Portorož

Portorož Portorose
Portorož in late August 2009
Portorož Location in Slovenia
Coordinates: 45°30′59.88″N 13°34′47.89″E / 45.5166333°N 13.5799694°E / 45.5166333; 13.5799694Coordinates: 45°30′59.88″N 13°34′47.89″E / 45.5166333°N 13.5799694°E / 45.5166333; 13.5799694
Country	Slovenia
Region	Slovenian Littoral
Municipality	Piran
Area
• Total	2.97 km2 (1.15 sq mi)
Elevation	31.2 m (102.4 ft)
Population (2002)
• Total	2,849

Portorož (pronounced [pɔɾtɔˈɾoːʃ]; Italian: Portorose, literally "Port of Roses") is a Slovenian Adriatic seaside resort and spa town located in the Municipality of Piran in southwestern Slovenia. Its modern development began in the late 19th century with the vogue for the first health resorts. In the early 20th century Portorož became one of the grandest seaside resorts in Europe, along with Abbazia, Lido and Grado, then as part of the Austrian Littoral. It is now one of Slovenia's major tourist areas. Located in the centre is the Hotel Palace, once one of the most important resorts for the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, and currently one of the finest hotels between Venice and Dubrovnik.

The settlement and its surrounding areas are served by Portorož International Airport which is located in the nearby village of Sečovlje.

The history of the settlement is directly connected to that of the neighboring town of Piran, with Illyrian settlers already living there in the prehistoric era. They were followed by Celtic tribes, which were later conquered and annexed by the Roman Empire in 178 B.C. Archaeological finds suggest that in this period many farms and villas, also named villae rusticae, were built in the area. A large development of the area followed only after the demise of the empire, with enlargement of the number of settlers seeking shelter from attacks by the Barbarians.