Raziskovalna postaja ZRC SAZU Nova Gorica 1 Regional strategy of Goriška region THETRIS project Output 3.3.11 Regional strategy of the development of the Goriška region, with the description of the regional church route Prepared by: Jasna Fakin Bajec PP9 - Znanstenoraziskovalni center Slovenske akademije znanosti in umetnosti, Raziskovalna postaja v Novi Gorici – Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Research Station Nova Gorica Contact: [email protected] Nova Gorica, April 2014 Raziskovalna postaja ZRC SAZU Nova Gorica 2 Regional strategy of Goriška region Contents: 1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………..………………3 2. Main content of the regional SWOT analysis …………………………………..………..5 3. Tangible and intangible cultural curiosities of the Goriška region ……….……………9 4. Description of the regional church route from the Julian Alps to the Karst ………....18 5. Reasons for the development of the regional church route………………….…..……23 6. Regional strategy………………………………………………………….……………….24 7. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………….31 Raziskovalna postaja ZRC SAZU Nova Gorica 3 Regional strategy of Goriška region 1. INTRODUCTION Goriška is a historical and statistical region in the western part of Slovenia with the territory of 2,326 km2 and 119,056 inhabitants. It is the 4th biggest region in Slovenia, composed of 13 municipalities, which are organised in four sub-regions (the Upper Soča Valley (Posočje), the territory of Idrijsko and Cerkljansko, the sub-region of Nova Gorica and the Upper Vipava Valley). The wonders of the Goriška region include the beautiful mountain peaks and valleys of the Triglav National Park, the enchanting winegrowing areas of Goriška Brda and the Vipava Valley, and the hills around Cerkno and Idrija. One of the most distinctive and recognisable sights of the region is the emerald river Soča. The church route of the Goriška region is dedicated to Virgin Mary pilgrimage places and is composed of 14 Roman Catholic churches between the Julian Alps and the Karst. It stretches from the mountain landscape of the Upper Soča Valley and the Julian Alps in the north-western part of the region, along the picturesque Soča Valley to Nova Gorica and its hinterland with the hilly winegrowing region of Brda, and finishes in the fertile Vipava Valley and the Karst Plateau, which lies close to the Adriatic Sea (hinterland of Trieste). The selected churches played an important role in different historical times. Beside art-historical and architectural elements they also embodied important intangible heritage, like memories, legends, poems, Christian customs etc. The surrounding areas of the churches are also rich in famous natural and cultural treasures, which present heterogeneous geographical, historical and ethnographical characteristics of the Goriška region. The Goriška region. http://www.nvoplanota.si/nvoplanota/nvo-goriske/baza-nvo.html Raziskovalna postaja ZRC SAZU Nova Gorica 4 Regional strategy of Goriška region Although the Goriška region is famous for its beautiful environment with a specific way of life of its residents, it is also confronted with a lot of social and economic problems which worsen development potentials for the improvement of people’s everyday lives. The main challenge of the economic and social development is how to beat the recession, which has been going on since the end of 2008 and has had huge influences on the life of the inhabitants. The main problems of the economy are small numbers of innovation, unsuccessful cooperation and interaction between public and private sectors, in particular among research institutions and economy, and slow and inefficient development of the tourist sector. One of the consequences of this situation is brain drain from the region. Although local identities of sub-regions are strengthened, the sense of belonging to the Goriška region is weak. There are no common elements for collective identification processes. However, the regional SWOT analysis, developed on the basis of the study of regional problematic, the interviews and discussion with stakeholders in regional working group meetings and the bibliography (strategies, development programmes, etc.), has shown strengths and opportunities which could ensure progresses for a better-quality living environment. The Town of Kanal with River Soča and the famous bridge. http://www.slovenia.info/en/-ctg-regije/Gori%C5%A1ka-region-Emerald-Route.htm?