Casino Perla, former Argonavti and Iskra Delta
Casino Perla today. ©Photo: Blaž Kosovel
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©From the collection of Regional Archive in Nova Gorica - PANG 667 Zbirke razglednic krajev Nova Gorica - Casino hotel Perla, 1999
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©From the collection of Regional Archive in Nova Gorica - PANG 667 Zbirke razglednic krajev Nova Gorica - Casino hotel Perla, 1997
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©From the collection of Regional Archive in Nova Gorica - PANG 667 Zbirke razglednic krajev Nova Gorica, 1997
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Hotel, recreational and entertainment complex Argonavti with a 15-metre sundial in the foreground (demolished in 1999), late 1970s. ©Photo Pavšič from the collection of Goriški muzej Kromberk - Nova Gorica.
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Bar interior of the Argonavti complex, late 1970s. ©Photo Pavšič, kept by the Goriški muzej Kromberk - Nova Gorica.
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The casino with the largest number of gaming tables in Europe
In the 1970s, the Argonavti complex was a symbol of luxury and entertainment in the town of Nova Gorica – featuring a beer hall, a swimming pool, a bowling alley, and even a 15-metre sundial. After a rapid decline, the building was taken over by Iskra Delta, and in 1993 Casino Perla was built on the site, becoming the largest casino in Europe and giving the town an entirely new image.
From the very beginning, the centre of town life shifted away from the Magistrala. In 1976, the large Argonavti hotel and recreation centre opened, boasting impressive features. Spanning 20,000 m², it housed a beer hall with a 50-metre bar, an all-night barbecue club where guests could grill their own meat, a pizzeria, a pastry shop, a nightclub, a covered swimming pool with saunas, and a bowling alley.
The complex was designed by Niko Lehrmann (1939–1998) in collaboration with the avant-garde group OHO, which also included artist and healer Marko Pogačnik (1944), the author of the current version of the Slovenian coat of arms. In 1971, the group established an artistic and agricultural commune called Družina (Family) in Šempas.
The hotel itself was conceived as a symbolic ship of the Argonauts, with each part representing a specific historical civilisation. Opposite the entrance stood a 15-metre-high concrete sundial representing megalithic culture.
However, Argonavti was not profitable; it ran at a loss from the outset and went bankrupt after only six years. In 1984, Iskra Delta, the Slovenian personal computer manufacturer, opened a learning centre in the building, where engineers from across Yugoslavia and further afield (primarily China) came for training. Following Slovenia's independence, the company ceased to operate.
Until 1993, the complex stood empty and unused. That year, however, HIT opened Casino Perla, which remains the largest casino in Europe in terms of the number of gaming tables. This firmly established Nova Gorica on the European gaming map. Many famous Italian television and music stars also performed in Perla’s entertainment programme. When the centre expanded in 1999, the building’s façade was altered, another wing was added, and the sundial was removed to make way for a new hall next to the casino.
Avtor: Blaž Kosovel
Kraj: Nova Gorica
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