Loggia Palace

The Loggia Palace is a Venetian Gothic palace, the only preserved Gothic town hall in Slovenia.

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.

Loggia Palace

View from Loggia Palace Cafe

6 Comments CherryPie on Dec 18th 2015

6 Responses to “Loggia Palace – Koper”

  1. Ayush says:

    i like the mildly pointed arches on the first shot, CP.

  2. james higham says:

    Is it named after the Logia?

    • CherryPie says:

      No, ‘Loggia’ is an architectural term for a covered exterior gallery or corridor. The outer wall is exposed to the elements and is usually supported by a series of columns or arches. Koper being of Italian (Venetian) influence has a typical arched loggia in its main square (Tito Square). The loggia served as a symbol of communal justice and government and as a stage for civic ceremony.

  3. James Higham says:

    Ah, one learns.