Old Brickworks

A Former Town Within a Town

At the beginning of Erjavčeva ulica (Erjavec Street), at the intersection with Delpinova ulica, there once stood the Old Brickworks, built in 1922. Operations ceased in 1944. The surrounding area is clayey, and the remains of clay pits are most clearly visible in the Pine Grove (p. 32) behind the library and theatre. The building was 125 metres long and featured a 50-metre chimney, the largest in the Goriška region at the time. Built to produce bricks for the reconstruction of Gorizia after the First World War, the brickworks later served as a hub for all the new town's needs during its construction.

When the construction of Nova Gorica began, the building was like a miniature town: it first housed brigadiers, and then earned the nickname “department store” as it became home to various shops, craftsmen, a law office, the temporary headquarters of many companies and public institutions, as well as numerous associations, a library, and a music school.

The building deteriorated into increasingly poor condition and became unsuitable for habitation due to hygiene concerns, so it was decided to demolish it. The chimney was demolished first, in 1957, and the entire process took nearly ten years. The reason for demolition was the construction of communal blocks on what is now Delpinova ulica (see p. 40), which replaced and expanded the facilities previously located in the brickworks. Today, only a small administrative building remains, housing the Nova Gorica Local Community Centre.

Avtor: Blaž Kosovel

Kraj: Nova Gorica

Tags