torn down, and their stones were used to fill the channel separating the island from the mainland. The newly established Austro-Hungarian Empire ruled Istria until November 1918. The Treaty of Saint Germain meant that Istria and the surrounding area were now part of Italy.

Although according to the Austro-Hungarian census from 1900, there were 5,363 people in Izola, and most spoke Italian: 5,326 people were Italian speakers, 20 were Slovene speakers, and 17 people were German speakers. Izola became part of Italy as it joined the Kingdom of Italy on October 18, 1941. When Italian capitulated in September 1943, control passed to Germany. A naval unit liberated Izola from Koper at the end of April 1945. After WWII, Izola became a part of Zone B in the Free Territory of Trieste. He’s also now a part of Slovenia, which was formerly Yugoslavia. The towns of Izola and Koper got pushed back by the newly defined Italo-Yugoslav border. The Italian speakers who used to live in Izola weren’t happy about it and left, allowing Slovenian-speaking people to settle in the town instead.

Izola’s first thermal springs were discovered around 1820, and the town has since been famous for its tourism. In 1902, a narrow-gauge railway line was built (named “Parenzana”), connecting Izola to Trieste and Poreč.