About the Project

The project Ab Initio – Urban Utopia is dedicated to researching the history of Nova Gorica and establishing a digital archive of the city’s urban heritage. Its main goal is to preserve and promote both the tangible and intangible heritage of the city, co-creating it together with the local community.

Part of the project also focuses on analysing and presenting other new (modernist) towns that were built ab initio — from scratch — across twentieth-century Europe.

The project fills an important gap in heritage research and evaluation by creating the first comprehensive, accessible and open platform dedicated to the city’s history and the stories of its inhabitants. It represents a network of knowledge that brings together professional historical research and the memories of those who built the city, live in it, shape it and continue to develop it.

The digital archive includes accessible scholarly entries accompanied by photographs and local stories collected through interviews, ethnographic workshops, public discussions and existing archives. Subject to further agreements, the entries may also include links to longer academic and scientific articles. The platform additionally allows users to submit their own entries, which will be moderated prior to publication.

Part of the stories and historical insights are also presented in a cultural, urban and historical city guide, published in Slovenian, Italian and English.

Furthermore, the project seeks to examine good practices and cultural activities in other European new towns that share Nova Gorica’s modernist heritage. The aim is to spark interest in the specificities of life in newly built urban environments, identify shared characteristics, and position Nova Gorica within the European network of new towns managed by the New Towns Institute in Rotterdam. For this reason, the digital archive platform includes a dedicated section presenting other new towns.

Ab Initio is conceived as a long-term project providing public access to information and education about the city’s cultural and natural specificities. At the same time, its activities encourage critical reflection on the making of urban history, participatory heritage co-creation, and the joint search for innovative and creative solutions for green and sustainable urban development.

The project is part of the official programme of Nova Gorica – Gorizia 2025.

Project lead: Zavod Magistrala
In cooperation with: ZRC SAZU, Goriški muzej, Društvo humanistov Goriške
Project leader and principal researcher: Blaž Kosovel
Researcher (interviews): Jasna Fakin Bajec
Entry authors: Ana Perne, Jaša Bužinel, …
Design: Saša Nikić
Web platform: ARCTUR

Contribute Your Stories and Photographs

We welcome unique and compelling memories — in text and image — that can enrich the digital archive. If you would like to become part of it, click here and share them with us!