Russian Blocks - the First Apartments in Town

13 June: laying of the foundation stone of Nova Gorica

There are two different views on when Nova Gorica should celebrate its birthday. Some consider 3 December 1947 as the date to mark the first shovel going into the ground (p. 34), while others believe that 13 June 1948 is a more appropriate date, as it was on this day that the foundation stone of the town's first building was laid.

This stone was laid for the building marked number 13 on the original plan — today’s Kidričeva cesta 33 — the first of six buildings in the southern part of the Magistrala.

Designed by Edvard Ravnikar, the blocks soon became known as the “Russian” blocks. Initially, they housed the municipal administration, a post office, a butcher's shop, a grocery store, a kindergarten, and more.

The construction of the new apartments did not go according to plan, but the authorities still wanted to bring as many institutions as possible to the town as quickly as possible, so that it could start functioning as a regional centre. This quickly led to a housing shortage, which was resolved by several families sharing the same apartment for years.

In early 1950, the first residents moved into the first block, which was still unfinished. The first two groups of pioneers who settled in the town were residents of remote villages, brought in to build a working class, and professionals urgently needed in the town, such as doctors, teachers, and engineers.

Many people remember that the villagers, unaccustomed to town life, brought their animals with them, resulting in chickens and cows roaming the lawns and pigs kept on balconies.

Later urban plans reduced the size of buildings and flats. Construction was left to individual companies, which then rented the apartments to their employees. Often, a rental flat came with the job.

Avtor: Blaž Kosovel

Kraj: Nova Gorica

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