Transalpina Square ( it, Piazza della Transalpina,Piazza della Transalpina and Nova Gorica station on Gorizia municipal website
/ref> meaning "Square of the Transalpina /nowiki>Railway Line/nowiki>)"; sl, Trg Evrope, meaning "

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

Square"), is a square divided between the towns of

Gorizia Gorizia (; sl, Gorica , colloquially 'old Gorizia' to distinguish it from Nova Gorica; fur, label= Standard Friulian, Gurize, fur, label= Southeastern Friulian, Guriza; vec, label= Bisiacco, Gorisia; german: Görz ; obsolete English ''Gori ...

, northeastern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, and

Nova Gorica A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramat ...

, southwestern

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. The railway station of Nova Gorica is located at the eastern end of the square, on the Slovenian side.

History

Overview

From 1947 (

Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France: Treaties 1200s and 1300s * Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade * Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France * Trea ...

) an international border between Italy and

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

(Slovenia since 1991) crosses the square. Until 2004 the square was divided by a border wall; movement on the square is now free because both Italy and Slovenia are EU members and part of the Schengen Area.Piazza della Transalpina
(Office of Tourism of Friuli-Venezia Giulia) 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 from the square. It is now no longer needed and has not been in use since 2007.

Naming

The square, in which is located Nova Gorica station, until 1947 Gorizia Montesanto, was named after the Transalpine Railway,

Jesenice Jesenice (, german: Aßling''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru'', vol. 6: Kranjsko. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 144.) is a Slovenian town and the seat of the Municipality of Jesenice on the ...

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...

. The naming of the square is somewhat controversial because Slovenia suggested "Europe Square", but Italy has preferred to use the old historical name ''Piazza della Transalpina''.

Location

In the Slovenian side the square is crossed, parallelly to the station building, by a road named "Kolodvorska pot". The partly parallel Italian road is "Via

Ugo Foscolo Ugo Foscolo (; 6 February 177810 September 1827), born Niccolò Foscolo, was an Italian writer, revolutionary and a poet. He is especially remembered for his 1807 long poem ''Dei Sepolcri''. Early life Foscolo was born in Zakynthos in the Io ...

", 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

In summers, the square is regularly used for concerts, public meetings, and public demonstrations or protests against local politics or current events.

Gallery

File:Transalpine Square 2013.jpg, Metal plaque installed in 2004 in the middle of the square at the border point, once crossed by the "" [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 ] File:GCERC - the Slovenia Italy border (9361486860).jpg, Detail of the metal plaque File:Nova Gorica-train station-from Via Ugo foscolo.jpg, The western corner of the square (and station) from "Via Ugo Foscolo" (Gorizia). The remaining parts of the wall are shown. File:Romano Prodi in Nova Gorica (7).jpg, From left: Vittorio Brancati (mayor of Gorizia), Mirko Brulc (Mayor of Nova Gorica),

Romano Prodi Romano Antonio Prodi (; born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician, economist, academic, senior civil servant, and business executive who served as the tenth president of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004. He served twice as Pr ...

(member of the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

) and Dragan Valencic (mayor of Šempeter-Vrtojba); during the ceremony of the fall of the border (2004)

References

External links

*
{{Nova Gorica Buildings and structures in Gorizia Nova Gorica Piazzas in Friuli-Venezia Giulia Squares in Slovenia Border crossings of divided cities Italy–Slovenia border crossings