Rožna Dolina

This small town takes its name from the Baronio family, who in 1740 were granted the noble title von Rosenthal — the German for Rožna Dolina — reportedly in recognition of their tradition of growing roses.

During the Yugoslav era, this was one of the busiest border crossings in the country. In June 1991, during Slovenia's independence, clashes broke out here between the Yugoslav army, which had deployed tanks to the border, and the Slovenian Territorial Defence forces.

The town is also home to the headquarters and most of the facilities of the University of Nova Gorica.

Rožna Dolina contains the largest Jewish cemetery in Slovenia, a reminder of the once significant Jewish community in Gorica. Carlo Michelstaedter and Carolina Luzzato are among those buried here. After the Second World War, plans were made to demolish the cemetery to make way for a new road. Italian Jews intervened by appealing to Moša Pijade (1890–1957), a high-ranking Yugoslav party official of Jewish origin, who successfully had the road rerouted. Today, it runs right next to the cemetery.

In 1977, the Jewish community donated the nearby mortuary to the local Rožna Dolina community in exchange for its upkeep and maintenance. After years of controversial use — at one point it even housed a bar and a casino — the mortuary is now recognised as a cultural heritage site and serves as a small museum hosting cultural events.

Avtor: Blaž Kosovel

Kraj: Rožna Dolina