On Saturday, February 8, 2025, the Piazza della Transalpina in Gorizia will be one of the central locations for the opening ceremony of GO!2025 Gorizia-Nova Gorica European Capital of Culture. At 4 p.m., it will host institutional speeches, including those of the Presidents of the Italian and Slovenian Republics, in a symbolic event that celebrates the collaboration between two cities and two countries.

The Piazza della Transalpina is, in fact, an emblematic place, now shared by the Italian Gorizia and the Slovenian Nova Gorica, but once separated by a rigid border. Its name comes from the railway commonly known as “Transalpina” – the Jesenice-Trieste route – inaugurated in 1906 by Archduke Franz Ferdinand to enhance the railway connections between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the port of Trieste. In Slovenian, the square is known as Trg Evrope (“Europe Square”), a name officially adopted in 2008 to replace the previous Trg Bohinjska Proga (“Bohinj Railway Square”).

However, the most significant history of the square is tied to the post-war period: after World War II, in 1947, with the signing of the Paris Treaty, Gorizia remained part of Italy while Yugoslavia founded Nova Gorica across the border. The Piazza della Transalpina was divided by a barrier, first with barbed wire and then with a wall, known as the “Gorizia Wall”, similar to the Berlin Wall. For almost 60 years, families and friends separated by the border could only see each other from a distance, through the metal fence.

Everything changed on May 1, 2004, the day Slovenia joined the European Union. In an official ceremony, the wall was torn down, and the square became a single shared space, symbolizing a borderless Europe. At the center of the square, a circular mosaic was placed to mark the exact point of the border between Italy and Slovenia, transforming a place of division into a symbol of unity.

The inauguration of GO!2025 will mark the beginning of a year of events that will transform Gorizia and Nova Gorica into a European cultural crossroads: concerts, performances, exhibitions, and meetings will celebrate the shared history and identity of the two cities, offering a unique opportunity for growth and international visibility. For this reason, on Saturday, February 8, Piazza della Transalpina will not only be the stage for an institutional event but also a symbol of a Europe that builds its future through culture, inclusion, and dialogue.