Nova Gorica is a town and a municipality in western
SloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, on the border with
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Nova Gorica is a
new townA new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
, built after 1948 when the
Paris Peace TreatyThe Treaty of Peace with Italy was a treaty signed in Paris on February 10, 1947, between Italy and the victorious powers of World War II, formally ending the hostilities...
established a new border between
YugoslaviaThe Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
and Italy, leaving nearby
GoriziaGorizia is a town and comune in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, and it is a local center of tourism, industry, and commerce. Since 1947, a twin...
outside the borders of Yugoslavia, thus decapitating the
SočaThe Soča or Isonzo is a 140 km long river that flows through western Slovenia and northeastern Italy. An Alpine river in character, its source lies in the Trenta Valley in the Julian Alps in Slovenia, at an elevation of around 1,100 metres...
and
Vipava ValleyThe Vipava Valley is a valley located in the Slovenian Littoral, between the towns of Nova Gorica and Vipava.-Geography:It is a narrow valley, serving as the main passage between Friulian lowland and central Slovenia, and thus also an important corridor connecting Northern Italy to Central Europe...
s and the north-western Kras Plateau from their traditional regional centre. Nova Gorica is the principal urban centre of the traditional region of
GoriškaGoriška is a traditional region in western Slovenia on the border with Italy. The name means "the Gorizia region" because it is named after Gorizia, Italy. It is part of the wider traditional region of the Slovenian Littoral . Its principal urban center is Nova Gorica...
in the
Slovenian LittoralThe Slovenian Littoral is a historical region of Slovenia. Its name recalls the historical Habsburg crown land of the Austrian Littoral, of which the Slovenian Littoral was a part....
.
Since May 2011, Nova Gorica is joined together with Gorizia and
Šempeter-Vrtojba Šempeter-Vrtojba is a municipality in Slovenia. The municipality comprises the town of Šempeter pri Gorici and the adjacent village of Vrtojba....
in a common trans-border metropolitan zone, administered by a joint administration board.
The name
The name
Nova Gorica literally means "New
GoriziaGorizia is a town and comune in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, and it is a local center of tourism, industry, and commerce. Since 1947, a twin...
." However, most people from the area simply call the town
Gorica (i.e., 'Gorizia'), while they refer to the neighboring Italian town as "Old Gorizia" (Slovene:
stara Gorica). This use is also reflected in Slovenian license plates (
GO for Gorica), the name of the local association football club
ND GoricaND Gorica is a Slovenian football club, playing in the town of Nova Gorica. They are one of the most successful Slovenian clubs with four Slovenian League, two Slovenian Cup and one Slovenian Supercup titles. Together with NK Maribor and NK Celje they are the only club that have participated in...
, and the local student association (
Klub goriških študentov 'the Gorica Student Club').
The word "
gorica" is a diminutive form of the Slovene "
gora", "mountain."
Culture and education
Nova Gorica hosts one of the four national theatres in Slovenia. The Museum of Goriška is also located in the town's
KromberkKromberk is a settlement in the municipality of Nova Gorica in western Slovenia. Although it officially has the status of a village, it forms, together with its two satellite settlements of Ajševica and Loke, one of the four major suburbs of Nova Gorica .Kromberk Castle is located near the...
district, hosted in the Kromberk Castle.
The
University of Nova GoricaUniversity of Nova Gorica - UNG , is the fourth university in Slovenia. It is located in the towns of Nova Gorica, Gorizia , and Ajdovščina.-History:...
is located in the suburb of
Rožna DolinaRožna Dolina is one of the four suburbs of the town of Nova Gorica in western Slovenia . It is located on the border with Italy...
. The
Nova Gorica Grammar SchoolNova Gorica Grammar School is a coeducational nondenominational state secondary general education school for students aged between 15 to 19. It is located in Nova Gorica, Slovenia. It is considered among the best secondary schools in Slovenia...
, located in the city centre, is one of the most renowned high schools in Slovenia.
