Gorizia (city)

Gorizia (city), capital city of the province of Gorizia in northeastern Italy, in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Situated on a narrow plain near the Isonzo River, Gorizia is almost completely surrounded by mountainous spurs of the Julian Alps. Gorizia served as a staging area for troops fighting in nearby battlefields during World War I (1914-1919). The city was badly damaged during the war.

During the late Middle Ages Gorizia was the residence of a count, who granted the city municipal privileges. After 1500, the Venetian Republic, the Habsburg empire, and other interests fought for control of the area. Despite the Italian and Austrian nobility that took up residence in the city under Habsburg rule, Gorizia developed an Italian character. Except for a brief period of French occupation under Napoleon I, Gorizia (under its German name of Görz) remained a part of Habsburg territory until it was ceded to Italy following World War I. During that conflict, Gorizia was captured by the Italians in 1916. The Italian army lost control of Gorizia during the Battle of Caporetto and did not recapture the city until October 1918. After World War II (1939-1945), the eastern outskirts of Gorizia were given to Yugoslavia, where the Yugoslav city of Nova Gorica (now in Slovenia) was eventually established. Population 36,172 (2007).