Transalpina/Europe Square
Native name | |
---|---|
Namesake | Transalpina Railway[1][2] Europe |
Location | Gorizia,Italy Nova Gorica,Slovenia |
Coordinates | 45°57′18″N13°38′05″E/ 45.95500°N 13.63472°E |
Transalpina Square(Italian:Piazza della Transalpina,[3]meaning "Square of theTransalpina [Railway Line]) ";Slovene:Trg Evrope,[4]meaning "EuropeSquare "), is a square divided between the towns ofGorizia,northeasternItaly,andNova Gorica,southwesternSlovenia.Therailway station of Nova Goricais located at the eastern end of the square, on the Slovenian side.
History
[edit]Overview
[edit]From 1947 (Treaty of Paris) an international border between Italy andYugoslavia(Slovenia since 1991) crosses the square.[5]Until 2004 the square was divided by a border wall;[6]movement on the square is now free because both Italy and Slovenia are EU members and part of theSchengen Area.[7]Before 21 December 2007, free movement was only allowed within the square provided that a person that entered the square from one country returned to that country. An approved border crossing was located 100 m (330 feet; 110 yards) from the square. It is now no longer needed and has not been in use since 2007.
Naming
[edit]The square, in which is locatedNova Gorica station,until 1947 Gorizia Montesanto,[3]was named after theTransalpine Railway,[1][2]Jesenice-Trieste.The naming of the square is somewhat controversial because Slovenia suggested "Europe Square", but Italy has preferred to use the old historical namePiazza della Transalpina.
Location
[edit]In the Slovenian side the square is crossed, parallelly to thestation building,by a road named "Kolodvorska pot". The partly parallelItalian roadis "ViaUgo Foscolo",that continues as" Via Caterina Percoto ". Always on the Italian side," Via Giuseppe Caprin ", that starts in" Via Montesanto "ends in front of the station.
Events
[edit]In summers, the square is regularly used for concerts, public meetings, and public demonstrations or protests against local politics or current events.[citation needed]
Gallery
[edit]-
Metal plaque installed in 2004 in the middle of the square at the border point, once crossed by the "Gorizia Wall "[the latter separated Slovenian Yugoslavia from Italy, and during this era border controls were carried out the same way as along Berlin wall, moreover this was strengthened with barbed wire to prevent escapes[citation needed]]
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Detail of the metal plaque
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The western corner of the square (and station) from "Via Ugo Foscolo" (Gorizia). The remaining parts of the wall are shown.
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From left: Vittorio Brancati (mayor of Gorizia), Mirko Brulc (Mayor of Nova Gorica),Romano Prodi(member of theEuropean Commission) and Dragan Valencic (mayor ofŠempeter-Vrtojba); during the ceremony of the fall of the border (2004)
References
[edit]- ^ab(in German)Transalpina Railway on web.archive.org
- ^abTransalpina Railway(Ministry of Culture of Sloveniawebsite)
- ^ab(in Italian)Piazza della Transalpina and Nova Gorica station on Gorizia municipal websiteArchived2013-02-26 at theWayback Machine
- ^(in Slovene)Trg EvropeArchived2014-03-11 at theWayback Machine(Office of Tourism of Nova Gorica)
- ^(in Slovene)Tgr Evrope on kraji.eu
- ^"The last wall dividing East and West comes down".The Independent.13 February 2004.Retrieved10 February2019.
- ^(in Italian)Piazza della Transalpina(Office of Tourism ofFriuli-Venezia Giulia)
External links
[edit]- Media related toTransalpina Squareat Wikimedia Commons