Before Melania Trump became a fashion model and first lady of the United States the Slovenian daughter of a car salesman and a textile factory worker has become a tourist destination as people have traveled to see where she spent her early years Here are some Sevnica landmarks from Trump's childhood It has a population of 17,611, according to data collected by the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia in 2022 a feat celebrated at its annual Salamiada festival Sevnica's tourism doubled in the year before Donald Trump took office as interest in Melania Trump grew, a tour guide told Reuters in January 2017 the number of foreigners visiting Slovenia jumped 17% when compared to the previous year The small town capitalized on its claim to fame as the former FLOTUS' hometown Her father, Viktor Knavs, worked as a car salesman Mirjana Jelancic, a friend of Trump's who went on to become principal of the school, told ABC News in 2016 that the young Trump was "an angel" and "a very good student." Trump was scouted by photographer Stane Jerko and signed with a modeling agency when she was 18 Trump made the donation after her wedding in 2005, The New York Times reported Trump is the second first lady born outside the US The wooden statue, modeled after Trump's blue Ralph Lauren inauguration dress, garnered mixed reviews A plaque at the site says the new bronze statue is "dedicated to the eternal memory of a monument to Melania which stood in this location from 2019-2020." Some Slovenes see the first lady as a chance for closer ties with the US But let’s build relationships with those whose values we share Slovenia is a small country and not just in physical size or because it has a population of 2.1 million. It has no real geopolitical status: it doesn’t shape the foreign policy or economy of other nations, but it is shaped by them. There is a prevailing belief in Slovenia Exceptional Slovenians will pull the country out of anonymity putting the country on the map or securing recognition through their merit But none of these Slovenian-born figures, however impressive, generate as much excitement as the former Melanija Knavs, now Melania Trump. When Donald Trump’s return to power made Melania the first lady again the media response in Slovenia was predictable: state-run outlets largely downplayed the connection but commercial media wasted no time promoting it as an opportunity Slovenia’s largest commercial television network, Pop TV (nomen est omen), aired an interview with Ivo Boscarol, a wealthy Slovenian businessman who attended the inauguration celebrations in Washington The Slovenian government had missed a golden opportunity to use Melania’s presence in the White House to improve its ties with the US meaning many Slovenians are likely absorbing and internalising this narrative Some media commentators have even suggested that Melania might be a golden ticket in case “everything goes wrong” I wonder if Trump’s rejection of the transatlantic alliance in favour of Vladimir Putin and his threat to launch a trade war on the EU mean that has already happened The problem with this thinking, however, is that it is not grounded in any reality. There is nothing whatsoever in Melania’s memoir to indicate that she has any interest in fostering a political or economic relationship between her adopted country and Slovenia the few times she mentioned Slovenia during her first stint as Flotus it was typically a reference to its “totalitarian past” perhaps playing into the American fear and loathing of communism and socialism Ana Schnabl is a Slovenian novelist, editor and critic and I had just spent a week in Budapest trying—without much success—to track down where my family came from an idea occurred to me: we hadn’t had luck on this trip finding my ancestral home I got out my laptop and we circled the gas station searching for a Wi-Fi signal “She’s from Sevnica!” I went into the convenience store and bought a map of Slovenia but the town was so small that I couldn’t find it and learned that it would take us five hours to get there I had spent the long months since the 2016 election asking questions like “What happened?” and sometimes “What the fuck happened?” I also wondered about the woman who had married Donald Trump Melania entered the White House as the most sphinxlike First Lady in modern times She was the first ex-model to occupy the White House though she’d been little more than a punch line or occasional fashion news item for years as First Lady she had begun to assert herself in small every time she chose to travel alone to a ceremonial event we found ourselves cheered by the visible ways she could deny the sexual predator she’d married We drove on the immaculate highway for another half hour paid a small fee to a high-cheekboned woman in a tiny toll booth Soon we were in farmland and old-growth forest The grass was an unusual hue—a pale chartreuse so bright and rarely seen in nature that I removed my sunglasses to make sure I was viewing the color correctly The kids were in the back seat taking photos of the scenery We explained that we were going to find Melania Trump’s childhood home “Is it because we like Melania Trump so much?” Usually when we spent long periods of time in the car “Then why are we driving so far to see her house?” he asked “Don’t tell your teachers we went to Melania’s town,” my eleven-year-old daughter instructed her already confused brother “They’re definitely going to get the wrong idea.” A Slovenian oldies station was playing Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5”—“Yeah they got you where they want you / there’s a better life and you think about it don’t you?”—and blue lightning awakened the distance and as the road followed a creek through valleys and farms I seized the opportunity to teach the kids about Dolly Parton a very different kind of woman from a small town I half expected a large sculpture of Melania to greet us at the entrance to Sevnica or maybe a banner that read “Welcome to the Home of Mrs modest town by the Sava River that made no mention anywhere of its connection to the First Lady a maze of narrow roads extending up from the valley floor and into the verdant hills The rooftops were brick red; the church steeples were green copper By the river stood a large sculpture of a shoe—a possible Cinderella reference and nod to Melania’s journey to the White House This factory town was not so different from the places in the U.S I had read that Melania’s mother had worked at a state-owned textile manufacturer in Sevnica Melania’s interest in modelling had apparently been piqued by the international fashion magazines her mother would share with her I spotted three long-legged teen-age girls waiting on the platform The bags that hung from their narrow shoulders were large and full who had left Sevnica as a teen-ager and attended an arts high school in Ljubljana It was just after five in the evening and our children were hungry We tried to find a restaurant but instead found cafés that only served coffee and alcohol or ice-cream parlors with outdoor misters cooling their patrons We walked past a bakery (closed) and a pharmacy (closed) and a bright-green bowling alley (just closing) I picked up a tourist brochure informing me that Sevnica was once called Lichtenwald which is German for “forested mountainside village.” The brochure showed the area’s many hiking opportunities only a sign that featured images of cutlery The shades were pulled down because the summer sun it was absurdly busy compared to the empty streets of Sevnica Middle-aged couples hunched over shared entrées while twenty-something women leaned back we saw the words “Top Shit Burger.” Under “Desserts” there was a strawberry-and-cream concoction called “The Melania.” with a beleaguered disposition and impossibly high cheekbones She asked if we had any questions about the menu “The Top Shit Burger—is that grass-fed?” The waitress didn’t know what he was talking about We asked if its name had something to do with Trump I watched her face to see if I could discern any feeling for Melania Perhaps it was because we’d been away from California for a while or maybe the photos of the Mexican dishes on the menu looked particularly good I studied the little succulents that had been placed around the restaurant I touched the leaves of one to confirm it was real—it was Then I shared a fact about Donald Trump and Melania’s first meeting that had been puzzling me Trump had shown up at a Fashion Week party in New York with a date Trump sent his date to the restroom so he could get Melania’s phone number We talked about how an adult was able to convince another adult to go use the restroom My son returned to the table just as the food arrived My black-bean salad was an island of what looked like mouse droppings surrounded by a red lake of canned beet juice To prevent the juice from spilling over the edges piles of wilted lettuce had been placed around the perimeter of the plate like sandbags But there is no reason to continue describing Mexican food made in Sevnica I went in search of our waitress with fresh euros in hand I assumed that she might not tell the first stranger who asked She could picture the house but didn’t know the number She told me that it was on the right side of the road but she couldn’t remember which numbers were on the right proudly holding a paper with the street name of Melania’s childhood home as though it were the combination to a safe We returned to the car and programmed the street name into the G.P.S The air was now pixellated with gray dots of dusk We drove less than a mile and pulled over