Piran is packed full of culture – this is a town of theatre, museums, concerts, galleries and events. A charming small town, which encourages one to forget about time, haste and stress.

Piran is one of the picturesque medieval towns of Slovenia. The old port town with remnants of a medieval wall is protected as a cultural and historical monument. Narrow streets with closely constructed houses descending from the hill and its church to the central square on the coast only emphasise its Mediterranean character. This worldly coastal town, which developed under the influence of Venice, is considered to be one of the most authentic and most photogenic towns on the Adriatic coast. In addition to architecture, the Maritime Museum, an aquarium and other attractions, visitors flock to this town to enjoy events, the culinary offerings, and nearby special natural features.

Piran is packed full of culture – this is a town of theatre, museums, concerts, galleries and events. A charming small town, which encourages one to forget about time, haste and stress.

Tartini Square – long ago this area was a dock for the boats of Piran’s fishermen, and later trams ran through it enroute to the station in nearby Lucija. Today it has a shiny, new image with an elliptical white stone platform, the work of the architect Boris Podrecca.

‍Benečanka – at the crossroads of IX. Korpusa street and Tartini Square stands the stunning Benečanka building, the most beautiful example of Venetian-Gothic architecture in Piran. It was built in the mid-15th century and is the oldest preserved house in Tartini Square.

‍Municipal Palace – on their arrival in Piran at the end of the 13th century, the Venetians erected a town hall next to the small dock outside the town walls. It has a Romanic-Gothic style; its facade was full of carved heraldic emblems and inscription plates. It was demolished in 1877. In addition to the old town hall, they also demolished the overhead walkway which connected it with the former town lodge. The new Municipal Palace was completed two years later.

‍Town walls – the original town centre was most likely surrounded by a wall as early as the 7th century; it was divided into quarters which were named after the town gates: Miljska, Stolna, Osrednja and Poljska.

‍1st of May Square – the former Stari trg (The Old Square), Piazza Vecchia, was the main town square. It is adorned by a raised platform with two cisterns and a system for collecting rainwater.

‍Piran’s churches – the town of Piran has a wealth of sacral architecture boasting more than 10 churches.

‍St. George’s Church – St. George’s church stands on top of a hill above the town. There is a baptistery next to the belltower.

The Piran Salt Pans

The Piran Salt Pans, established in 804, encompassed the salt pans in the area of today’s marina (Lucija, Portorož), the smaller Strunjan Salt Pans, and the larger Sečovlje Salt Pans. The areas of all the preserved salt pans are now landscape parks. At the Strunjan Landscape Park, you will find an incredible cliff towering over the sea, and at the Sečovlje Salt Pans, you can learn about the traditional salt production with guided tours and a visit to the Museum of Salt-Making.

The Strunjan Landscape Park is the biggest wetland on the coastline. In the northern part of the reserve called Lera, people harvest salt using a 700 year old method – they use wooden tools and look after the so-called petola, the base of the salt pans that functions as a bio filter. That ensures that the salt doesn’t mix with silt from the sea, and allows it to remain white and clean. The quality of the salt and salt flower, a very thin, topmost layer in the ponds is famous and cherished all over the world. Meanwhile, the abandoned southern part of the reserve called Fontanigge features many unique sights – birds, vast fields of halophytes and over 100 abandoned and demolished buildings that were once used by workers in the salt industry, which contribute to the charm of the Sečovlje salt pans. The reserve became a habitat for various animals and plants.
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