Municipality of Nova Gorica

Municipality of Nova Gorica is one of the largest in Slovenia, with a total area of 309 square kilometres and a population of 35,151 people (2002) living in 47 settlements. It is one of eleven Slovene urban municipalities and is located close to the Italian border, between the Alps and the sea. According to the 6th Paris Peace Conference the town of Gorica/Gorizia belonged to Italy, and thus a substantial part of the Goriška area, the Soča Valley and the Lower Vipava Valley lost its centre. Nova Gorica is a new town which was built next to Italian Gorizia in 1948. The urban plan for the new town was elaborated by the architect and town planner Edo Ravnikar. Youth work brigades from all over Yugoslavia started to build the new town. One of the building wass the Nova Gorica Arts Centre. Today Nova Gorica is a ‘University City’. Nova Gorica is twinned with the Austrian town of Klagenfurt-Celovec.

The Social Activities Department of Nova Gorica Urban Municipality is responsible for sport, medicine, social security, culture and pre-school, elementary school and youth activities. It oversees and supports local public institutes established by the municipality or the state. A bid for co-financing humanitarian organisations, freelance artists, youth and sports programmes is announced annually and a special programme for stipendia and extra-curricular educational activities is organised.

Some cultural institutions located in Nova Gorica have the status of state institutions, eg the Regional Archives of Nova Gorica and the Slovene National Theatre (SNG) Nova Gorica, the latter built in 1995 with all the latest facilities and equipment. Like the France Bevk Goriška Library, Nova Gorica, these institutions were co-established with the collaboration of four other municipalities. The Nova Gorica branch of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia (ZVKDS) is responsible for some important cultural monuments in the region, including the Richemberg and Kromberk Castles, the Bourbon Tomb and Kostanjevica Franciscan Monastery with its special library, while the Nova Gorica branch of the Scientific Research Centre (ZRC SAZU), Slovene Academy of Science and Arts is responsible for the heritage of Dr Henrik Tuma, a famous Alpinist.

The local branches of the Union of Cultural Societies of Slovenia (ZKDS) and the Public Fund for Cultural Activities of the Republic of Slovenia (JSKD) facilitate the activities of 19 local associations, mostly choirs, orchestras and some theatre groups. The Municipality gives regular financial support to their running costs and part of the programming costs of Nova Gorica Cultural House, the Musical Youth programme and the programme of Kostanjevica Franciscan Monastery. The municipality is also a patron of the International Meetings of Saxophone Players.

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Municipality of Nova Gorica

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