Koper Praetorian Palace

This week, our Travel pics series is K for Koper.

For Saturday, it’s the city’s Praetorian Palace – but despite the name, it doesn’t date back to the Roman Emperors although it does have a connection to the original Roman empire.

It takes its name from the Praetor, an ancient title meaning general or magistrate – and the palace was used as the seat of government from around 1300.

This building itself isn’t that old – an earlier hall existed on the same site but it was destroyed during a major revolt in 1348.

A replacement was also destroyed in 1380 – this time by a Genoese raid that sacked and burned the city.

The current structure dates from the mid-15th century, and the facade from the mid 1600s.

It fell into decay until the late 1960s when renovations began. They were updated at the turn of the 21st century, and five million dollars was spent bringing it back to its former glory.

The palace is one of the first things cruise-ship passengers see when they ascend a glass elevator from the docks to the old town.