Loggia Palace

Loggia Palace in Koper

The Loggia Palace (Italian: palazzo della Loggia) is a Venetian Gothic palace in Koper, a port town in southwestern Slovenia. It is the only preserved Gothic town hall in Slovenia.

History

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The earliest part of the existing building dates from 1462, when building work began on a replacement for an earlier Loggia that had stood in the same position on the north side of the main square of Koper, opposite the Praetorian Palace.[1]

Following a plague outbreak in Koper in 1553-1555,[2] the facade of the Loggia was embellished with coats-of-arms, and a terracotta statue of the Madonna and Child was erected in a niche above the left corner column.

Further work was carried out in 1698, when a second storey was added and the facade was extended with two additional arches taken from the west side of the palace.[3]

The Loggia currently houses a cafe on the ground floor.[4][5] In the second floor, it houses an art gallery operated by the Piran Coastal Galleries.

References

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  1. ^ "The official travel guide to Slovenia".
  2. ^ http://www2.arnes.si/~mkralj/istra-history/modern.html [dead link]
  3. ^ "Istria on the Internet - Architecture".
  4. ^ "Koper - Tito Square [Photos] | KRAJI - Slovenia".
  5. ^ http://primorska.info/novice/7386/vivat_loggia

45°32′54.34″N 13°43′47.04″E / 45.5484278°N 13.7297333°E / 45.5484278; 13.7297333