Gradisca d'Isonzo

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Gradisca d'Isonzo
Comune
Città di Gradisca d'Isonzo

Coat of arms
Gradisca d'Isonzo
Location of Gradisca d'Isonzo in Italy
Coordinates: 45°53′N 13°30′E / 45.883°N 13.500°E / 45.883; 13.500Coordinates: 45°53′N 13°30′E / 45.883°N 13.500°E / 45.883; 13.500
Country Italy
Region Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Province Gorizia
Government
 • Mayor Franco Tommasini
Area
 • Total 10 km2 (4 sq mi)
Elevation 32 m (105 ft)
Population (2008)
 • Total 6,603
 • Density 660/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Demonym Gradiscani
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 34072
Dialing code 0481
Patron saint Sts. Peter and Paul
Saint day June 29
Website Official website

Gradisca d'Isonzo (Friulian: Gardiscja or Gardiscje, Slovene: Gradišče ob Soči, German: Gradis am Sontig) is a town and comune of 6,600 inhabitants in the province of Gorizia, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, north-eastern Italy. It is located on the Isonzo River.

The town is an important cultural center for the Friulian people in the Venezia Giulia region.

History

View of the castle.

The town's name is a Slavic toponym: in archaic Slovene, gradišče (cf. gord) was a term indicating a fortified site or a ruin and is a widespread toponym in Slovene ethnic territory. Gradisca is mentioned for the first time in 1176, when it had a mixed population of Slavic and Latin origin under the Patriarchate of Aquileia. In 1473 it was annexed by the Republic of Venice, which fortified it as a bastion against the Ottomans. In 1511 it was captured by Maximilian I, and thenceforth it was a possession of the House of Habsburg. In 1615, an attempts of the Venetians to reconquer it initiated the War of Gradisca. The town was however kept the Imperials, and was made capital of the County of Gradisca; later emperor Ferdinand III sold the territory to John Anthony of Eggenberg, whose family held Gradisca until 1717, enlarging and enriching it constantly.

With the disappearance of the Eggenberg, the county returned to the Habsburg, being united with the County of Gorizia in 1754. The union resulted in the creation of the County of Gorizia and Gradisca, which existed until the dissolution of Austria-Hungary in 1918. The town remained in the Austrian side after the compromise of 1867 as head of the district of the same name (GRADISCA), one of the 11 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in the Austrian Littoral province.[1]

During Austrian domination, the town retained its predominantly Italian character. According to the last Austrian census of 1910, 60,0% of the population of the town spoke Italian or Friulian, 13,8% spoke Slovene and a mere 2,3% spoke German as their first language.[2]

In 1914, at the outbreak of World War I, the population of Gradisca fought under Austria-Hungary. In 1921 the town became part of Italy.

Main sights

  • Castle, built by the Venetians in the late 15th century over a pre-existing fortress known from 1176. It was enlarged under the Austrian domination (16th-17th centuries), later being turned into a jail. Among the people imprisoned here was Federico Confalonieri.
  • Cathedral
  • Church of Santo Spirito, with an altarpiece by Pompeo Randi.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Die postalischen Abstempelungen auf den österreichischen Postwertzeichen-Ausgaben 1867, 1883 und 1890, Wilhelm KLEIN, 1967
  2. ↑ http://www.sistory.si/publikacije/prenos/?urn=SISTORY:ID:836

External links

Media related to Gradisca d'Isonzo at Wikimedia Commons

Friuli – Venezia Giulia · Comuni of the Province of Gorizia
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