Consensus reached on Slovenian-Italian toponym signs in Koper
Koper, 17 February - The local authorities in Koper have ordered new Slovenian-Italian signs with historical names of streets and squares in the coastal town, the design of which has been approved by all parties involved. The signs that have been turned around in protest are expected to be removed and new signs set up in the coming weeks.
Koper
Praetorian Palace, a 15th-century Venetian Gothic palace in the centre of the coastal city of Koper, which was under Venetian rule for several centuries and has an Italian minority.
Photo: Mitja Volčanšek/STA
File photo
"Last week, I signed off the final design, which has been coordinated among all the relevant institutions," Mayor Aleš Bržan announced on Monday as part of a press conference on the renovation of a former salt depot in Koper.
He thus confirmed that the facades of the buildings in the city centre will again be fitted with signs bearing the historical names of streets and squares used in the past centuries. He added that the visual identity will be different.
Bržan told the STA that none of the parties involved complained about the new design, and that the Koper municipality took into account all remarks, so no additional complications are expected.
The signs that reflect the centuries-long Venetian and Italian rule over the city were being gradually installed since 2017, and the matter only became an issue in March 2024 after the signs were reported by the Franciscan Monastery.
While the signs contained a Slovenian, Italian and English explanation of their nature and had no impact on the official Slovenian-Italian bilingual names displayed across the streets and in squares, their Italian names were not translated.
The Culture Inspectorate, to which the report by the monastery was addressed, confirmed that this is at odds with the law on the public use of Slovenian and ordered that 33 signs be removed.
Brežan begged to differ, and decided to only turn the signs around in protest, arguing that the inspectorate's decision, upheld by the Culture Ministry even tough it had been presented with proposals for alternative solutions, is hate speech.
"Our history is made up of many different cultures and factors. My ancestors are of Slavic descent and speak both languages, Slovenian and Italian. I speak both languages and I hope my descendants will too," he said at the time.
In choosing the historical names, the city's commission for toponomastics based its work on a document from 1884, the first written document with official names of streets and squares in Koper.
These names entered into force in 1905, when Italian was the official language in the area.
The mayor, who had expected that the matter would be resolved sooner, said that it apparently needed time. "Now I really think these signs should be set up within a few weeks," he said.