Šempeter pri Gorici

Šempeter pri Gorici
View of Šempeter, with the Italian town of Gorizia in the background
Šempeter pri Gorici Location in Slovenia
Coordinates: 45°55′42.16″N 13°38′16.17″E / 45.9283778°N 13.6378250°E / 45.9283778; 13.6378250Coordinates: 45°55′42.16″N 13°38′16.17″E / 45.9283778°N 13.6378250°E / 45.9283778; 13.6378250
Country	Slovenia
Traditional region	Littoral
Statistical region	Gorizia
Municipality	Šempeter-Vrtojba
Elevation	72 m (236 ft)
Population (2002)
• Total	3,865
Climate	Cfa

Šempeter pri Gorici (pronounced [ʃɛmˈpeːtəɾ pɾi ɡɔˈɾiːtsi] or [ʃəmˈpeːtəɾ pɾi ɡɔˈɾiːtsi]; Italian: San Pietro di Gorizia) is a town and the administrative centre of the Municipality of Šempeter-Vrtojba in the Slovene Littoral region of Slovenia. There is a border crossing into the Italian town of Gorizia. The crossing is known as San Pietro di Gorizia in Italian.

Through most of its history, it was linked to the town of Gorizia (Slovene: Gorica), which is now in Italy, whence also its name, literally meaning 'St. Peter near Gorizia'. Since 1947, it has been gravitating towards the newly established town of Nova Gorica, with which it forms a continuous conurbation.

In the Middle Ages, it was part of the Patriarchate of Aquileia and then of the County of Gorizia. In 1500, it came under Habsburg rule, and remained part of the Habsburg Monarchy until 1918, excluding a short French interim between 1809 and 1813.

During the Austrian administration in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it formed an independent municipality. According to the last Austrian census of 1910, more than 97% of its inhabitants were ethnic Slovenes. During World War I, it was almost completely destroyed during the Battles of the Isonzo. In August 1916, it was seized by the Italian Army, but it was recaptured by the Austro-Hungarians in November 1917. After the war, it was again occupied and later annexed by Italy. In the 1920s, it was rebuilt according to the plans of the architect Max Fabiani.