and studied both addresses on the sheet of paper We picked the house on the right-hand side of the street which was set back from Ribniki Street in a quiet neighborhood Near the front door was a large trampoline the kind with netting around its perimeter two figures stood up on the trampoline: a mother and a son I did an abbreviated wave with my hand—a gesture of “I come in peace.” They must be used to Trump supporters coming here I returned to the car and told my family about the mother and son I felt bad about disturbing them but I did feel a sense of accomplishment: I had found Melania’s home I understood nothing new about the Trumps or the state of American democracy but figured that somewhere in the ensuing days this Rosebud moment would reveal hidden truths We started the car and programmed Ljubljana into the G.P.S.; it was about an hour’s drive to the capital where we would spend the night before continuing on to Italy we bought chocolates sculpted into swans and gargoyles with their long legs and Melania cheekbones placed the chocolates in a white box and tied an elegant ribbon around it Later, during our travels, I told a Czech friend of mine about Sevnica and how it was a shoe-factory town. “That’s funny,” he said, and told me that the Czech city where Ivana Trump had grown up was also home to a famous shoe factory. If we wanted to know who the next Mrs. Trump would be, he said, we should focus on shoe towns. Back in California, I searched and found an article about Melania’s childhood home. It was on Ribniki Street, just as the waitress had indicated, but it was white with three windows on the front of the house, with a garage to the right. The house on Ribniki Street that I had photographed was peach-colored and set back from the street, with a garage to the left. We had driven all the way to Sevnica and found the wrong house. And when I opened the forgotten box of chocolates, the gargoyle and swan of Slovenia had melted and forged themselves into a gruesome embrace. But this had no metaphorical significance whatsoever. EU funding for upgrading the railway line in the Sevnica area | Author: Slovenian Railway the body within the Ministry of Infrastructure will upgrade the railway line state border – Dobova – Zidani Most – phase one: section state border – Dobova – Sevnica: stage two (the Sevnica area) The investment includes the construction of a new covered platform infrastructure and a new underpass under all station tracks to provide non-level access to the new island platform The overhead contact line network and telecommunications installations will be upgraded Adjustments will be made to the signalling and safety installations An active noise barrier in the length of 2208 metres will also be installed Safe public passenger transport stations will also be set up The project will upgrade a total of 2.24 kilometres of railway line The project Upgrade of the railway line state border – Dobova – Zidani Most – phase one: section state border – Dobova – Sevnica: stage two (the Sevnica area) is implemented under Slovenia’s Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027 priority Sustainable cross-regional mobility and connectivity and pursues the specific objective Developing a sustainable climate resilient sustainable and intermodal Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).  The project worth 60,914,819 euros will receive over 34 million euros of Cohesion Fund support Did you find the information you were looking for Do you want to receive a response from the responsible institution Clicking on the link will open your default e-mail program and automatically draft a message that you can send to the institution responsible for the content of this website ask for a reply Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The new bronze statue has no colours.In January a large wooden statue resembling Donald Trump and designed by a local artist in 2019 was burnt in Slovenia's city of Moravce east of the capital Ljubljana.Reporting by Borut Zivulovic; Writing by Ivana Sekularac; Editing by Alexandra Hudson Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved the statue will be the subject of a documentary and exhibition he is working on People gather around what conceptual artist Ales 'Maxi' Zupevc claims is the first ever monument of Melania Trump set in the fields near the town of Sevnica during a small inauguration celebration on July 5 2019.JURE MAKOVEC—AFP/Getty ImagesA picture taken on July 5 2019 shows what conceptual artist Ales 'Maxi' Zupevc claims is the first ever monument of Melania Trump the First Lady's hometown.JURE MAKOVEC—AFP/Getty ImagesVia the artist’s statement Downey has shared online: “Brad Downey’s new ongoing project ‘Melania’ is a documentary film consisting of several parts about the construction of a monument of Melania Trump carved into a tree that is still rooted in her hometown of Sevnica Downey and his team spent several months filming interviews with Maxi along with locations around the town The result is a personal portrait of Maxi and his thoughts about Slovenia Through these interviews the film attempts to capture the spirit of Slovenia which seems to be mirrored in Maxi’s interactions with his family By focusing on one working class man’s portrayal of a public and internationally known personality the film offers insights on local and global problems and policies illuminated by the USA and Europe and beyond.” The statue depicts the First Lady on Inauguration Day in 2017 wearing a blue dress designed by Ralph Lauren and waving at crowds Zupevc took to a tree and carved the statue with a chainsaw President Donald Trump waves to supporters along the parade route with first lady Melania Trump and son Barron Trump after being sworn in at the 58th Presidential Inauguration January 20 D.C.Pool—Getty ImagesCritics of the statue immediately began comparing it to a scarecrow “I can understand why people might think that this falls short as a description of her physical appearance,” Downey told AFP “We in Sevnica can only laugh and, at the same time, hold our heads in our hands over their [the Trumps’] catastrophic reputation,” one local resident identified as Nika, a 24-year-old architecture student, told AFP. Other locals, speaking with the British TV network ITV described the statue as “a disgrace,” and argued it looked more like Smurfette than the First Lady AFP reports that Downey came up with the idea as part of a project that explores Melania Trump’s roots both metaphorically and literally. Downey wrote in his Instagram account that he chose to work with Zupevc because he was born in the same year and the same hospital as Melania Trump. He writes that the statue is rooted on the banks of a river facing the town in salute Residents have also sold Melania Trump-themed food and merchandize, capitalizing on interest in the town’s claim to fame Life-size image on the outskirts of Sevnica After Melania cake, Melania honey and even Melania slippers, the Slovenian home town of the US first lady will now boast a statue of its most famous daughter – albeit one that has faced decidedly mixed reviews The life-size statue on the outskirts of Sevnica was inaugurated on Friday and is the brainchild of the 39-year-old American conceptual artist Brad Downey who says it’s the first monument anywhere dedicated to the wife of Donald Trump The sculpture was carved into a tree using a chainsaw and depicts Melania Trump in a blue dress and raising her left hand in a waving gesture emulating a pose she struck at her husband’s 2017 inauguration People gather around a statue of Melania Trump on the outskirts of Sevnica Photograph: Jure Makovec/AFP/Getty ImagesIts somewhat naive style has led some critics on social media to brand it a “scarecrow” “I can understand why people might think that this falls short as a description of her physical appearance,” Downey told AFP but insisted that he found the end result “absolutely beautiful” Since Donald Trump took office in 2017, sleepy Sevnica has become a magnet for tourists and journalists searching for insights into the American first lady’s past Entrepreneurial locals have been cashing in on the influx offering a bewildering array of Melania Trump-branded food and merchandise as well as a tour of the area taking in the key sites of her early years Downey told AFP he was struck by the fact that Maxi was born in the same year and in the same hospital as Trump herself He said conversations with Maxi had enabled him to see Trump’s ancestral region through local eyes “You see this river that she would have seen as a child The life-size statue of Melania Trump looks into the distance on 5 July. Photograph: Jure Makovec/AFP/Getty ImagesHowever, not everyone has been moved to wax lyrical about the artwork. Nika, a local 24-year-old architecture student, told AFP: “If the monument was meant to be a parody, then the artist has been successful. “We in Sevnica can only laugh and, at the same time, hold our heads in our hands over their [the Trumps’] catastrophic reputation,” she added. Katarina, a 66-year-old resident of nearby Rozno, said that she thought the monument was a “good idea”. “Melania is a Slovenian hero, she made it to the top in the US,” she said. According to the AFP, American tourists to the country, which is known for its handful of mountain-top ski resorts rose 11% between January and October of 2016 as compared to the same period in 2015 “The interest in Slovenia hasn’t only increased since Trump’s victory but already began when he announced his presidential candidacy,” Slovenia Tourism Board spokeswoman Livija Kostantinovic told