SLOVENIA - THE EU-BALKAN BRIDGE (Slowenia - unijno-balkanski pomost)

The article attempts to characterize the socio-cultural specificity of Slovenia. Attention has been drawn to the coexistence of selected elements that apparently influence the shape of the contemporary identity of the inhabitants of this small country, such as the Habsburg and Yugoslavian legacy or successes in the process of European integration. Separate reflection has been devoted to reasons of a lack of interest in Slovenia among Poles despite relatively close geographical distance between the two countries. The results of research on Poles' attitude to Slovenians have also been analyzed and the emergent picture is complemented by results of a mini-survey on the image of Slovenia among university students.