Originally an English concept, it began to take hold in the 19th century as a fashionable trend among the aristocracy. With the rise of the Industrial Age and associated innovations, such as the steam engine, it spread to a bigger share of society . By the end of the century, the doctor’s claim that the sea is beneficial, if not essential, for maintaining the health of modern man, had reached the working class.

Thank to the Southern Railway constructed in 1857, Ljubljana, too, was connected with the coast and the city of Trieste. Steamships enabled Portorož to develop on what was then known as the ‘Austrian Riviera’ on the Adriatic coast. The initial tourists in those days came from Vienna and the Hungarian regions.

It was only in the decades between the two world wars that some people from Ljubljana started to discover the seaside resorts. In this period of time, as a result of efforts by Jadranska straža (‘Adriatic Guard’), an organisation dedicated to promoting Yugoslavia’s interest in the Adriatic, the consciousness of a maritime nation began to develop alongside the Yugoslav spirit.

Still, it was not until the Yugoslav era, in the second half of the 20th century, that Slovenian tourists with a ‘modern lifestyle’ became frequent visitors to the coast. Most of them saw the sea for the first time and swam in it following the introduction of vacations sponsored by trade unions, an outcome of the universal right to several days’ paid annual leave.