the AFP has become better known among the US public and media the STB plans its most intense digital campaign ever in the US market for 2017,” Kostantinovic continued The incoming first lady, who was born in Slovenia in 1970 and will be only the second foreign first lady after Louisa Adams has provided a wealth of marketing opportunities for the Central European country Travel agency Muranica will begin offering a Melania-theme tour in March with stops around her hometown in Sevnica and Milan local entrepreneurs are wasting no time trying to monetize on the Trump name A local bakery began offering a ‘Melania’ cake — a white chocolate based treat filled with nuts and topped with gold decor — for three euros and a crepe shop started whipping up ‘Melania’ pancakes with blueberries And local shoe company Kopitarna Sevnica began selling felt slippers called the “White House.” TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY BOJAN KAVCIC Slippers with the lettering "The White House" the hometown of future US First Lady Melania Trump guided tours tracing her rise from pony-tailed schoolgirl to international model -- tiny Slovenia has tapped into big marketing opportunities thanks to its most famous daughter / AFP / Jure MAKOVEC (Photo credit should read JURE MAKOVEC/AFP/Getty Images)JURE MAKOVEC—AFP/Getty Images“We sent the future first lady a pair hoping they will keep her feet warm in the coming winter months,” Kopitarna Sevnica spokeswoman Mateja Reseta told the AFP “We issued a press release and sent it to all Slovenian media Now we count on people’s prudence to stop the practice.” [Agence France-Presse] Write to Samantha Cooney at samantha.cooney@time.com The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers When you purchase through links on our site Sevnica was just like any other small town in Slovenia But when a local girl became First Lady of the United States I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The town’s 5,000-strong population had called it a day; the streets were silent a retro homage to Gustav Klimt; the beer was brown and gassy I wanted to know how this nondescript Slovenian town had influenced the First Lady of the United States as she was called before she became Melania Trump grew up in Sevnica when Slovenia was part of Tito’s Yugoslavia were a car dealer and textile factory pattern cutter respectively Mr and Mrs Knavs still own a house in Sevnica Gregor was more interested in what was going on in Sevnica the following day: the Salamiada an annual festival of salami (of which Sevnica produces over 150 kinds) I would realise that Melania has infiltrated even this bastion of testosterone: this year I disturbed a police van loitering in the darkness and followed the railway tracks towards the youth hostel It was located on the top floor of the secondary school Valerija and her mum – the school’s cleaning lady – showed me a bed The morning arrived with bright sunshine and a crescendo of children’s chatter Valerija pointed out Sevnica’s main sights: the twinkling River Sava It may not be the next must do city break but Sevnica has plenty to engage visitors on a day trip from Ljubljana “I live in Melanija’s old apartment,” said Valerija – the First Lady’s childhood home manager Rok Petancic met me in the gift shop Wine and chocolate were arrayed with tea and face cream a catwalk was being prepared for a fashion show “It’s for the local shoe company,” said Rok “Their new ‘White House’ line.” Fluffy silver slippers were displayed nearby “There are ‘First Lady’ tours now,” he went on Too many people in a bus to see the house.” What do people here think about President Trump It’s public relations.” Talking of public relations around town there were no Melania photographs have instructed businesses to cease commercialising her image or name Down in the old town I hooked up with Tanja and Jurij Gruden who were producing a documentary for Slovenian TV with their crew “They’ve just had this thing happen to them,” said Tanja about Sevnica “They didn’t ask for it.” We drove to Naselje Haroja Maroka a working class area where Valerija’s family now occupies Melania’s old apartment “They say she always pushed herself,” said Tanja But never part of the crowd.” We surveyed the brutal multi-storey Communist-era blocks “Shall we see where she moved to?” said Jurij one property was marked out by an impressive array of CCTV cameras paintwork freshly done – but the only sign of life was a black cat trotting furtively by “The family own this but they moved to the US,” said Tanja “I was lying awake after the election result and thought we must do something,” owner Nusa Vidmar told me The family has tried it and liked it.” I asked Nusa whether she had plans for a Donald cake we sampled the competition in the form of ‘Prva Dama’ pies made with local apples dusted with an icing sugar ‘M’ and emblazoned with a stars and stripes flag ‘”We sell more than fifty a day,” said Sergeja Gorenjec that’s a lot of pies.” I asked whether people were happy for Melania I’d seen the sights of Sevnica and eaten all the pies A big bloke controlled the entrance to the Salamiada stout men with sharp knives carved legs of ham Huddles of grinning butchers were up to their elbows The elderly Master of Ceremonies read out “A letter from Melanija” describing how flattered she was to have a new salami named after her Then he launched a competition to guess the weight of a monster salami; ‘Melanjika’ a sausage 6ft long and willowy as a supermodel Then the band launched full tilt into their first number Tanja had given up trying to look macho and retreated to the entrance Amongst a sea of male faces reddened by wine Powerful male harmonies surged from the beer tent I asked him: will Melania make Sevnica great again But we prefer to build sustainable tourism like walking and biking.” He has a point – green Slovenia lends itself to outdoor holidays There was a shout behind us – an ‘illegal’ woman was being expelled from the Salamiada asked Jurij about his documentary’s production schedule Wizzair has four weekly flights from London Luton to Ljubljana with fares starting at £21.99 Trains run regularly from Ljubljana to Sevnica Sevnica Youth Hostel offers beds from €15 per night slovenia.info/en Click here for the best selection of hotels in Sevnica. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, the people of Sevnica converged on a bar to watch the U.S presidential results come in — not exactly a tradition for the town of 5,000 in central Slovenia This time it was different, said the mayor, Srečko Ocvirk, when he entered the pub at dawn. People came to see for themselves if native daughter Melania Trump — to many in Sevnica still known as Melanija Knavs — would become the next first lady of the United States but this is very special for us,” Ocvirk told a reporter from Slovenian public broadcaster RTVSLO “[The election] created a sense of excitement for us in Sevnica and we have been following developments with interest.” “Melania will put Sevnica on the world map” — Mayor Srečko Ocvirk Melania, now 46, has not lived there for years, after attending high school in the capital Ljubljana, and then pursuing a modeling career in Italy and the U.S. where she became a resident in 2001 and citizen in 2006 She’s always spoken fondly of her hometown and the mayor said that could bring more tourists after she moves to the White House “It is quite something that Melania will put Sevnica on the world map and give it a better recognition among the small towns in Central Europe,” he told TV Slovenia the only influx was in the form of foreign journalists political media from all over the world has come.” Mirjana Jelančič, Melania’s childhood friend, told the local Siol.net news site that she felt bad about the “negative attention” surrounding Melania in the past few months “All that they said about her [and] wrote about her was controversial insulting and that is not the Melania I know,” said Jelaničič who is now the principal in the town’s grade school She said she’s been cheering her old friend on from the beginning excellent human being and always well intended I am happy that she will succeed,” Jelaničič said Sevnica was best known for its lingerie and furniture factories and a charming 900-year-old castle | Jure Makovec/AFP via Getty The soon-to-be first lady’s parents still live in Sevnica and the mayor said she made a donation to the health clinic after her son “She’s always talked about growing up in a beautiful valley in a town by a river that is just a lovely place,” Ocvirk added he said she made the townsfolk proud because of “her positive support to her husband And when her husband Donald Trump became president-elect early Wednesday they threw him and his wife a little party waving American flags and toasting the victor with champagne a local entrepreneur and a pizzeria owner marked the occasion by rolling out a breakfast desert made of yogurt singing about the local girl who “went from Sevnica straight to the top of the world because she found the right husband.” “Melanija now walks the path of fame because her stay at home was so brief.” V Sevnici že fešta! #ElectionNight @PlanetTV pic.twitter.com/7MI9TLCUOn — anja markovic (@anjamarkovic5) November 9, 2016 “We came together spontaneously,” the mayor said Slovenians were not overly sure that the election result would do much for their Alpine country of two million inhabitants that gained independence from Yugoslavia after a brief war 25 years ago “Maybe more Americans will be able to find Slovenia on the map,” said Jasna Rajnar Petrović “She does not come across as a warm person