Originally a watchtower or a prehistoric castle,
Gorizia soon became a little village near the fords of the river Isonzo not
far from one of the most important ways that during the Roman period linked
Aquileia to Emona (Lubiana). The name of Gorizia was for the first time
recorded in a document dated April 28th 1001 "quae sclavonica lingua vocatur
Goritia" stating the donation of the Castle and the village of Gorizia made
by Imperator Ottone III to Patriarch Giovanni II and to Count Verihen.
Since the 11th century the town had two different
development plans: the castellan hamlet or superior land and the village or
inferior land. The first played a political-administrative role and the
second a rural-commercial role. In the 16th century the county passed into
Austria and the city spread out at the foot of the castle becoming, in the
middle of the 18th century, an archiepiscopal see with jurisdiction over the
diocesis of Trieste, Trento, Como and Pedena.
Around the baroque cathedral where many treasures
of the Basilica of Aquileia had been transferred, a new quarter developed;
it had a typically 18th century appearance and inside there was also a
synagogue, one of the many examples of the town's multi-ethnic nature.
Gorizia was seriously damaged by both World Wars but after the second it
suffered for the reduction of its territory and for the division of the city
by the Italo - Slovenian border.
Set in a green area at the foot of
the Julian Prealps and the Carso, for its particular
geographical position, Gorizia has always been culturally
influenced by Latin, Slav, Germanic civilization.
At the end of the Second World War, as a consequence of the
disastrous conflict, the town suffered the dismemberment of
the ancient provincial tissue and it was compulsory divided
by a national border.
MAIN MUSEUMS AND MONUMENTS
Castle
This medieval building of the 13th century underwent many
changes through the centuries. Palazzo Attems Petzenstein
The building of the first half of the 18th century, designed
by the local arch. Nicolo Pacassi, has a baroque and rococo
style and houses important exhibitions.
Sinagoga
A proof of the historical presence of the Jewish community
of Gorizia; it dates back to the 1756 and it has been lately
restored. Palazzo Coronini-Cronberg
Viale XX Settembre, 14; tel. 0481 533485
(1597) A 16th century Villa surrounded by a wide, lovely
garden. It is rich of original furnishings and it has an
impressive book and archive heritage. Sacrario militare di Oslavia
Loc. Oslavia; tel. 0481 531788
The remains of 57,200 soldiers of the Great War are buried
there.
SIGHTSEEING
Duomo
With a nave and two aisles in Baroque style; it preserves
the gravestone of Leonardo, the last Earl of Gorizia. Parco di Piuma Isonzo
It offers the possibility to have a pleasant walk along the
Isonzo river, which has a striking emerald colour. Transalpine Railwaystation
It is a Square where you can freely walk both on the Italian
and the Slovenian territory, this strip of land is known as
the “last Border of Eastern Europe”.
For information:
Centro di Informazione e Accoglienza Turistica Corso Italia 9
34170 Gorizia
Tel: 0481 535764
Fax: 0481 535764 info.gorizia@turismo.fvg.it
Gorizia
MAIN MUSEUMS AND MONUMENTS 
SIGHTSEEING 