Nova Gorica

Former President Borut Pahor is entering academia. He has been appointed head of a new chair at a Nova Gorica-based private university that will focus on the Slovenian national programme.

A 250-kilogram WWII-era bomb found in the western city of Nova Gorica was successfully defused on 23 July, allowing the residents on the Slovenian and Italian sides of the border to return to their homes.

Patti Smith, a celebrated punk poet, singer and artist, will perform on the border between Slovenia and Italy in October in a prelude to the 2025 European Capital of Culture hosted by Nova Gorica and Gorizia.

The 5 October concert will be held at a new venue in place of a former border crossing known as Rožna Dolina (Valley of Roses) in Slovenian or Casa Rossa in Italian.

Everything is coming up roses in Nova Gorica as the 18th annual Festival of Roses is starting on 27 April. Running until 21 May, this celebration of the rose will feature different flower-related events and workshops.

Novo Mesto – The young generation plays a key role in preserving Slovenian identity in communities living abroad, Minister for Slovenians Abroad Matej Arčon said on Saturday, as he addressed the main event of Welcome Home, the 12th annual get-together of the Slovenian diaspora.

Nova Gorica – The 17th Festival of Roses will start on Saturday in Nova Gorica. Running until 22 May, it will offer visitors a number of events related to roses, which have become one of the main symbols of the city and the wider area.

Trieste – An umbrella organisation of the Slovenian minority in Italy has expressed gratitude to Italian President Sergio Matarella as his term is running out, noting his important institutional stance. It said this stance had played played an essential role both nationally and locally in building mutual respect and strengthening the country’s reputation.

Nova Gorica – A 27-year-old Bosnian citizen and 41-year-old Slovenian have been arrested on suspicion of torturing a woman in the Nova Gorica area last Friday. They are alleged to have inflicted severe physical pain and suffering to intimidate the victim, who was later admitted to the local hospital, where she remains for treatment.

Nova Gorica – A monument to Hungarian soldiers killed in the Battles of the Isonzo was unveiled on Tuesday in a site above Nova Gorica, close to where some of the worst fighting of WWI took place.

Ljubljana – The presidents of Slovenia and Italy, Borut Pahor and Sergio Mattarella, will visit Nova Gorica and Gorizia, the cities on each side of the Slovenian-Italian border, next Thursday to hail their title as the 2025 European Capital of Culture. On the occasion Pahor will decorate Mattarella with Slovenia’s top state honour.