Praetorian Palace

The Praetorian Palace (Slovene: Pretorska palača, Italian: palazzo Pretorio) is a 15th-century Venetian Gothic palace in the city of Koper, in southwest Slovenia. Located on the southern side of the city's central Tito Square (at Titov trg/piazza Tito 3), it houses the Koper city government and a wedding hall. It is considered one of the city's architectural landmarks.

History

An earlier municipal hall existed on the same site by 1254, before the square itself (then called the Platei Comunis, established around 1268.) Work on a new building began after the original was destroyed during a major revolt in 1348, but the incomplete building was again destroyed in 1380 by a Genoese raid that sacked and burned the city in that year. The current structure dates from the mid-15th century, having been begun in 1452-1453.

The left wing and the portico leading from the square to the colorful via Calegaria (Čevljarska ulica, "Cobblers' Street") were the first to be completed, while the right wing dates from the 1480s. In 1505, the Porto del Corte was added; the renaissance gateway supports a small terrace and connected the Praetorian Palace with the Foresteria.