How and why the planning of Nova Gorica began
On 15 September 1947, the state border was drawn through the centuries-old Goriška. Its capital, Gorizia, remained in Italy, leaving the rest of the region without a centre. A great sense of loss prevailed, since Yugoslav forces had captured the city on 1 May 1945 but had to hand it over under the Paris Peace Treaty. The Cold War had begun.
The border thus became a heavily guarded reality. Because much of the region was left without its historic centre, a new one had to be created. Existing nearby towns such as Solkan, Šempeter, or even Ajdovščina – where the first Slovene government after the war was formed – could have taken on this role.
But instead of expanding one of these, the leaders of socialist Yugoslavia decided to build an entirely new town. They wanted to turn defeat into victory: instead of the lost Gorizia, they would build a brand new “Gorica.”
They decided to build "something big, beautiful and proud, something that would shine across the border." In Belgrade, the capital, it was chosen as an ideological propaganda project: the creation of a socialist showcase facing the west.
This was the first town in socialist Yugoslavia to be designed from scratch. Within five years, it was expected that 10,000 people would live in it. However, in June 1948, Yugoslavia was expelled from the Eastern Bloc after Stalin took offence at Tito's growing popularity and increasing independence. The Iron Curtain shifted eastwards to the Hungarian border, and the need for such a display faded – as did financial backing from the capital. The country slid into economic crisis.
Gradually, the burden of construction passed to the municipal level, which lacked both the will and the funds for such an ambitious project. Utopia met reality.
The original plan was soon abandoned, and the new planners adapted the design to everyday needs and local conditions. Buildings were scaled down, distances shortened, and the town’s basic orientation altered. The following sections will show how this transformation unfolded.
Avtor: Blaž Kosovel
Kraj: Nova Gorica