Municipality of Ajdovscina

Ajdovščina Municipality covers a total area of 245 square kilometres and has a population of 17.798 people (2002) living in 45 settlements. Ajdovščina City has 6.373 inhabitants. Located in the Vipava valley, its origins may be traced back to the fortified settlement Castrum ad Fluvium Frigidum, situated on the road from Italy to Pannonia and the Balkans. The fortress was destroyed by Attila the Hun in the mid 5th century, however a wall with the 14 towers is quite well preserved. In 1507 the town was given trading rights.
Ajdovščina is the birthplace of Baroque painter Anton Cebej. Today the city is well known through the gallery that preserves art works by well-known Slovene painter and photographer Veno Pilon. The main cultural sites in the vicinity are Zemono Manor House, St Mary's church at Log, Leutemberg Castle above Lože, the village of Slap with its manor and monastery complex, rural buildings in Goše and Šmarje, the Tabor archaeological site above Črniče, Roman roads at Col and Hrušica, and the 13th-century settlement at Vipavski Križ.

The Social Activities Department of Ajdovščina Municipality (Oddelek za družbene dejavnosti) deals with governance and professional and developmental tasks related to education, science, culture, sport and research. It is involved in the development of cultural heritage programmes and the implementation of public cultural commissions. The local branches of the Union of Cultural Societies of Slovenia (ZKDS) and the Public Fund for Cultural Activities of the Republic of Slovenia (JSKD) facilitate the activities of 14 cultural associations with over 325 members.