Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a nation state,situated in Central Europe,at the crossroad of main European cultural and trade routes. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Croatia to the south and southeast and Hungary to the northeast. It covers 20,273 square kilometres and has a population of 2.05 million. It is a parliamentary republic and a member of the European Union from 2004, and NATO. Ljubljana is the capital and largest city of Slovenia and its only centre of international importance.

Jurij Gustinčič Gustinčič, who entered the profession in 1951, is one of the best recognised personalities of Slovenian journalism. He has left an indelible mark through his valuable international comparisons and the broadness of spirit, the justification of the award reads.

IGOR SIMČIČ AMONG THE MOST TRUSTWORTHY PUBLIC PERSONALITIES IN SLOVENIA Igor Simčič (born 4 September 1954) is a Slovenian sports businessman, winemaker, and owner of the yacht Esimit Europa 2 (formerly Alfa Romeo 2), which in 2010 won all attended regattas, including the 42nd Barcolana regatta sailing race. Simčič is, representing his work as aimed towards promotion of the United Europe, supported by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the President of the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and by the Russian energy company Gazprom.

BLED CASTLE Is a medieval castle built on a precipice above the city of Bled in Slovenia, overlooking Lake Bled. According to written sources, it is the oldest Slovenian castle and is currently one of the most visited tourist attractions in Slovenia.

POSTOJNA CAVE Postojna Cave is a network of 20 kilometres of passages, galleries and chambers into which experienced guides have accompanied more than 31 million visitors in the last 188 years. It is the largest cave in the “classic karst” and the most visited show cave in Europe.

TRIGLAV NATIONAL PARK The Triglav National Park (TNP) is the only Slovenian national park. The park was named after Triglav, the highest mountain in the heart of the park, which is also the highest summit in Slovenia (2864 m).

Slovenian wine Slovenian wine is wine from the Central European country of Slovenia. Viticulture and winemaking has existed in this region since the time of the Celts and Illyrians tribes, long before the Romans would introduce winemaking to the lands of France, Spain and Germany.

SLOVENIAN SPECIALITY FOOD The most popular specialities are dumplings known as štruklji which can be prepared in 70 different ways with sweet fillings, meat or vegetables.