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CHAPTER 4 Case study 1 The Italian/Slovenian border I started my research in what might appear an unexpected place, the border between former Yugoslavia and Italy. What does this have to do with the Iron Curtain, many people have asked me. I would say that it is as relevant as the Berlin Wall. It opens the question for what the Iron Curtain actually was, or what it is today. During my research, whilst discussing this border with people from Italy, former Yugoslavia and from other parts of Europe as well as the US several criteria have arisen as to what people consider the Iron Curtain to be, often unintentionally. For example I have heard comments like: “It was the Iron Curtain because they were communist on that side whilst we were capitalist on this side” (Maria and Antonio, 2008, pers. comm. 5 th September) or “It was not part of the Iron Curtain because it was not impossible to cross” (Group interview Škofije 2008, 6 th September). All these criteria that are expressed about the border between Italy and Yugoslavia being or not being part of the Iron Curtain show very clearly what people consider it to be. In this sense, studying a border that many people think was never even part of the Iron Curtain has therefore been vital to understanding what people think it is. Apart from general research along the former Yugoslav border with Austria and Italy I have carried out a more detailed study in the area in and around the two cities of Gorizia (in Italy) and Nova Gorica (now in Slovenia), located directly on the border approximately 45 km north of Trieste. I first became aware of the two towns when a colleague asked me if I had heard about the “Berlin of the south”, a city that, like Berlin, became divided by national borders after World War II. I had not heard about it and set out to investigate. As it turned out it was not exactly one city that had been divided into two as such, rather one city, Gorizia in Italian and Gorica in Slovenian, which after the new border was drawn following 67
AN ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE IRON CURTAIN World War II ended up on the Italian side with a large part of its hinterland falling within the Yugoslavian territory. A new city, Nova Gorica, was built on the Yugoslavian side to provide a new centre for the surrounding areas. The two towns developed side by side, divided by an international border and the effects of local and global politics (Figure 15). Methods and aims The aim of the research of the Italian-Slovenian border was to study the border between Italy and Slovenia to understand what this border looked like during the Cold War period as well as what it looks like today. The information gained during the research was then to be used in a discussion of this border’s role within the Cold War division of Europe as well as people’s attitude towards it today. Two fieldwork trips were carried out, the first in September 2008 which consisted of a survey of the Italian-Slovenian and the Austrian-Slovenian borders. The second fieldwork, carried out in August 2011, focussed on the area in and around the towns of Gorizia and Nova Gorica. The length of the border from Šempeter to Solkan was subjected to a walkover survey, as was the southernmost section of Mount Sabotino/Sabotin. Archival research was carried out at the Goriški Musej Archive, Solkan, Slovenia, the Archivio storico – Biblioteca provinciale in Gorizia, Italy and the National Archives, Kew, UK. These studies were not meant as a full archival and documentary study but rather the documents obtained were a way to help understand the material discovered during the fieldwork. Of particular use were maps and photos as these helped to provide an understanding of the kinds of material that had existed along the Iron Curtain and how the border’s different areas had looked in the past. Recording was carried out through photographing and taking notes. Drawings were also produced wherever necessary to clarify certain features. Maps were studied both in advance and during the research in order to help direct further investigations. Remains in the landscape were recorded on maps to document their location and to help understand their distribution. Interviews were carried out both with people working with the area’s history (museum personnel, historians) as well as citizens living in the area, either currently or in the past. Some of these interviews were taped whilst others were recorded through taking notes. I interviewed 14 people during my fieldwork in the area of which seven were women ranging in age from 68
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AN ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE IRON CURTAIN<br />
World War II ended up on the Italian side with a large part of its hinterland<br />
falling within the Yugoslavian territory. A new city, Nova Gorica, was built<br />
on the Yugoslavian side to provide a new centre for the surrounding areas.<br />
The two towns developed side by side, divided by an international border<br />
and the effects of local and global politics (Figure 15).<br />
Methods and aims<br />
The aim of the research of the Italian-Slovenian border was to study the<br />
border between Italy and Slovenia to understand what this border looked<br />
like during the Cold War period as well as what it looks like today. The<br />
information gained during the research was then to be used in a discussion<br />
of this border’s role within the Cold War division of Europe as well as<br />
people’s attitude towards it today.<br />
Two fieldwork trips were carried out, the first in September 2008 which<br />
consisted of a survey of the Italian-Slovenian and the Austrian-Slovenian<br />
borders. The second fieldwork, carried out in August 2011, focussed on the<br />
area in and around the towns of Gorizia and Nova Gorica. The length of the<br />
border from Šempeter to Solkan was subjected to a walkover survey, as was<br />
the southernmost section of Mount Sabotino/Sabotin. Archival research<br />
was carried out at the Goriški Musej Archive, Solkan, Slovenia, the Archivio<br />
storico – Biblioteca provinciale in Gorizia, Italy and the National Archives,<br />
Kew, UK. These studies were not meant as a full archival and documentary<br />
study but rather the documents obtained were a way to help understand the<br />
material discovered during the fieldwork. Of particular use were maps and<br />
photos as these helped to provide an understanding of the kinds of material<br />
that had existed along the Iron Curtain and how the border’s different areas<br />
had looked in the past.<br />
Recording was carried out through photographing and taking notes.<br />
Drawings were also produced wherever necessary to clarify certain features.<br />
Maps were studied both in advance and during the research in order to help<br />
direct further investigations. Remains in the landscape were recorded on<br />
maps to document their location and to help understand their distribution.<br />
Interviews were carried out both with people working with the area’s<br />
history (museum personnel, historians) as well as citizens living in the area,<br />
either currently or in the past. Some of these interviews were taped whilst<br />
others were recorded through taking notes. I interviewed 14 people during<br />
my fieldwork in the area of which seven were women ranging in age from<br />
68
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