Melania Trump grew up in Sevnica, Slovenia.Sevnica, Slovenia. JURE MAKOVEC/AFP via Getty Images Trump was born in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, on April 26, 1970.She spent her childhood in Sevnica, a small town 30 miles away.Sevnica is located along the Sava River in central Slovenia.Sevnica, Slovenia. JURE MAKOVEC/AFP via Getty Images It has a population of 17,611, according to data collected by the Statistical Office of the Republic of Sloveniain 2022.When Melania Trump was born, Slovenia was a communist country ruled by President Josip Tito and known as Yugoslavia.Sevnica, Slovenia, covered in snow. Awakening/Future Publishing via Getty Images Slovenia became independent in 1991.Before Trump's rise to fame as a model and then FLOTUS, Sevnica was known for its furniture and clothing factories, as well as its annual salami festival.Sevnica, Slovenia. JURE MAKOVEC/AFP/AFP via Getty Images Sevnica produces over 150 kinds of salami, a feat celebrated at its annual Salamiada festival.Now, Sevnica produces a salami named after the first lady.A salami named First Lady in Sevnica, Slovenia. Srdjan Zivulovic/Reuters Sevnica's tourism doubled in the year before Donald Trump took office as interest in Melania Trump grew, a tour guide told Reuters in January 2017.For 2017 as a whole, the number of foreigners visiting Slovenia jumped 17% when compared to the previous year, with a total of 3.4 million visitors, Reuters reported in January 2018.The small town capitalized on its claim to fame as the former FLOTUS' hometown, offering tours, foods, and souvenirs named after her.As a child, Trump then known as Melanija Knavs lived in this block of Communist-era apartments.Melania Trump's childhood apartment in Sevnica, Slovenia. Awakening/Future Publishing via Getty Images Her father, Viktor Knavs, worked as a car salesmanTrump has one sister, Ines Knauss, and a half-brother, Denis Cigelnjak.Trump attended Sevnica's Savo Kladnik Elementary School.Melania Trump's elementary school in Sevnica, Slovenia. JURE MAKOVEC/AFP via Getty Images Mirjana Jelancic, a friend of Trump's who went on to become principal of the school, told ABC News in 2016 that the young Trump was "an angel" and "a very good student."Her family later moved to a modest house on Ribniki Street.Melania Trump's childhood home in Sevnica, Slovenia. JURE MAKOVEC/AFP via Getty Images When Trump and her sister, Ines, were in high school, the Knavs family moved to Ljubljana, Slovenia's capital. There, Trump was scouted by photographer Stane Jerko and signed with a modeling agency when she was 18.Trump remained connected to her hometown over the years, donating $25,000 to a medical center there in 2005.A medical center Melania Trump donated to in Sevnica, Slovenia. Awakening/Future Publishing via Getty Images Trump made the donation after her wedding in 2005, The New York Timesreported.Residents of Sevnica celebrated President Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 election.Sevnica residents celebrate President Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 election. JURE MAKOVEC/AFP via Getty Images Trump is the second first lady born outside the US. The first was John Quincy Adams' wife, Louisa Catherine Adams, who was born in London.Sevnica locals also gathered to watch both of Donald Trump's inaugurations.Locals toasted Donald Trump's 2017 inauguration in Sevnica, Slovenia. Srdjan Zivulovic/Reuters The Rotary Klub Sevnica held events in honor of Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017 and 2025. Proceeds from the 2025 event went toward a youth scholarship fund, the Slovenian outlet Dolenjski Listreported.American artist Brad Downey commissioned a monument of Trump from Slovenian sculptor Ales "Maxi" Zupevc in 2019 that was erected in a field outside Sevnica.A monument of Melania Trump in a field outside Sevnica, Slovenia. JURE MAKOVEC/AFP via Getty Images The wooden statue, modeled after Trump's blue Ralph Lauren inauguration dress, garnered mixed reviews.A bronze statue replaced the original wood one after it was vandalized and burned in 2020.A bronze replica depicting first lady Melania Trump. Ales Beno/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images A plaque at the site says the new bronze statue is "dedicated to the eternal memory of a monument to Melania which stood in this location from 2019-2020."