Kostanjevica Hill
To the south of the town lies Kostanjevica Hill, home to the Church of
The Annunciation of Our LadyThe Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
and a 17th-century
FranciscanMost Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monastery whose treasures from the past are rich indeed. The last members of the
BourbonsThe House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
, the French royal family, are buried in a crypt beneath the church (
Charles XCharles X was known for most of his life as the Comte d'Artois before he reigned as King of France and of Navarre from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. A younger brother to Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him...
himself, and members of his family and entourage including his son
Louis-Antoine de FranceLouis Antoine of France, Duke of Angoulême was the eldest son of Charles X of France and, from 1824 to 1836, the last Dauphin of France...
, and his grandson
Henri d'ArtoisHenri, comte de Chambord was disputedly King of France from 2 to 9 August 1830 as Henry V, although he was never officially proclaimed as such...
, nephew of Louis (neither Louis-Antoine nor Henri ever reigned as kings)). He fled France following the revolution in 1830, finding refuge in Gorizia, and eventually eternal peace. Also buried there is Pierre Louis Jean Casimir, a Bourbon nobleman who also died in exile (in 1839).
Sveta Gora
Opposite Kostanjevica Hill, north of the town is Sveta Gora (Holy Mountain), a peak of 682 m that has attracted pilgrims for 450 years. The view from there is exceptional, and on a clear day visitors can see as far as
IstriaIstria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
,
VeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, the
DolomitesThe Dolomites are a mountain range located in north-eastern Italy. It is a part of Southern Limestone Alps and extends from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley...
, and the
KamnikThe Kamnik–Savinja Alps are a mountain range, part of the Southern Limestone Alps in north Slovenia and at the border with Austria. Its western part, the Kamnik Alps, is in the basin of the Kamniška Bistrica and is named after the town Kamnik. Its eastern part is in the basin of Savinja and is...
and
Julian AlpsThe Julian Alps are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretches from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav. They are named after Julius Caesar, who founded the municipium of Cividale del Friuli at the foot of the mountains...
. The mountain top is home to a magnificent basilica, where concerts are occasionally held, a Franciscan monastery, and a museum of the
Battles of the IsonzoThe Battles of the Isonzo were a series of 12 battles between the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies in World War I. They were fought along the Soča River on the eastern sector of the Italian Front between June 1915 and November 1917...
.
Politics
The municipality of Nova Gorica is governed by a mayor, elected every 4 years by popular vote, and a municipal council of 32 members. Both in local and national elections, Nova Gorica has been considered an electoral stronghold of the left, in particular of the
Social DemocratsThe Social Democrats is a centre-left political party in Slovenia, currently led by Borut Pahor. From 1993 until 2005, the party was known as the United List of Social Democrats .-Origins:...
. Since the early 1990s, the local political influence has been largely contended between the Social Democrats and the
Liberal Democracy of SloveniaLiberal Democracy of Slovenia is a liberal political party in Slovenia. It is led by Katarina Kresal and is a member of the Liberal International and the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party...
, which are both considered left wing parties. In the national elections, conservative parties (especially the
Slovenian Democratic PartyThe Slovenian Democratic Party , known until 2003 as the Social Democratic Party of Slovenia is a Slovenian centre-right liberal conservative and Christian democratic party...
) tend to receive better results than in local elections, although remaining far behind the left wing forces. The Nova Gorica electoral district is the home district of the current Slovenian Prime Minister
Borut PahorBorut Pahor is a Slovenian politician who has been Prime Minister of Slovenia since 2008. A longtime president of the Social Democrats party, Pahor served several terms as a member of the National Assembly and was its chairman from 2000 to 2004. In 2004, Pahor was elected as member of the European...
.
Notable residents
- Matej Bor
Matej Bor was the pen name of Vladimir Pavšič , who was a Slovene poet, translator, playwright, journalist and partisan.-Biography:...
