Representatives of the seventh-largest settlement in Slovenia will launch the celebrations with a ceremonial session of the city council on Monday evening.

After the session, Mayor Gregor Macedoni and city councillors will head for the city museum to open an exhibition exploring the history of settlements around the fork in the Krka River where the modern-day Novo mesto stands.

The site of the city has been settled since prehistoric times. In recent years, an archaeological site in the heart of the city has seen as many as 2,000 ancient tombs unearthed ranging in age from the early Bronze Age to the late Iron Age.

The Kapiteljska njiva field is a living testament to the various cultures, including Hallstat, Iapyde, Celt and Roman that have inhabited the area through the millennia.

The city proper was established by Habsburg Archduke Rudolf IV on 7 April 1365 and named Rudolfswerth, before being being given its present names, which literally means new city, in German in the 15th century.

After World War II, the city had an economic renaissance fuelled by its position on a major road artery running from Ljubljana to Zagreb and on to Belgrade.

It has remained an important industrial hub in Slovenia and the headquarters of two of the country's biggest exporters, car maker Revoz and pharmaceutical company Krka.

It is home to around 23,000 people and part of what has become an important tourism region that boasts the Krka River, scores of vineyards and cottages, several spa resorts and one of the most picturesque castles in the country in Mokrice.

The city's claim to fame also includes the Krka basketball club, seven-time national champions, which have won the league title for the past five seasons running.

As part of the celebrations, which will run until the end of June, Mayor Gregor Macedoni will travel to Vienna on Wednesday to lay a wreath at the tomb of the city's founder.

The local diocese will also join in the celebrations, staging a special mass on Wednesday evening.

Prime Minister Miro Cerar will be a guest speak at a ceremony held in the Leon Štukelj Arena on Thursday, while the city will also host a fun run on SundaynO.