Nova Gorica railway station

Coordinates: 45°57′18″N 13°38′07″E / 45.95500°N 13.63528°E / 45.95500; 13.63528
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Nova Gorica
Europe Square / Transalpina Square
. This image is taken from the centre of the square, which is crossed by the Italian–Slovene border.

Nova Gorica railway station (

Slovenian Littoral region of Slovenia, and is also accessible from the town of Gorizia, Italy
.

The station forms part of the Bohinj Railway, between Jesenice, Slovenia, and Trieste, Italy. Due to its geographical position, it has undergone several changes of nationality and name.

From its opening in 1906 until 1919, the station was located within the

Kingdom of Italy
, and renamed Stazione di Gorizia Nord. In 1923, the station was renamed again, this time as Stazione di Gorizia Montesanto.

In 1947, control of the station passed to the

Slovenske železnice
(SZ).

Location

The main station building faces the

Transalpina Square (Italian: Piazza della Transalpina, Slovene
: Trg Evrope), which has formed part of the border between Nova Gorica and Gorizia since 1947.

History

Austrian period

The station was opened on 23 July 1906 (1906-07-23), upon the inauguration of the Jesenice–Trieste (or Bohinj Railway) section of the network of railway lines known as the Transalpine Railway [de; it] (German: Neue Alpenbahnen; Italian: Ferrovia Transalpina).[1] At that time, the station served Gorizia (German: Görz), which was then within the Austrian Empire.

The Transalpine Railway network was built at the beginning of the twentieth century by the

Austro-Hungarian Empire, to improve the links between its interior and the Port of Trieste, by connecting the city of České Budějovice, in the present day Czech Republic, with the city of Trieste, then also in the Austrian Empire. The management of the network and its rolling stock was initially entrusted to the Imperial Royal Austrian State Railways
.

The station was originally named Görz Staatsbahnhof (English: Gorizia station of the State Railways), to distinguish it from Gorizia's main station,

Udine-Trieste railway and was managed by the Austrian Southern Railway, a private company. The two stations were joined by a connecting line that partially used the existing railway line between Gorizia and Ajdovščina (German: Haidenschaft, Italian
: Aidussina).

During World War I, given its proximity to the war front, the station's passenger building was severely damaged.

Italian period

In 1918, upon the reallocation of the territories of the

Ferrovie dello Stato
(FS). Under the management of the FS, the main task was the rebuilding of the passenger building according to the original plans. Additionally, the station's name was changed twice, initially to Stazione di Gorizia Nord (English: Gorizia North), and in 1923 to Stazione di Gorizia Montesanto (English: Gorizia Holy Mountain).

With the entry of Italy into World War II in 1940 and especially during the invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941, the station played an important role in the transport of men and resources directed to the front or back from it. In 1943, the railway premises were occupied by the Germans.

German period

From 1943 to 1945 the station was operated by the

Theresienstadt and Risiera di San Sabba. The partisans were captured Slavs usually sent to the Island of Rab
or Risiera di San Sabba.

Yugoslav period

Under the

Villa Opicina
.

The management of the station then passed to Yugoslav Railways, under its Ljubljana division. The square in front of the passenger building was divided between the two states by the so-called Wall of Gorizia. On the pediment of the passenger building, which faced directly towards Italy, was placed a red star, symbol of socialism.

Yugoslav Railways renamed the station Železniška postaja Nova Gorica to indicate that a new municipality would be built in the eastern districts of Gorizia, and also rebuilt the line between Gorizia and Montesanto Prvačina. The station's connection with Udine and Trieste was cut at the border near the Gorizia San Marco railway station (Slovene:

Železniška postaja Vrtojba
), which was placed between the two railway administrations and was located in Yugoslav territory.

In 1960, the connection with the Gorizia Centrale railway station was reopened, and a passenger service began operations using FS rolling stock.

Slovenian period

Nova Gorica railway station in Europe square
Nova Gorica, the railway station

With Slovenian independence in 1991, the station and railway line passed to

Transalpina Square
was divided between Italy and the new state of Slovenia.

In 2004, when Slovenia joined the

Schengen area
, the last formal customs controls were eliminated and the square was reunited.

Facilities and equipment

In addition to the passenger building, the station is equipped with a locomotive shed, a turntable and a State Border Museum.[2]

References

  1. ^ Alessandro Tuzza; et al. "Prospetto cronologico dei tratti di ferrovia aperti all'esercizio dal 1839 al 31 dicembre 1926" [Chronological overview of the features of the railways opened between 1839 and 31 December 1926]. Trenidicarta.it (in Italian). Alessandro Tuzza. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
  2. ^ Sakalis, Alex (5 May 2023). "Skinny Smugglers, a French King's Body, and the Odd European City Home to the Other Cold War Wall". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 9 October 2023.

External links