to me I don’t see any love for the homeland from her.” Prime Minister Miro Cerar congratulated the president-elect and Melania in a tweet: Congratulations Mr. President @realDonaldTrump and First Lady @MELANIATRUMP from #sLOVEnia. pic.twitter.com/nZDiTO81UZ — dr. Miro Cerar (@MiroCerar) November 9, 2016 “Of course I am very happy that Slovenia was part of this election with our Melania Trump becoming the First Lady of the United States.” Then Cerar mentioned her husband “I am sure that the president-elect already knows a lot about Slovenia.” Relive the 62nd edition of the world’s biggest song contest Ramush Haradinaj won’t be sent to Serbia because he would likely not have a fair trial The UK should have ‘no illusions’ about what leaving the bloc will mean has been removed from its location near her hometown in Slovenia after it was set on fire told Reuters the police informed him about the fire on Sunday The police told Reuters that an investigation was underway and that they could not comment further "I want to know why they did it," Downey told Reuters Downey said he hoped the statue would start a dialogue about US politics especially given Melania Trump's status as an immigrant married to a president who has pledged to reduce immigration He said he wanted to interview those responsible for a film he's working on The statue had been unveiled a year earlier and drew attention for having only a loose resemblance to the first lady similar to the one she wore for her husband's 2017 inauguration The sculpture was carved by Ales "Maxi" Zupevc an artist living in Sevnica who used a chainsaw on a tree to create it the then-Melania Knauss immigrated to the US in 1996 Sevnica saw a booming tourism industry after she became first lady, with shops there selling items as varied as wine and slippers branded after her, The New York Times reported in 2018 but some residents were weary and wanted the town's other charms to also be known Documents have suggested that she may have broken US immigration law as she entered the country on a tourist visa and then worked as a model She has previously said she always complied with US immigration law A wooden statue of Donald Trump was also burned in Slovenia last year is from the town of Sevnica in central Slovenia "Melania put us on the world map," says Mayor Srecko Ocvirk who has helped lead a Melania-themed campaign to attract more tourists here "It's really an amazing climate," chirps Lidija Ogorevc She stops in front of a fenced-in building — not unattractive This used to be the factory where Amalija Knavs when Slovenia was still part of Yugoslavia A sign reading "Welcome to the Hometown of the First Lady" in Slovenian is pictured among other billboards in November 2016 in Sevnica Ogorevc leads a tour that includes the first lady's elementary school the Communist-era apartment block where she first lived and the neighborhood where her parents still own a handsome (Viktor and Amalija Knavs are often in the U.S.) is one of several Melania-themed tours offered by the Sevnica municipality waving her arm at a well-kept street of manicured lawns I say it like that because most people who have money can afford to build a house there." Ogorevc takes us to a cafe offering Melanija torte (white chocolate mousse nuts and edible gold) and a bakery with First Lady Apple Pie "We wanted to do something that is a mix of America and Sevnica," says Maja Kozole Popadic whose family runs the Kruhek bakery in Sevnica makes an American-style apple pie that uses a local variety of Slovenian apples "Some people buy it because it can also mean Mom," Popadic says The town's Kopitarna shoe store also sells "White House slippers" (powder-gray and we've almost sold out of them now," says the slipper's designer Residents and tourists alike are buying them Demand for tours like the one Ogorevc leads has gone up by 30 percent since the beginning of the year was known mostly for its underwear factory and salami festival and where an accordionist in lederhosen serenades a wedding party The castle sells first lady-themed red wine using blaufränkisch grapes from four local wineries; dark chocolate with walnuts and gold leaf; salami made from local Krskopoljc pigs and "non-toxic" teacups handmade by local potter Bozo Gligic Krmelj she used to be our neighbor," the mayor says Melanija Knavs left Slovenia in the 1990s to pursue fashion modeling in the United States She hasn't been back in more than a decade she hired Natasa Pirc Musar's law firm in the capital to go after tabloids in Slovenia publishing stories claiming she was an escort for older men "She is not going to tolerate lies," Musar said Musar also makes sure the first lady's photo and full name are not used in Melania-themed products "We would react heavily if someone is going to make an underwear called Melania Trump," Musar says the reaction was not needed in a single case." where First Lady products are sold honoring native daughter Melania Trump People in Sevnica are careful not to criticize the first lady or her husband The closest thing to a critique has come from restaurant owner Bruno Vidmar with a frizz of fried yellow cheese on top of the bun to represent Trump's hair and fiery pickles for his "hot statements." CEO of the digital media network Metina Lista "I would like to Melania to be more active more involved on issues other than maybe how well you dress and how good you look," Briski says And how, Briski asks, can Mrs. Trump tackle online bullying, an issue in which she's expressed interest "when she has her hands full with her husband who is the troll of the Internet at this moment?" a Slovenian member of the European Parliament is not just put off by the president's Twitter feed "I wish [the] president would appreciate responsible and creative politicians not just right-wing populists," he says with a sigh has flourished because of help from the European Union "I just hope his wrongdoing will be limited," Vajgl says "That the world would not suffer because of his decisions I think everyone in this country wishes [his wife] the best." Slovenians loved it when the pope recently asked the first lady if she fed the president potica Slovenia is planning to ask the EU to officially recognize the recipe Become an NPR sponsor A network of correspondents providing impartial news reports and analysis in 33 languages from locations around the world Up-to-the-minute news and analysis from around the world and in Chicago Hosted by WBEZ's Mary Dixon and NPR's Steve Inskeep Newshour is the award-winning flagship program of the BBC World Service the world’s largest news gathering operation 1A convenes a conversation about the most important issues of our time smart reflection on world news as it’s happening innovators and artists from around the globe with news from Chicago from WBEZ’s Lisa Labuz Reset digs into how the news has moved since you left the house discussing and unpacking the biggest stories and issues in Chicago and beyond right in the heart of the day Fresh Air is a weekday “talk show” that hardly fits the mold Fresh 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unusual wooden sculpture depicts a waving female figure dressed in blue intended to evoke the blue coat Melania wore at the swearing in of her husband as US President in 2017 Located close to Melania’s hometown of Sevnica in Slovenia it was commissioned by Berlin-based American artist Brad Downey and unveiled in 2019 it was carved using a chainsaw from the trunk of a living linden tree by a local folk artist The sculpture of Melania Trump in the fields near Sevnica her hometownJURE MAKOVEC / AFP via Getty ImagesAccording to the Guardian Downey had the sculpture taken down after learning from police on 5 July that it had been torched Downey had hoped the work would prompt a dialogue about the political climate in the US – particularly considering Melania’s position as an immigrant married to a man who has pledged to reduce immigration The news comes after President Trump set out his opposition to those targeting US monuments, such as statues of confederate soldiers, as Black Lives Matter protestors call on nations to confront their histories of systemic racism. Melania Trump’s office has yet to respond to the Guardian’s request for comment. tannins from sweet chestnuts (Castanea sativa mill.) have attracted significant attention in regard to dairy cow nutrition Chestnut tannins are water-soluble plant polyphenol metabolites known for numerous potent biological properties They have the ability to affect several aspects of ruminant nutrition and to decrease environmental pollution Chestnut tannins possess multiple hydroxyl groups These groups have affinity and capacity for forming pH-dependent reversible tannin protein complexes which are stable in rumen pH (pH 5.0 to 7.0) and dissociations occur in low (abomasum) and high (intestine) pH environments That is why chestnut tannins tend to decrease ammonia production in the rumen by decreasing rates of rumen protein degradation resulting in a higher ‘bypass protein’ effect and improved protein utilisation Studies showed a decrease in ruminal ammonia production of up to 21% and an increase in non-ammonia nitrogen flow (metabolisable protein) to the intestine Figure 1 – Antiketogenic and antioxidative effects of Farmatan D (20g/day) in the close-up dairy cows (Europe trial) Feeding chestnut tannins to a dairy cow can improve the cow’s antioxidant status Tannins from sweet chestnuts are effective at scavenging free radicals and at protecting liver and kidney tissues against oxidants Our studies in transition cows have shown that