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Former border point -

In 2025, Gorizia and Nova Gorica are set to reunite as the first transnational European Capital of Culture.

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Gorizia -

Gorizia lies in northeastern Italy at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia.  

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Nova Gorica -

Nova Gorica lies in the traditional region of the Slovene Littoral in western Slovenia, bordering Italy. 

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Separate ways -

In centuries past, Nova Gorica and Gorizia were one. But in 1947, two cities were created and then separated. 

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A tale of two cities -

While Gorizia largely maintained its medieval veneer, a new urban development took shape on the other side of the Italy–Slovenia border. Modernist in design, the town was named Nova Gorica. But what led to this abrupt division?  

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The politics behind the division -

Once the capital of the Habsburg crownland of Görz-Gradisca, Gorizia was the scene of heavy fighting during the First World War after Italy entered the conflict on the Allied side in 1915 and took up arms against Austria-Hungary. 

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Battles of Isonzo -

Italian infantry entered Gorizia in 1916 during the Battles of Isonzo, a series of fierce military engagements fought along the Italian front between June 1915 and November 1917. 

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Short-lived victory -

The victorious Italians rounded up hundreds of Austrian troops as prisoners of war and marched them through the city. But their triumph was short-lived. 

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Battle of Caporetto -

The Battle of Caporetto saw the Central Powers of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria rout the Italian Second Army. Gorizia returned to Austro-Hungarian control and this time round it was captured by Italian combatants who were paraded along the streets. 

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A contested city -

After the war, Slovene nationalists unilaterally declared an independent State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs. Hapsburg loyalists demanded the region fall under Austrian rule. Gorizia became a contested town. But in November 1918, Italian troops once again occupied the city and immediately dissolved the two competing authorities, introducing their own civil administration. 

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Occupying forces -

Gorizia largely escaped aerial bombardment during the Second World War. After the Italian armistice in September 1943, Slovene partisans briefly occupied the town before it fell under Nazi German administration. 

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A city in turmoil -

After the Third Reich fell, the Yugoslav Army occupied Gorizia. Later, Josip Broz Tito's Partisans entered the city. A brutal period of repression followed, with hundreds of Italian civilians and military personnel targeted. Eventually, control of the city was handed over to the Allies, who governed the town for more than two years amidst fierce ethnic and political turmoil.

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End of hostilities -

The Treaty of Paris between Italy and the Allied powers was signed on February 10, 1947, formally ended hostilities between both parties. Demobilized Italian troops poured into the city. 

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In Italian hands -

In September 1947, Gorizia was assigned to Italy. The national flag was promptly raised over the city from the ancient castle.  

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Peace Treaty caveats -

However, as per the agreement, several peripheral districts of the municipality of Gorizia were handed over to the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, together with the vast majority of the former Province of Gorizia.  

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Borders drawn up -

The national border was drawn just off the town center near the train station, effectively dividing Gorizia. In 1948, the authorities of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia, with Tito's blessing, started building a new town called Nova Gorica ('New Gorizia') on their side of the border.

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Schengen Agreement -

For the next 40 years or so throughout the Cold War era, the situation in Gorizia was sometimes compared to that of Berlin. Italy and Yugoslavia always enjoyed good relations regarding their divided city though, but with the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1999s, the frontier remained as the division between Italy and Slovenia until the implementation of the Schengen Agreement by Slovenia on December 21, 2007.

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Exploring Gorizia -

Gorizia Castle serves as the city's ancient heart. Dating back to the 11th century, the fortification is set on a hill high above the old town. 

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Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola -

The onion-shaped domes of Gorizia's Jesuit church watch over the old town square. Completed in 1725, it's named for Ignatius of Loyola, who along with six other priests founded the order of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). 

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Church interior -

The church's richly decorated interior is definitely worth investigating for its marble altars and sculptures and carefully inlaid wooden furniture. 

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Gorizia Cathedral -

Gorizia's other ecclesiastical draw is the cathedral. While it stands on 14th-century foundations, what you see today is largely rebuilt after damage sustained during the Great War. Its rather austere façade belies an interior heightened by beautiful and elegant musician angels depicted on the ceiling of St. Acathius' Chapel.   

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Transalpina/Europe Square -

Arrowing through this elegant square is the dividing line that separates Gorizia from Nova Gorica. The railway station of Nova Gorica is located at the eastern end of the square, on the Slovenian side.

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Gorizia -

A metal plaque installed in 2004 in the middle of the square marks the border point, once crossed by a wall and strengthened with barbed wire to prevent escapes and defections.  

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Oslavia War Memorial -

Residents and visitors alike are reminded of the region's violent past by the Oslavia War Memorial. Inaugurated by Benito Mussolini in September 1938, the monument commemorated the soldiers who fell during the battles of the Isonzo, particularly those who died during the taking of Gorizia in 1916. The hilltop it stands on was the former Austro-Hungarian front line. 

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Abandoned and forgotten -

Beyond Gorizia's city limits stand reminders of its former role as a border town. Abandoned watchtowers represent a past era (there has been no checkpoint and no barrier since 2004) and form part of a wider exhibit belonging to Lasciapassare, the Italian smuggling museum. A few feet in the other direction is Muzej na Meji, its Slovenian counterpart.

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Exploring Nova Gorica -

Modernist Nova Gorica sprung up in the Cold War era, its drab Soviet-style concrete architecture a reflection of the times. The city is pictured here in 1969 in all its Socialist glory. 

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Kostanjevica Monastery -

Unglamorous as Nova Gorica may be, the city does feature one or two cultural gems. Unmissable is the Kostanjevica Monastery. Parts of the building date back to the 17th century, though much of it was substantially rebuilt after being damaged during the First World War. The grounds are also home to the Church of the Annunciation of Our Lady.  

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Final resting place of King Charles X -

The monastery's crypt is the final resting place of King Charles X and other members of the French House of Bourbon. Charles X is the only French king to be buried outside of France. 

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Sveta Gora -

Perched on top of Skalnica Hill in Sveta Gora, in the Municipality of Nova Gorica, is a Franciscan monastery and church collectively known as Holy Mount. The view from here is exceptional, and on a clear day visitors can see as far as Istria, Venice, the Dolomites, and the Kamnik and Julian Alps. The monastery encloses a museum that chronicles the aforementioned Battles of Isonzo.

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Branik Castle -

Set on a rocky outcrop protruding from the slope of Mt. Golec above the village of Branik is the medieval Branik Castle. It dates back to the 13th century but saw battle as recently as 1944 when Tito's Partisan forces burned and dynamited the fortification. 

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Gaming at Perla -

Visitors to Nova Gorica seeking a little nightlife have at hand the Perla gaming and entertainment center. It houses one of the largest casinos in Europe. 

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Chemnitz, Germany -

Gorizia and Nova Gorica share the accolade of European Capital of Culture with Chemnizt in Germany. Nestling in the heart of Saxony, Chemnizt is a city with a rich industrial past and known for its role in the Industrial Revolution. Together with its Italian and Slovenian counterparts, the city is yet another reason why Europe is a destination of choice in 2025. 

Sources: (BBC) (Forbes) (European Commission) (Britannica) 

See also: Picturesque towns in Europe you won't believe exist.  

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