_ctg_regije=22&lng=2 Raziskovalna postaja ZRC SAZU Nova Gorica 5 Regional strategy of Goriška region 2. MAIN CONTENT OF THE REGIONAL SWOT ANALYSIS 1. Socio-economic context and entrepreneurship After World War II, different economic activities developed in the Goriška region: a very prosperous electronics industry (Idrija, Solkan, Šempeter pri Gorici, Cerkno, Tolmin), gambling industry and entertainment (casinos in Nova Gorica and its surroundings), agriculture (sub-Mediterranean fruit growing and viticulture in the Vipava Valley and the picturesque winegrowing region of Goriška Brda, and cattle breeding in the northern part of the region), food processing (Ajdovščina), tourism (cultural tourism, water sports on the Soča River), etc. For years, the regional economy was closely connected with the Italian economy, especially that of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region; however, as both economies are currently in recession, the business connections have been severed. Due to the rigorous economic administration, there is a significant lack of direct foreign investments, a lack of investments in research and development, a deficiency of connections between the private and public sectors, weak links between science and business, a lack of innovations and a deficiency of capital for initial economic investments. The region is losing its human capital, especially the young who can hardly get an opportunity to express their knowledge, creativity, courage, etc. A major problem is also a lack of coherence among the inhabitants of the region, ineffective regional competitiveness with a bad innovation system and a poor flow of information among researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, public authorities and other stakeholders. Because of that, the unemployment rate is rising, reaching 10.8 % in October 2013. A better collaboration among Slovenian and Italian municipalities and other institutions could provide important opportunities for sustainable development of the region, as the citizens from both countries have rather similar problems (economic, ecological, urban). In 2012, the European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) was established. It connects the municipalities of Gorizia (Italy), Nova Gorica and Šempeter-Vrtojba (Slovenia) in the European legal instrument designed to facilitate and promote cross-border, interregional and transnational cooperation. Until now, its establishment has not borne fruit yet. 2. Routes and location The Goriška region has a strategic geographical position. The southern part of the region (the Vipava Valley and the area of Nova Gorica) has good road connections both east to Ljubljana (approximately one-hour drive from Nova Gorica) and west to the neighbouring Venetian area in Italy. In the northern, mountainous part of the region, the road connections are sparse. The main pass to the neighbouring region of the Gorenjska region, leading across the Julian Alps, is closed throughout the colder part of the year. Train and air travel is limited, with no commercial passenger airports in Goriška (only smaller airports for recreation) and one single-track railway line connecting Nova Gorica and the Lower Soča Raziskovalna postaja ZRC SAZU Nova Gorica 6 Regional strategy of Goriška region Valley with the Gorenjska region. From Nova Gorica, there are good cross-border connections with Italy on the Trieste- Gorizia -Klagenfurt motorway. The historical sites from World War I and protected landscape areas in the Upper Soča Valley are very important for the development of tourism in the Goriška region. Also water sports and leisure tourism (kayaking, canoeing, rafting, canyoning, skiing, skydiving, etc.) are very popular. The Goriška region has one of the most beautiful uropean railway track the Bohinj railway line (Italian: Ferrovia Transalpina, German: Wocheinerbahn), which runs along the picturesque Soča River, was built at the beginning of the 20th century. Over the years, various cultural and tourist routes which facilitate different types of tourism (active, cultural, rural) have developed. The main regional tourist route is the Emerald Way along the emerald River Soča. The most important remnants and memories from the Isonzo Front are brought together in the Walk of Peace. The Kobarid Historical Trail presents important curiosities in the town’s surroundings. In the important archaeological and historical town Most na Soči, there is a cultural and historical trail. The internationally- known Alpe Adria Trail connects cultural, natural and culinary treasures of Austria, Italy and Slovenia. In Brda, there is the famous Gradnik Trail, which leads the visitor through the vineyards to the town of Medana, birthplace of the poet Alojz Gradnik. Another educational trail, named after the poet Simon Gregorčič, is located between the villages Renče and Gradišče near Prvačina. There are, however, also some weaknesses, such as insufficient, non-connected tourist offer at the regional level and inadequate digital marketing of tourist destinations. This situation is partly resulting from non-cooperation between municipalities and tourist