total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) increased in response to chestnut tannin supplementation lower incidence of ketosis and fatty liver issues and higher colostrum immunoglobulin G levels with better function of thyroid gland The antioxidative mechanism is the basis of chestnut tannins’ positive effects on diminishing the negative impacts of heat stress on the health and productivity of high-yielding dairy cows Figure 2 – Effects of Farmatan D in decreasing negative effects of heat stress on milk production in dairy cows (Europe trial) Click to enlarge figure chestnut tannins have generated much interest among scientific audiences for their ability to affect different populations of pathogenic bacteria important for livestock production By controlling the population and inhibiting the overgrowth of Streptococcus bovis in the rumen (one of the most important acidogenic ruminal bacteria) with the reduction of amylolytic activity chestnut tannins can be very effective in reducing the incidence of rumen acidosis in dairy and beef cattle where rumen acidosis can be a trigger for the occurrence of liver abscesses Graph 1 – Effects of Farmatan D on milk production in high-yielding dairy cows (Israel trial) One of the most successful applications of chestnut tannins in ruminant production is to reduce simple and frothy bloat by reducing the number of gas-producing populations of G+ bacteria in the rumen and by precipitating (protecting) degradable proteins in the rumen As a result of reducing the number of methane-producing bacteria in the rumen chestnut tannins are widely used as a natural way for controlling methane production and greenhouse gas emissions in ruminants (13-30% reduction in methane production) Tanin Sevnica has been continuously conducting field and scientific trials for the purpose of monitoring the consistency of beneficial results and upgrading products’ effects The product named Farmatan D is a unique combination of chestnut tannins and essential oils and displays favourable actions on antiketogenic and antioxidative status (Figure 1) milk production and heat stress in high-yielding dairy cows (Figure 2 It is used from the close-up period until the end of lactation having the highest positive influence in the period of negative energy balance and peak of lactation There are few products that the enterprising burghers of Sevnica rural Slovenian town where Melania Trump spent her formative years have not sought to brand in honor of the first lady of the United States Copyright restrictions mean that most of the items merely allude to her identity: The wine is called “First Lady,” while the slippers (a silvery number garnished with a fluffy white rabbit’s tail) are called “White House.” Trump has been good for Sevnica (pronounced SEH-oo-nee-tsa) — a town of around 5,000 that sits in a forest-lined river valley some 90 minutes by car from Ljubljana The town’s only hotel reopened earlier this year by Melania-themed tours — has risen by 15 percent then a real-estate mogul and a star of reality television things really changed,” said Srecko Ocvirk “Now we have tourists from all over the world.” the shoe company that makes the Melania-themed slippers staff members saluted Trump for putting Slovenia on the map and there are signs the novelty is wearing thin one of the local guides who occasionally takes tourists on a tour of the town’s Melania-related sites for about $35 a head that is the Melania wine,” Ogorevc sighed on a recent tour as she breezed past a bottle of First Lady on sale at the town’s 12th-century castle pointing to a nearby bottle of Grajska Kri Ogorevc does not hide her indifference to all the commotion over Melania I really don’t really care about these things,” Ogorevc said not seeming to mind how this might sound on a Melania tour “Sevnica has much more to show than just this story.” on a nearby hill with dreamy views of the Sava river below “Can you imagine what it’s like in summer?” she said gazing across the valley from the doors of the castle Her mood darkened as we drove back down into Sevnica and parked outside a communist-era tower on the edge of town “Now we are making a stop at the apartment block where they lived,” she said “But I can’t tell you exactly where they lived because I don’t have that information,” she said visitors can buy a book about Trump’s early life — “Melania Trump: The Slovenian Side of the Story” — and a wide range of First Lady products including the chocolate-coated apple slices would agree to an interview only if the subject of Melania was left untouched there would have been little reason to ask Sevnica was then better-known as a minor industrial hub one of Slovenia’s oldest shoe companies; Stilles a furniture company that supplies international hotels; and Slovenia’s largest lingerie company Her father Viktor is reported to have sold car parts Few residents remember them from that time — not even Ocvirk and would have attended the local elementary school at the same time first to study in Ljubljana in the late 1980s and then a few years later to work in the United States I am just very proud that she’s from my town,” said Maja Kozole Popadic a cafe owner who sells a Melania-themed apple pie “For someone from this small town to become first lady of the United States is such a big thing for us.” But Trump has not made a public return to Sevnica and for most the connection remains primarily a commercial opportunity diners can sample a “Presidential Burger” — in which the bun is topped with a frizzy slice of fried cheese that looks convincingly similar to President Donald Trump’s mop of hair do not all share the same excitement for all things Donald and Melania but now it’s kind of worn out,” said Mia Podlesnik “Marrying someone — I don’t think that’s really an accomplishment.” Stay secure and make sure you have the best reading experience possible by upgrading your browser Sevnica residents could not recall much about Melanija Knavs and did not seem to follow her transformation from working-class daughter to possible US first lady The mayor of Melania Trump’s hometown is embarrassed Srečko Ocvirk is just a year older than the world’s most famous Slovenian But even though he was a schoolmate of hers the mayor of Sevnica said: “I have to be honest Sevnica primary school had a lot of pupils,” he added sheepishly Born in 1970 to a textile worker and a car spares trader Melania Trump has lived a life – judging by what is known of it – that could be romanced into that of a phoenix risen from the belching smokestacks of Tito’s Yugoslavia But the Trump campaign has opted not to go down that route a pretty medieval town that clings to vine-clad hills rising from the Sava river it quickly becomes clear that the young Melanija Knavs did not stand out from the collective consciousness of the time as someone who would rise to global fame “In the socialist days we were all the same,” said a woman in the same age bracket as the 46-year-old Sevnica the small Slovenian town where Melania Trump is from Photograph: Tanja Zibert/The GuardianBy contrast other residents can seem to make too much of an effort to recall her youth a couple of diners seem suspiciously well informed about the supposed early knitting abilities of Trump’s future wife a tomato seller named Matej said Melanija wrapped her schoolbooks with pages torn from Italian fashion magazines – only to confess that he learnt that detail from a recent television report Not only are clues sparse as to Melania’s transformation from model to the Republican presidential candidate’s third wife, but few residents seem to hold strong opinions about her life, her immigration status or the libel lawsuits pending over her references to her pre-Trump past No one in Sevnica can even confirm the oft-reported tidbit that Melanija’s maternal grandfather developed a red onion variety “Sevnica was very different in the 1970s,” said Ocvirk made up of people moving in from the rural areas “They worked in large numbers at two or three factories They shopped in Italy and Austria and tried to achieve the living standards of those countries,’’ said the mayor a Sevnica-born agricultural engineer who was elected eight years ago Srečko Ocvirk Photograph: Alex Duval Smith/The GuardianAmong the incomers who built the town’s industrial base were Viktor and Amalija Knavs and their daughters Ines and Melanija Businessman Viktor dealt in cars or spare parts or both – no one seems quite sure Amalija was a pattern cutter at the Jutranjka childrenswear factory and may at some point have gained a promotion to pattern designer They lived in a five-storey block in the Naselje Heroja Maroka area Melanija and her older sister went to high school in Ljubljana and their parents built themselves a white villa in the pretty hills above the town far away from the hourly clatter-past of the train They still own the house but are rarely there living instead in New York and helping look after Donald and Melania’s son The block where Melania once lived has been painted in mellow peach tones The climbing frame in the playground is Lego green The splashes of colour are townscape hallmarks of central European countries such as Slovenia that received development funds after joining the EU in 2004 Even the school bears no resemblance to the one Melania attended to the annoyance of visiting television crews determined to see her locker but says she “can only be a good thing for Sevnica It is a lovely town which deserves more tourists” Mustafai helps out at her father’s ice-cream stand and works in a hotel to help pay for her studies and hopes to move to Germany when she graduates unemployment is 10.3% – roughly the national average a lingerie brand named after the local mountain along with a shoe factory and a furniture company But they employ fewer than 1,000 people between them Many residents drive more than an hour to the capital Ljubljana to work Asked what Donald Trump could do for his wife’s home town Ocvirk ruled out a skyscraper as “unsuited to our natural beauty” with a sweeping arm movement reminiscent of a Trump Tower escalator he suggested “a golfing and fishing complex spanning from the hills to the Sava river” Slovenia — Few residents of this central Slovenian town known for its underwear factory salami festival and hilltop medieval castle had heard of Jimmy Kimmel Sean Hannity or the recent barbs they traded on TV and on social media.  