, poet
- Diego de Brea
-Life and work:Diego de Brea studied comparative literature and art history at the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana. In 1995, he started studying theatre direction the Academy for Theatre, Radio, Film and Television in Ljubljana....
, theatre director
- Jure Franko
Jure Franko is a Slovenian former alpine skier, best known for winning a giant slalom silver medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo....
, ski champion
- Aleš Kokot
Aleš Kokot is a Slovenian football player, who plays for Kecskeméti TE.-Club career:Born in Šempeter pri Gorici in western Slovenia, Kokot spent his childhood in the nearby town of Nova Gorica. He started his career at his home club Gorica...
, football player
- Jimmy Mac Hayne, musician
- Branko Marušič
Branko Marušič is a Slovenian historian.Born to an upper middle class Slovene family in Gorizia, Italy, he moved with the family to the Yugoslav side of the Yugoslav-Italian border in 1947, and has been living in Solkan since...
, historian
- Tomaž Marušič
Tomaž Marušič was a Slovenian lawyer and politician.He was born in Gorizia, Italy. His father, Franc Marušič was a renowned local physician and a staunch Slovene patriot and antifascist...
, politician
- Iztok Mlakar
Iztok Mlakar is a Slovenian singer-songwriter, chansonnier and theatre actor. Known as the "bard of the Slovenian Littoral", he is most famous for his songs in the Slovene dialect from Goriška...
, singer-songwriter
- Borut Pahor
Borut Pahor is a Slovenian politician who has been Prime Minister of Slovenia since 2008. A longtime president of the Social Democrats party, Pahor served several terms as a member of the National Assembly and was its chairman from 2000 to 2004. In 2004, Pahor was elected as member of the European...
, politician, Prime Minister of SloveniaThere have been six Prime Ministers of Slovenia since that country gained its independence in the breakup of Yugoslavia. Unlike the President of Slovenia, who is directly elected, the Prime Minister is appointed by the National Assembly, and must control a majority there in order to...
- Dušan Pirjevec Ahac, philosopher and literary critic
- Vojteh Ravnikar
Vojteh Ravnikar was a Slovenian architect.-Early life:Ravnikar was born in Ljubljana, in what was then the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, but spent most of his childhood years in the town of Nova Gorica in western Slovenia...
, architect
- Uroš Seljak
Uros Seljak is a Slovenian cosmologist, a professor of physics at University of California, Berkeley and University of Zurich...
, physicist, cosmologist
- Jani Šturm
Jani Šturm is a Slovenian footballer, currently playing as a striker for 2. SNL side Drava Ptuj.- Career :Šturm began his career with NK Brda, he was then scouted in 1999 by ND Gorica, he played one year for the youth side and joined returned to his hometown club NK Brda on loan...
, football player
- Igor Vidmar
Igor Vidmar is a prominent Slovenian and former Yugoslav journalist, rock music promoter and manager, music producer and political activist.-Biography:...
, rock musician
- Danilo Zavrtanik, physicist and academic scholar
- Samuel Žbogar
Samuel Žbogar is a Slovenian diplomat and politician. He currently serves as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia.He was born in Postojna, but spent his youth in Nova Gorica, where he finished the local grammar school, where he was a school mate of the current Prime Minister of Slovenia Borut...
, politician and diplomat, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia
Twin towns — Sister cities
Nova Gorica is
twinnedTwin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
AleksandrovacAleksandrovac is a town and municipality located in the Rasina District of Serbia. In 2002, the population of the town was 6,265, while population of the municipality was 26,534.-Sport:...
,
SerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
Klagenfurt-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
,
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
OtočacOtočac is a town in Lika, Croatia. It lies in the northwestern part of Lika, in the Gacka river valley. The population of the town is 4,354 as of 2001, with a total of 10,411 people within the municipality at large, the majority of whom are Croats ....
,
CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
San VendemianoSan Vendemiano is a municipality in the province of Treviso, northern Italy, 30 kilometres from Treviso.Footballer Alessandro del Piero grew up in San Vendemiano....
,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
External links