Slovenia’s Nova Gorica and Italy’s Gorizia are adjacent to each other and will become the European Capital of Culture in 2025.

The Slovenian Commission announced the success of the joint bid on Friday afternoon, and then residents of the two cities celebrated on the streets. 

Gorizia is a town and commune in the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia in northeastern Italy. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps and borders Slovenia. It was the capital of the former Gorizia Province and a local center of tourism, industry and commerce.

Since 1947, a twin city Nova Gorica has been developed on the other side of the border between modern Italy and Slovenia.

After the Second World War, the entire region was affected by the territorial dispute between Italy and Yugoslavia: after establishing a new border in 1947 and leaving the old city to Italy, Nova Gorica was built on the Yugoslav side. 

Together, these two towns form the city, which also includes the municipality of Šempeter-Vrtojba in Slovenia.

Since May 2011, these three towns have joined a common cross-border metropolitan area, managed by the Joint Administrative Management Committee.