But when they heard that it all began with a joke that Kimmel made about Melania Trump's accent on his ABC show Jimmy Kimmel Live, many were not happy about it sits in a valley next to the Sava River The town dates back to at least the 13th century It is also where the former model and First Lady of the United States spent her youth when she was named Melanija Knavs so long and she still has some problems but Jimmy Kimmel should come to Slovenia and see how hard it is to speak another language," said Helena Horjak who works in a meat processing factory here that makes "First Lady" sausages.  "It's just not fair," added Horjak's friend Maya Kantuzar She is doing a really good job for children." USA TODAY spoke to the pair in one of the half dozen cafe-bars that line Sevnica's main street.  Kimmel and Hannity declared a cease-fire Monday over their feud that descended over several days into an acrimonious back and forth about their political views Kimmel often lampoons conservatives such as Hannity who hosts a FOX News program, over topics such as health care Melania Trump left Slovenia more than two decades ago to pursue a modeling career in the U.S and hasn't returned to Sevnica for more than 10 years but the town has sought to capitalize on her success since her ascension to the White House.  owner Bruno Vidmar has added a "Presidential Burger" to his menu It features a slice of fried yellow cheese on top of the bun to represent Trump's hair. Spicy pickles stand in for his "hot statements" on Mexico Rondo also serves a cake inspired and named after Melania: A white chocolate mousse, with nuts, that rests on a buttery crust and is adorned on top with a delicate sliver of gold-leafed white chocolate.  More: Jimmy Kimmel quits feud with Sean Hannity, apologizes for joking about Melania Trump Related: This conservative is siding with the liberal in the Jimmy Kimmel-Sean Hannity feud "She's one of us," said Blaz Klenovsek expressing his admiration for the First Lady Although up the road at a bakery run by Maya Popadic there is First Lady Apple Pie for sale "It's just incredible to me that a simple girl from Sevnica could make it so far," said Popadic who noted that she was expecting a group of about 40 Slovenian tourists on Tuesday to sample the pie The First Lady Apple Pie has a large "M" branded in its middle out of powdered sugar There is also a "Melania" tour of Sevnica run by the local tourism bureau It explores where she went to nursery and middle school and places in Svenica she lived when it was a small industrial town in what was then Socialist Yugoslavia The tourism bureau also sells Melania red wine for about $40 a bottle described as a "harmony of taste and quality that satisfies even the most demanding wine lover and is also an exclusive and elegant present." Also for sale: Melania beauty cream ("Light nourishing cream with soy oil vitamins and fatty acids against skin and wrinkling"; dark chocolate ("Long lasting shades of bittersweet taste before summer raspberry begins to shine"); and tea ("A genuine aroma of apple strudel taste of Slovenian home with a hint of cardamon Official statistics from the Sevnica tourism bureau show that tourism to the town has more than doubled over the last few years to about 1,450 visitors in 2016 the latest year for which data were available It did not have any data on the sales of Melania products and has engaged a legal firm in Slovenia's capital Ljubljana to monitor the use of her name and image.  said that her company has had to crack down on some First Lady products but wouldn't specify which ones.  "We are very proud of her," said Franja Krajnc who works in yet another bakery in Svenica that sells Melania cake "There is only one First Lady and she has said that she is teaching her son Barron some Slovenian which publishes articles about underrated wine regions and offers wine tours that incorporate WSET training Slovenian producers near to the town where the new US First Lady grew up have released a wine in her honour and hope it can help them promote the area’s work with the Blaufränkisch grape variety First Lady wine went on sale in the circular cellar at Sevnica Castle in Slovenia and the first 300 bottles sold out in three days Another 2,000 bottles of the Blaufränkisch wine are ready for sale in the 12th century castle’s gift shop and the town centre’s tourist office who this year became US First Lady after the election of her husband Donald Trump as president has nothing to do with the wine other than she grew up in the small industrial town – then part of Yugoslavia – before becoming a model President Donald Trump and Melania Trump at the Liberty Ball in January 2017 Credit: Wikipedia / US Army Sgt Ashley Marble Made by four local winemakers and priced at €27.90 First Lady wine is twice as expensive as the shop’s other premium Blaufränkisch wines – usually sold under the grape’s local name ‘Some people suggested we should sell it for €500 but I think it’s a fair price,’ Rok Petančič though we haven’t started promoting it yet.’ Other products in the First Lady collection include salami made from a rare breed of local pig (Krškopoljc) Rok said that he wasn’t deterred by reports that Melania hired Slovenian law firm Pirc Musar & Partnerji to deter local entrepreneurs from cashing in on her name and image last year we have the best salamis and we have other products that are very good for the area; we shouldn’t be afraid or feel ashamed of offering them to a wider audience.’ contributed the equivalent of two barriques from the 2015 vintage two in two-year-old barriques and the rest in a 1,000-litre barrel it’s gentle like Melania,’ Lojze Kerin said at his family winery where the sign above the door reads ‘Hiša Frankinje’ (House of Frankinja) Sevnica (pronounced seːu̯nitsa) is in the heart of Posavje the smallest of Slovenia’s three wine regions and the only one producing more red than white wine ‘I think this is one of the best ways we can promote our winemakers our tourism and Blaufränkisch as a variety which is very important for us as we want to become a centre for Blaufränkisch We are becoming a centre in Slovenia but in the wider area we still have a lot of work to do,’ Rok said as he served Blaufränkisch made from the castle’s own small vineyard researchers from Germany’s Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants said that both Blaufränkisch and Blauer Portugieser varieties ‘very probably’ originated in Lower Styria (Slovenia) Slovenia (AP) - There's no mistaking it depicts Donald Trump: a large wooden statue of the U.S The nearly eight-meter high (26 feet) construction shows Trump with his trademark hair style His right arm - fist clenched - is raised high like that of New York's Statue of Liberty a mechanism opens a red-painted mouth and shark-like teeth appear The monument was built on private property among the lush greens and rolling hills of the sleepy village of Sela pri Kamniku some 30 kilometers (20 miles) northeast of the Slovenian capital The statue has a temporary permit and has to be removed by Halloween and everyone tells me it's a provocation." saying it is "provocation against populism that the world is full of." which no one today knows what it represents," he said He can do and say whatever he wants without consequences." Two American tourists came Friday to this remote corner of Slovenia after hearing about the statue "It seems like a really unusual location for a piece of art like this," said Eddie Flawer from Santa Rosa "I'm not very fond of Donald Trump and I didn't know what to make of his hand up and doing the salute and the spikes coming out of the top of his head," Flawer said "But maybe it's a metaphor of the Statue of Liberty which would make some sense since he seems to be doing everything in his power to negate the beauty and the spirit of the Statue of Liberty." It's not the first time in Slovenia that a member of the Trump family has been carved in wood first lady was unveiled in her hometown of Sevnica in June The rustic figure was cut from the trunk of a linden tree showing her in a pale blue dress like the one she wore at Donald Trump's presidential inauguration Her face is depicted in a naive local style changed her name to Melania Knauss when she started modeling She settled in New York in 1996 and met Trump two years later AP writer Dusan Stojanovic contributed to this report Slovenia (AP) - Melania Trump has seen more of the world than most people - a journey propelled by her own big dreams concocted as a young girl growing up under Communism Now she is a glamorous former model swathed in couture a woman familiar with the capitals and the languages of Europe Republican presidential front-runner and the proud mother of a nearly 10-year-old son But Donald Trump's 45-year-old third wife traces her roots back to Slovenia's