| Novo Mesto Novo mesto |
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| — Town and Municipality — | |
| Novo Mesto | |
| Novo Mesto with the Krka River from the air | |
| Nickname(s): City of Situlas | |
| Location of the Municipality of Novo Mesto in Slovenia | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Slovenia |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Alojz Muhič |
| Area | |
| • Total | 298.5 km2 (115.3 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
| • Total | 36,296 |
| • Density | 121.6/km2 (314.9/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+01) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+02) |
| Website | www.novomesto.si |
| Source: Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, census of 2002. | |
Novo Mesto () (Slovene: Novo mesto, German: Neustadtl) is a city and municipality in southeastern Slovenia, close to the border with Croatia. The town is traditionally considered the economic and cultural centre of the historic Lower Carniola region.[2]
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The municipality of Novo Mesto is part of the Southeast Slovenia statistical region. The total municipal area is 298.5 square kilometres (115.3 sq mi), situated on a bend of the Krka River.
Novo Mesto (literally "New Town") has been settled since pre-history - the city is one of the most important archeological sites of the Hallstatt culture (Early Iron Age) and has been nicknamed the "City of Situlas" after numerous situlas found in the area.[3]
Graben Castle down the Krka River, ancestral seat of the noble House of Graben von Stein, was first mentioned in a 1170 deed. The town itself was founded by the Habsburg archduke Rudolf IV of Austria on 7 April 1365 as Rudolfswerth (Slovene: Rudolfovo). The Austrian Habsburgs had received the Carniolan march from the hands of Emperor Louis IV in 1335 and in 1364 Rudolf "the Founder" had proclaimed himself a Duke of Carniola.
Following World War I and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, the city passed to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and was officially renamed Novo mesto although it had been informally known as such since its founding. During World War II the city passed back and forth between Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Italy, finally settling in German hands.
In 1958, the authorities of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had a motorway built connecting the Slovenian capital Ljubljana and Zagreb in Croatia, which passed through Novo Mesto. The A2 motorway is today part of the European route E70. With its construction, Novo Mesto became much better connected to the rest of Slovenia and the rest of Yugoslavia, and began to grow as an important regional center.
According to the census of 2002, it has 40,925 inhabitants, 20,017 male and 20,908 female. The average age of the inhabitants is 39.58.
There are a total of 13,796 households and 11,408 families.[4]
The municipality of Novo Mesto has a working-age population of 19,579, of whom 2,118 are unemployed. The average gross monthly wage in August 2003 was €1,099.27 (263,432 tolars) and the average net monthly wage was €687.90 (164,851 tolars). There are 1,725 students in the municipality.
On 7 April 2006 Novo Mesto became the see for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Novo Mesto, which is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Ljubljana. The main church in the city is dedicated to Saint Nicholas and is an originally Gothic building that was rebuilt in the Baroque style in the 17th century.[5]
Today, tourism is increasing in Slovenia, and Novo Mesto is feeling some of the effects of this. The Krka Valley is becoming a place for wine enthusiasts who take tours throughout the Lower Carniola region, tasting locally produced Cviček wine, which is produced by blending several different varieties of local wine.
Major industries include:
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