Novo mesto is the economic, cultural, and administrative centre of the Dolenjska region, set within a hilly landscape above a striking meander of the Krka River. Its position on once‑important trade routes gave the town strategic significance early on, while the natural scenery of river bends, terraces, and slopes created a distinctive image that the town still preserves today. Archaeological research has shown that the area was settled as early as a thousand years before the Common Era. Finds from the Late Bronze Age, the Iron Age, and the Roman period testify to continuous settlement from the end of the Bronze Age until the decline of the Roman Empire. Much of this archaeological wealth is preserved in the Dolenjska Museum, one of Slovenia’s most important archaeological institutions.
Novo mesto was officially founded on 7 April 1365, when the Habsburg duke Rudolf IV, known as “the Founder,” issued a charter granting the new townspeople personal freedom, self‑government, and the right to hold fairs. The town initially bore the name Rudolfovo pristanišče (Rudolfswert), reflecting both the founder’s ambition and the strategic location by the river. Only at the end of the 18th century did the name Novo mesto become established. In the Middle Ages and the early modern period, the town experienced alternating phases of prosperity and decline: after an initial rise, it suffered setbacks in the 16th century due to peasant uprisings, disease, and broader social upheavals. A renewed period of development came with the reforms of Maria Theresa in the 18th century, when Novo mesto became the seat of a district, giving it new administrative and economic momentum. In 1875, the first National Hall in Slovenian territory was built here, further confirming the town’s cultural importance.
The old town stands on a rocky promontory that juts into the meander of the Krka River. Kapiteljski hrib, rising to 202 metres, descends steeply toward the water, where the famous Breg developed — a picturesque row of houses along the river that gives the town one of the most recognisable silhouettes in Slovenia. From the old core, the town fans out along the main access roads into neighbourhoods such as Bršljin, Ločna, Kandija, and Grm. This spatial arrangement reflects the historical development of Novo mesto, which expanded from a compact medieval nucleus into the wider Dolenjska landscape.
Today, Novo mesto is one of Slovenia’s most important industrial and economic centres. It is home to some of the country’s largest companies, including the pharmaceutical giant Krka, the car manufacturer Revoz, and Adria Mobil, one of Europe’s leading producers of recreational vehicles. Industry has given the town a strong economic pulse, complemented by educational, cultural, and healthcare institutions that make Novo mesto the central hub of the wider region.
Novo mesto is thus a place where natural features, rich archaeological heritage, medieval urban design, and modern industrial development intertwine. The Krka meander, Kapiteljski hrib, Breg, and the varied landscape create a distinctive identity, enriched by the historical memory of the town’s founding, its periods of growth and crisis, and its later economic rise. In this interplay of history, nature, and modernity, Novo mesto remains one of Slovenia’s key towns — a place where the heritage of the past naturally connects with the ambitions of the future.