sleepy industrial town of Sevnica where she grew up in Communist-era apartment blocks overlooking a river and ever-smoking factory chimneys Sevnica residents remember Trump - then named Melanija Knavs - as a tall well-behaved girl who was passionate about studying and harbored a dream of having an international fashion career "I think I can say Sevnica was too small for her," recalled Mirjana Jelancic Slovenia was still part of Communist-run Yugoslavia Slightly more liberal than other Eastern European dictatorships Yugoslavia kept open ties with the West and its citizens enjoyed free travel The family lived in an eight-story building right next to their daughter's brightly painted primary school Jelancic praised her friend as "an excellent student "We would never hear her swear or say anything bad to anyone," she added Trump developed an interest in fashion during her primary school years at one time wanting to become a fashion designer "She would make new clothes out of old ones," Jelancic said But Trump's fashion career only became a reality after she moved to the Slovenian capital photographer Stane Jerko spotted the 5-foot-11 (180-centimeter) "I still remember how tall she was and how beautiful her figure and hair were," he said displaying youthful black-and-white photos of Trump "There was no smile on her face because she was shy and scared but I encouraged her to come to the studio." Trump's official biography says she started modelling at 16 French and Italian in addition to Slovenian and Serbo-Croatian She changed her name to Melania Knauss and settled in New York in 1996 she met her future husband at a party in Manhattan where the newly separated Donald Trump asked the model She rebuffed him because he was with a date that night the Trumps had their son Barron a little over a year later a very pregnant Melania was photographed for Vogue magazine in a gold bikini on the steps of her husband's private jet Trump has kept a low profile in her husband's presidential bid Her first campaign turn came in Myrtle Beach as the candidate called his family on stage during a rally "Isn't he the best?" she asked the crowd in heavily accented English her 69-year-old husband gave her a kiss and could be heard saying: "Thank you she happily noted her husband's success on the campaign trail - "it's amazing what's going on" - and said she fell in love with him for his mind Asked about his controversial comments about illegal immigrants Melania Trump said her husband "opened (a) conversation that nobody (else) did." moving from having a work visa to getting a green card to getting her U.S "I never thought to stay here without papers," she added Jelancic said she was surprised at first to hear that her friend had married a much older man - until she realized that Donald Trump actually resembled Melania's father "They are both hardworking men," Jelancic said "There must have been some kind of chemistry." many townsfolk in Sevnica were not overly impressed with the possibility that the United States may get a Slovenian-born first lady "What does it mean to me if she is first lady "We have more serious issues than Melania." saying "Donald Trump will lose the presidential race." said "it would be a big thing for Slovenia if she does become first lady." "I wouldn't say she is just Donald Trump's wife," Jerko said "She has something special It’s party time in the small Slovenian town of Sevnica whose most famous daughter —Melanija Knavs better known as Melania Trump — has her big moment Friday Locals, tourists and foreign journalists have been packing out the bars and restaurants of the town — population: 5,000 — ahead of Melania’s husband Donald’s inauguration as 45th president of the United States who owns several bars and cafes in the area In Caffe Central in the town center, guests can watch the event on a big screen and enjoy a spritzer topped with Trump-esque gold leaf to mark the occasion. Vidmar said she was handing out free slices of “Melania cake” — white chocolate mousse topped with nuts and edible gold “I expect the restaurant to be packed,” said Bruno Vidmar the owner of Pizzeria Rondo and a distant relative of Nuša’s He’s devised an entire menu based on the Trumps there’s a Presidential Burger and Dessert Melanija — a strawberry and mascarpone mousse “Sevnica is crowded today,” said Bruno Vidmar “There are many more visitors then normal.” Local authorities have got in on the act too organizing free sightseeing tours of the town on the banks of the Sava river to commemorate the inauguration Friday’s presidential inauguration isn’t Melania Trump’s first she was a dark-haired 23-year-old at the beginning of a modeling career when she was cast as the first female president of the U.S in an advert for a Slovenian clothing company she is seen leaving (an approximation of) Air Force One all under the watchful eye of the security services At the end of the video she raises her hand and takes the oath to become president “It’s a crazy coincidence,” the advert’s scriptwriter saying she remembered young Melanija as very “professional wonder why the world’s famous Slovenian-American lady never comes to visit why she is reluctant to speak her native language This shop in Sevnica sells a number of items with the name First Lady Locals remember that both girls wore unusual beautiful outfits designed and made by their mother Here’s a book about Melania Trump’s life in Slovenia.  “A minority of people on this side of the Atlantic wanted the election to turn out this way,” author Sandi Gorisek wrote Trump's parents were hardworking people people wonder if she is happy with a husband who is 25 years older Many in Slovenia feel proud that Trump's son who spend at least six months a year in the US as her father always made money on the side — they were the lower middle class,” Bojan Pozar “She was a uniquely ambitious girl with lots of mysteries We even cannot figure out all the details about her naturalization process in United States." Trump obtained her green card in 2001 and five years later became a US citizen Trump decided not to look back at her Slovenian past Slovenian president Borut Pahor invited President Donald Trump to visit the first lady’s home country people hope he and the first lady will see a place that is now on the tourist map an hour east of Slovenian capital Ljubljana is offering visitors first lady-related merchandise from wine and cake to pies and salami But locals may be tiring of the connection already Would you plan your holiday around Melania Trump but that hasn’t stopped businesses in Sevnica the sleepy town where the first lady grew up from launching a flurry of products in the presidential name in order to attract some extra visitors The latest addition to the offerings in this town on the banks of the Sava river in the centre of the country which went on sale earlier this month at the town’s 900-year-old castle priced at €27.90 a bottle (though some are said to have suggested it was sold for €500) “It’s not a strong wine; it’s gentle like Melania,” Lojze Kerin one of the four winemakers who produced it told Decanter magazine while also getting in a plug in for the rest of the town’s produce we have the best salamis and we have other products that are very good We shouldn’t be afraid or feel ashamed of offering them to a wider audience.” The local tourist office is also offering a selection of Melania-centric tours which include stopping by at the school the first lady attended before taking in the town’s main sights – the castle and the market Melania Knavs lived in the town into her teens Melania Trump lived in Sevnica until her teens Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFPAccording to Visit Slovenia there has been an increase in visitor numbers since Donald Trump’s presidential campaign started “The world’s leading media reported about the homeland of the then potential first lady while some of them even visited Slovenia to get more information,” it said in a statement an increased number of American citizens are now also expected to become interested in the homeland of the first lady.” Melania Trump-branded honey on sale in Sevnica. Photograph: Jack Taylor/Getty ImagesStill, the sense from one BBC report is that the town’s locals are getting a little weary of journalists thrusting microphones towards them and asking what they think about her barely stopping as she walks past the reporter Her legal team has been warning businesses that it would not allow her photo for commercial purposes all 300 bottles of the first lady wine sold out in three days so maybe Melania is enjoying a bigger fan club than many imagine A life-size statue of First Lady Melania Trump that was carved out of a living linden tree with a chainsaw was unveiled near her hometown of Sevnica The statue was formed from the trunk of a linden tree Melania's sculpture appears to be wearing the same light blue-colored outfit as the one worn during President Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017.  