Ilirska Bistrica (pronounced [iˈliːɾska ˈbiːstɾitsa] ⓘ; German: Illyrisch Feistritz;[2] Italian: Villa del Nevoso, before 1927: Bisterza, Hungarian: Illírbeszterce[3]) is a town in the Inner Carniola region of southwestern Slovenia.

The town's coat of arms represents the history of the region, recalling the pre-Slavic Illyrian people that once populated the area, along with their shipbuilding past.

It is situated in the valley of the Reka River, on the steep rim of the densely wooded Snežnik plateau in the northeast.

In the 12th century a fortress was erected at the site of a prehistoric settlement on a hill east of the town centre, when the area was part of the Imperial March of Carniola.

The castle later was held by the Counts of Duino, from the 14th century onwards by the princely House of Auersperg in Postojna.The settlement of Ilirska Bistrica itself was first mentioned about 1300; its advantageous location, the surrounding karst springs and extended forests promoted the economic development of numerous sawmills and a flourishing timber trade from the early 15th century onwards.

[5] On June 27, 1991, during the Ten-Day War, the Slovenian Territorial Defence blocked the road connecting Rijeka and its 13th Infantry Corps of Yugoslav People's Army with the interior of Slovenia.

Later on the same day, the Slovenian Territorial Defence launched an attack on a Yugoslav People's Army column in Koseze near Ilirska Bistrica.

[7] On August 1, 2023, a rare tornado touched down in Ilirska Bistrica, Slovenia, damaging houses and felling trees.

[10] The town is used by tourists and trekkers as a starting point for travelling to the top of the Snežnik Plateau, a day-long round trip from Ilirska Bistrica.