Melania Trump’s humble beginnings in Slovenia: her hometown of Sevnica has just 17,000 people and was most famous for its salami – then its tourism doubled when Donald ran for US president

Apr 27 , 2022

Melania Trump’s hometown is beautiful – but are its residents still a fan of the former FLOTUS? Photos: @SlovenianA/Twitter; @melania__tramp/Instagram

Donald Trump’s third wife is the daughter of a car dealer and patternmaker and grew up in the small town of Sevnica – then she became a model, moved to New York, and the rest is history

Sevnica’s tourism doubled in the year before she became first lady, but a wooden statue erected in her honour was vandalised and had to be replaced by a bronze version

Is Melania Trump Slovenia’s most famous face? It would seem so after four years in the White House and endless column inches detailing her every move, project and even outfit. But where exactly in Slovenia is she from, and what makes her hometown special? We take a look at the small but beautiful town she grew up in and discover that it couldn’t be further from the skyscrapers of Manhattan.

She calls the small town of Sevnica home

The former first lady grew up in Sevnica, Slovenia.

Sevnica sits on the Sava River and has a population of less than 20,000. Photo: @travel_slovenia/Twitter

Trump was born in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, on April 26, 1970 – she turns 52 this month. She then spent her childhood in Sevnica, a small town 48km (30 miles) away.

Sevnica is located along the Sava River in central Slovenia

Google maps shows where Sevnica sits in Slovenia, formerly part of Yugoslavia. Photo: Google Maps

It has a population of around 17,600, according to its official website.

When Melania Trump (then Melanija Knavs) was born, Slovenia was a communist country ruled by President Josip Tito and known as Yugoslavia.