using a chainsaw after being commissioned by 39-year-old artist Brad Downey according to Reuters and Agence France-Presse Zupevc is a local resident of Sevnica and was born in the same hospital and year as Melania Commissioned art pieces like the sculpture does not keep Zupevc employed full-time — the chainsaw-artist normally works as a pipe-layer Downey told AFP he understood why some people thought the sculpture "falls short as a description of her physical appearance" but maintained it was still "absolutely beautiful." A group of people gathered at the site to see the sculpture's debut I think it took him three days to make it," one man said to Reuters and that's what made it hard to make it — and she does not look as beautiful as she normally is." One woman said the sculpture as an inspirational message of Trump's journey to becoming the First Lady "You know what makes her resemble Melania?" a woman asked Print Reporting from SEVNICA Slovenia — Down school hallways decorated with murals of rainbows and ladybugs children in polka-dot winter jackets scamper and scream plonking themselves on couches while talking excitedly about “Melania” — the school’s most famous former pupil “We hope that she comes and visits us,” says the primary school’s headmistress nestled on the banks of the Sava River and surrounded by forest ranges all the chatter around this town of 4,500 is about America’s next first lady who spent her childhood and early teenage years here how a small-town local girl has found her way to the White House many thousands of miles away in Washington “I couldn’t believe it,” says 22-year-old Suzi Mirt One cafe is serving a Melania Trump almond and white chocolate cake Slovenian and local district’s flags side by side Questions about Trump are often met with a grin by locals who have already taken to calling her “the first lady” and joke that it is the fourth name they have known her by — after Melania Knavs It marks a point of contrast to the response in the United States, where protesters have taken to the streets in cities around the country, chanting that Trump is not their president, and decrying him as a racist and a misogynist. Viewed from afar, the results were welcome in this quiet Slovenian town, where resentment of the Clintons is palpable. Much of that comes from their role in the Kosovo bombing campaign of 1999, and for Hillary Clinton’s perceived aggravation of both the Syrian and Ukrainian crises. Residents of Sevnica, Slovenia, watch as U.S. presidential election results are shown on television on Nov. 9. (Jure Makovec / AFP/Getty Images ) “We call her ‘Killary,’” says Blaz Pecnik, a local insurance agent. “If she had won, I think she would have started a war with Russia.” Trains covered in graffiti rumble intermittently on tracks along the river, and smokestacks rise from the town’s depleted industrial zone. Church spires stretch skyward from hilltops shrouded in an early-winter mist. Melania was born in the nearby town of Novo Mesto in 1970. Slovenia, at the time, formed the northern extremity of Yugoslavia, a socialist bloc led by Josip Broz Tito, which was, after his death, plunged into chaos and a series of bloody civil wars throughout the 1990s. “I grew up … near a beautiful river and forests,” Trump recently wrote on her husband’s campaign website. “It was a beautiful childhood.” Her mother, Amalija Knavs, labored on farms before finding work at a local factory producing children’s clothes. Her father, Viktor Knavs, was a member of the Communist Party and a car salesman. Both, according to locals, wanted more than a simple life in Sevnica. Melania seems to have inherited their drive. Her career as a model took her to the famed fashion houses of Milan and Paris — and New York, where she would become Donald Trump’s third wife. “Melania Knavs was very benevolent and respectful,” says Jelancic, who lived in a neighboring apartment building during their youth. “She was also quite innovative and creative.” As kids, she and Melania used to spend evenings passing notes along a length of string suspended between their balconies, trading gossip — “an old-fashioned form of SMS,” says Jelancic. In Melania’s teens, the family moved to Ljubljana, the capital, around 40 miles away, where she attended a design and photography high school in a monastery. A photographer, Stane Jerko, famously spied her at age 16, drawing her into the glamorous world of high fashion. By the late 1990s, she was in New York, a world away from the snail-pace streets of Sevnica. Since her family left, Sevnica — with its collapsing factories, and the sense of being left behind by a corrupt political elite — has in some ways grown akin to the Rust Belt, where Trump made such striking electoral inroads in this week’s election. Most of the factories of the Tito era — including a famed confectionary producer, the clothing manufacturer where Melania’s mother once worked — are now closed, unable to endure the Yugoslavian collapse and post-socialist economic realities. Some, like Melania, got out and enjoyed the trappings of wealth and success. Many, however, appear to feel a little trapped. “We have a slow life. It’s so different to somewhere like New York, or even Ljubljana,” says Mirt, the bar worker, who trained as a primary school teacher. “We survive, but it is hard. We only have two restaurants, one fast-food place — and about 30 bars.” Many here hope that association with the Trump brand and his rise to the presidency will give the town a boost, encouraging tourists to visit the quaint old town, with its 12th century castle and the vineyards dotting the outlying lands. “We hope that tourists will come and try our wines,” says Jelancic. World & Nation World & Nation Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map Schicken Sie eine Meldung August 2024 hat die Infrastrukturdirektion der Republik Slowenien für das Projekt Modernisierung der Eisenbahnstrecke Staatsgrenze - Dobova - Zidani Most - Phase 1: Abschnitt Staatsgrenze - Dobova - Sevnica: Etappe 1 (Gebiet Krško) europäische Kohäsionsmittel in Höhe von 22,81 Mio EUR aus der Finanziellen Vorausschau 2021-2027 erhalten die für die erfolgreiche Umsetzung des Projekts entscheidend sind Das Projekt Modernisierung der Eisenbahnstrecke Staatsgrenze - Dobova - Zidani Most - Phase 1: Abschnitt Staatsgrenze - Dobova - Sevnica: Stufe 1 (Gebiet Krško) ist Teil des Gesamtprojekts zur Modernisierung der Eisenbahnstrecke auf dem Abschnitt Staatsgrenze - Dobova - Sevnica die Kapazität der Bahnlinie durch die Gewährleistung technischer Interoperabilitätsstandards zu erhöhen die Verkehrssicherheit durch den Bau von niveaufreien Zugängen zu den Bahnsteigen zu verbessern die Kosten für die Instandhaltung der Bahninfrastruktur und die Lärmbelästigung im besiedelten Gebiet zu senken und gleichzeitig einen flexibleren Verkehrsfluss zu ermöglichen sowie geordnete und sichere öffentliche Personenverkehrsstationen bereitzustellen Im Rahmen des Projekts werden folgende Maßnahmen durchgeführt: • Modernisierung von 3,8 km Gleis und 13 Weichen • Bau von zwei Bahnsteigen und einer Unterführung bzw eines niveaufreien Zugangs für Fahrgäste zu den Bahnsteigen • Modernisierung des Umspannwerks Krško,• Bau von 1,27 km Lärmschutzwänden Signal- und Sicherheitsanlagen sowie von Bahnhofsgebäuden und Bereitstellung von gut gewarteten und sicheren Bahnhöfen für den öffentlichen Personenverkehr Das Projekt wird voraussichtlich im Februar 2026 abgeschlossen sein Zurück Probeabo: 3 Hefte nur 12 Euro(Ausland 15 EUR) Straßenbahn Berlin - Band 14  Die S-Bahn im geteilten Berlin Band 2 EU-Fahrgastrechte Slovenians have been told to stop using Melania Trump’s name and likeness to sell everything from pastries to honey Since her husband Donald became president-elect earlier this month, entrepreneurs in Melania’s home town of Sevnica have rushed to associate her with a range of goods even offering jars of honey from “Melania’s home garden” to tourists and foreign journalists descending on the town of 4,900 people But profits may soon dry up as the future first lady, still known as Melanija Knavs to many in Sevnica has hired a local law firm to warn people against using her name and likeness for commercial purposes without consent issued a statement saying it was an infringement of Slovenian copyright law to splash Melania’s face across billboards — a giant one of which welcomes you to Sevnica — and to use it on goods “This is indecent financial exploitation and infringement of personality rights,” Nataša Pirc Musar but the firm is monitoring the situation closely and reporting developments back to Melania “First we wanted to warn the public and now we count on their prudence to stop the practice,” she said said he wasn’t worried about legal action Business has gone up 20 percent since the U.S thanks in part to a new dessert on the menu called “Melanija” — a strawberry and mascarpone mousse “As we were the first ones to come up with that idea many journalists came to the restaurant after the announcement on Facebook and Twitter had gone viral,” Vidmar said He said he had consulted his lawyer before putting the dessert on the menu Slovenian and US national flags in Sevnica the hometown of Melania Trump | Jure Makovec/AFP via Getty Images which sells a “Melania cake” — white chocolate mousse topped with nuts and edible gold “We watched her and we wanted to create something as beautiful as she is,” she said “We wanted to honor Melania and celebrate her success… The best way to mark the occasion was by making the cake.” Nuša rejected suggestions that the cake was an attempt to attract foreign visitors and make a profit off Sevnica’s most famous daughter She said the cake hasn’t attracted more people to the shop and vowed to remove the item from the menu immediately if “Melania finds it insulting.” Relive the 62nd edition of the world’s biggest song contest. Ramush Haradinaj won’t be sent to Serbia because he would likely not have a fair trial, his lawyer said. The UK should have ‘no illusions’ about what leaving the bloc will mean, German chancellor said. About 50 miles away from Sevnica, in Slovenia's largest city, Ljubljana, Melania Trump's former schoolmate Urša Mravlje created a soap titled "Melanija" for her aromatherapy store, Aromatica.