Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Situated on a sharp bend of the Krka River, the inappropriately named New Town - it's
actually pretty old - is the capital of Dolenjska and one of its prettiest towns. It is an im-
portant gateway to the historical towns and castles along the lower Krka, the karst forests
of the Gorjanci Hills to the southeast, Bela Krajina and Croatia (Zagreb is a mere 75km
away).
Today's Novo Mesto shows two faces to the world: the Old Town (with the cobbled
square of Glavni trg) on a rocky promontory above the left bank of the Krka; and a new
town to the north and south, thriving on the pharmaceutical, chemical and car manufactur-
ing of the Krka.
History
Novo Mesto was settled during the late Bronze Age around 1000 BC, and helmets and
decorated burial urns unearthed in surrounding areas suggest that Marof Hill, northwest of
the Old Town, was the seat of Hallstatt princes during the early Iron Age. The Illyrians
and Celts came later, and the Romans maintained a settlement here until the 4th century
AD.
During the early Middle Ages, Novo Mesto flourished as a marketplace at the centre of
the estates owned by Stična abbey. But by the 16th century plague, fires, and raids by the
Turks on their way to Vienna took their toll on the city.
Prosperity returned in the 18th and 19th centuries: a college was established in 1746,
Slovenia's first National Hall (Narodni Dom) opened here in 1875, and a railway line
linked the city with Ljubljana in the 1890s. Heavy bombardments during WWII severely
damaged the city.
