Lipica

Description:

Lipica (Italian: Lipizza) is a village in the Sežana Municipality in the Littoral region of Slovenia, close to the border with Italy.

Lipica is one of the main tourist centers of the Slovenia's Karst region. It is the origin of the Lipizzaner horses. The Lipica stud farm was established in 1580 by Charles II, Archduke of Inner Austria (son of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor). Today the stud farm is fully functional and breeds the finest horses for haute-école riding. The stud farm now also includes a hotel and leisure complex, a modern adjunct to a historical setting.

The name is derived from the Slovenian word lipa 'linden tree', which is common in the area. The staff at the Lipica stud farm plant a new linden tree for every foal born, with the local epithet 'Lipa, Lipica, Lipizzana'. Queen Elizabeth II visited Lipica and its stud farm on 22 October, 2008 and was presented with a white horse as a gift from the Slovenian people.


Other places of interest in and near Lipica:

The Avgust Černigoj gallery
The Škocjan cave system (Škocjanske jame/Grotte di San Canziano), a natural monument included on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Vilenica Cave, possibly the world's oldest show cave (with guided tours since 1633)
The Valley of Our Lady of Lourdes (Dolina Lurške Matere Božje): an outdoor church and a local pilgrimage destination


The Lipica stud farm is famous as the original home of the Lipizzaner white horses, and is set in the wonderfully green Karst region of Slovenia. The farm organises performances by the horses from the Spanish riding school, and riding lessons and carriage rides are also popular attractions. The Maestoso Hotel in the centre of the stud farm has been recently refurbished and features an indoor swimming pool, sunbathing terrace & sauna and a casino.


History Of Lipica Stud Farm
The history of Lipica is closely connected with the history of the Habsburg monarchy. At the time when Archduke Charles was thinking about establishing a new stud farm, the Spanish horse was considered the ideal horse breed. Since the soil and climate in Slovenia Karst is similar to that of Spain, Lipica was chosen as the perfect spot for the new farm.

The first horses were bought in 1581 in Spain (24 broodmares and 6 stallions). The Lipizzaner breed that we know today was fully developed in the time of Maria Theresa of Austria, whose husband was greatly interested in horse-breeding.

In 1947 Lipica became a part of Republic of Yugoslavia. At that time, the farm had only 11 horses; all others were confiscated by the Germans during the World War II.

In the sixties, Lipica opened for tourists and a new development began. The war in 1991 drastically decreased the herd. In 1996, Lipica became a public institution that is owned by the Republic of Slovenia and has made a significant progress since then.


Lipica Open
Lipica Open is an international competition that is organized every year in the beginning of May. It is the biggest orienteering competition in Slovenia and was held for the first time in 1992.