Koroška is one of the 12 Slovenian regions and covers 5.15% of Slovenia. Koroška has 70,000 inhabitants and it is considered one of the oldest industrial regions. The main advantages of the Koroška region are the development of tourism, a well-developed corporate sector and processing companies.

The vicinity of the Austrian border enables great economic opportunities and opportunities for entrepreneurship and cross-border cooperation.

The Koroška region is focused on seeking opportunities to develop the existing and new environmentally friendly activities with higher added value, especially in the field of major industries, such as the wood industry, metallurgical industry, and tourism.

The vision of the Koroška region by 2020 is to become (as well as to remain) an economically successful and a socially and spatially connected community that encourages creativity, entrepreneurship, openness, and inclusiveness for everyone while enabling its population to enjoy a high-quality life, healthy and safe working conditions, clean environment, and a sustainable management of natural resources.

Why choose and invest in the areas of the Koroška region?

Koroška is a region with a great geostrategic position, high quality of living, excellent business locations and active support from local communities and other business entities.

1 GREAT GEOSTRATEGIC POSITION

Koroška is located in the centre of Europe, near the Austrian border. The proximity of the Austrian border offers good economic opportunities, expansion of business abroad and good international cooperation.

The region is in the vicinity of the Austrian transport network and is connected with Austria by motorways (AT Koroška). International airports are nearby and there is a high-speed railway between Klagenfurt and Graz, which is under construction and is to be completed by 2025.

2 EXCELLENT BUSINESS LOCATIONS

Both, commercial land, as well as business premises, are available in the Koroška region. A commercial real estate portal with up-to-date information on available locations is maintained on a regular basis. Moreover, local and foreign investors are offered active assistance in finding the desired locations.

3 HIGH-QUALITY WORKFORCE

Koroška is a region with a high-quality workforce, experience in the processing industry, strong knowledge of ICT technologies, great knowledge of foreign languages, and high employee loyalty.

4 PROMOTING BUSINESS CLIMATE

Business entities are offered free business cooperation and receive assistance in developing and searching for relevant business partnerships.

5 HIGH QUALITY OF LIVING

Living in the Koroška region can be described as living in the midst of pristine nature. Additionally, the cost of living is low and the region is ranked among the safest in Europe.
Tourists find Koroška an extremely interesting destination, as it offers an array of interesting sights and activities. They can explore the picturesque landscape of mighty forests and natural attractions in the area of the UNESCO Geopark Karavanke, the green Pohorje and the Drava River Valley. The more courageous tourists can enjoy some adrenaline-fuelled activities on the mountain Peca by bike or explore the most beautiful views either from the top or deep in the Peca underground. Mountaineers can enjoy the freedom of the mountain peaks and winter enthusiasts can feel the joy of the snowy plains. Travellers can indulge in a relaxed chat with the locals over Koroška delicacies and explore the legacy of the past.

Experience the magic of Koroška during your stay and create the life you want.

Economy and leading business

The central pillar of the economy and the main employer in the region remains the metal processing industry. Areas in this industry continue to develop in terms of strengthening the concept of Industry 4.0, providing greater energy and material efficiency, decreasing the energy intensity and introducing green technologies.

The development of new materials and technologies is also successful, especially polymer processing and ICT technologies.

Connecting education, research and development activities and ground-breaking economic solutions are carried out in cooperation with the companies’ development departments, incubators, technology parks, universities and R&D organizations in Slovenia and abroad. The core of the region’s development is centred on the Faculty of Polymer Technology. In recent years, the Faculty has taken an important step in the accessibility of research and development infrastructure. With its research and development activities, the Faculty has become a highly requested partner in the field of economy and a promoter of transferring applied research into practice.

In recent years, the ICT sector has seen a rapid growth of innovative companies with high added value and a global presence. Hence, this sector represents a potential for growth and development for the region in terms of its development specialization.

METALWORK

Koroška is considered one of the oldest Slovenian industrial regions, where the most important industry is the metal processing industry in terms of turnover and export.

As a potential technology, the materials, such as iron and steel, represent one of the key industry resources of the region in the connection with other industries in the country and outside of it. The fact that metalwork is an industry with high potential is proven by the fact that companies invested in the technological update of production in the past years in order to ensure competitiveness and increase production capacities.

Long tradition, valuable experience, innovative approach, good quality services, and the presence of Koroška‘s companies on the global market, offer potential investors opportunities for future development and access to domestic and foreign markets.

WOOD INDUSTRY:

Slovenia is one of the most forested countries in Europe. Koroška is considered one of the most forested regions in Slovenia. The wood stock is estimated at over 6.4 million m3, and the annual growth is estimated at over 0.6 million m3 of wood.

In the past, forestry and wood processing were very important industries and employed many people from this region. Today, most of the unprocessed wood from Koroška is mainly exported to Austria. Unprocessed wood from Koroška finds its customers throughout Europe and North America, where it is processed into valuable wood products.

The region prides itself on sufficient quantities of quality wood, which is in immediate proximity and permanently accessible, on knowledge, supporting services including education, research and development, and defined plans for establishing the forest-wooden chain. Thus, Koroška offers many opportunities for the future development of the industry and for investing in existing or new processing capacities, mainly for finished products and intermediate products with higher added value.

In Koroška, wood is a raw product of the future and its systematic use provides an efficient and friendly industry.

TOURISM

Explore the picturesque landscape of mighty forests and natural attractions in the area of the UNESCO Geopark Karavanke, the green Pohorje and the Drava River Valley. Enjoy the adrenaline-fuelled activities on the mountain Peca by bike or explore the most beautiful views either from the top or deep in the Peca underground. Feel the freedom on the mountain peaks and the joy of the snowy plains. Indulge in a relaxed chat with the locals over tasting the Koroška delicacies and explore the legacy of the past.

Authentic and undiscovered. This is Koroška. It’s full of surprises.

Koroška presents plenty of opportunities for leisure as well as for investment in the development of tourism and tourism-related activities.

The Koroška Region as a destination is yet an undiscovered, hidden natural gem with great potential. It especially impresses those who appreciate green ecotourism based on boutique tourism products and authentic experiences. Its core attribute and advantage is its unspoiled green nature that offers a vast array of possibilities for outdoor activities, especially cycling and hiking. It is ideal for countryside holidays. We take pride in our rich heritage, with former traditional economic activities now turning into tourist attractions. Examples of these are kayaking and cycling in a disused mine (the Podzemlje Pece Tourist Mine and Museum), timber rafting along the Drava River, and others.

The Koroška Region also stands out internationally:
- The Peca Bike Park has the longest single trails in Slovenia and the longest flow trail in Europe.
- The K-24 is the toughest hiking challenge in Koroška.
- We host prestigious events, such as the Enduro World Series 2018 mountain biking race (one of eight in the world and five in Europe).

Investors have many options for investing in the development of the tourist infrastructure and tourism-related services.

More at www.koroska.si

Why Koroška?