FRNAŽA / THE BRICKWORKS

SLO

Na križišču ob začetku današnje Erjavčeve ceste je nekoč stala frnaža. Ta mogočna opekarna, zgrajena leta 1922 za potrebe obnove Gorice po prvi svetovni vojni, je bila ena največjih industrijskih zgradb v okolici – dolga kar 125 metrov, z dimnikom, visokim 50 metrov, ki je bil najvišji na Goriškem.

~1919 - Rekonstrukcija Arh. Neže Kravos iz leta 2025 z uporabo originalnega projekta iz Pokrajinskega arhiva v Novi Gorici in fotografije iz Goriškega muzeja - arhiv Foto Pavšič.

Območje današnje Nove Gorice je bilo ilovnato, primerno za pridobivanje gline, na kar še danes pričajo sledovi nekdanjih glinokopov v gozdičku za knjižnico in gledališčem. Tam je nekoč že stala manjša opekarna, ki pa je bila uničena med boji na soški fronti – zato je bilo treba zgraditi novo. Ta druga, večja opekarna je delovala do leta 1944, nato pa je z novimi časi dobila nepričakovano drugo življenje, ko je postala začasna Nova Gorica. Stavba je namreč nudila streho prvim brigadirjem, ki so gradili novo mesto, pozneje pa se je preobrazila v pravo »mesto v malem«. Pod njeno streho so delovali pekarna, ambulanta, knjižnica, trgovine, društveni prostori, glasbena šola in celo frizerski salon. V nekdanji poslovni stavbi je imelo prostore vodstvo gradbišča. Frnaža je tako postala začasno jedro novega mesta – prostor, kjer so ljudje in dejavnosti sobivali, dokler ni zrasla prava, trajna Nova Gorica. Danes na tem območju stoji le še nekdanja poslovna zgradba opekarne, v kateri domuje Krajevna skupnost Nova Gorica.   

Opekarne že dolgo ni več – izginili so tudi sadovnjaki, vinogradi in polja, ki so jo nekoč obdajali, pa tudi staro goriško mestno pokopališče, ki je ležalo v njeni neposredni bližini. Sčasoma je stavba začela postajati ovira nadaljnjemu razvoju mesta, saj je bila dotrajana in neustrezna.

 ’50 - Rekonstrukcija Arh. Neže Kravos iz leta 2025 z uporabo fotografije pokrajinskega arhiva v Novi Gorici (PANG) 

Dimnik so porušili leta 1957, odstranjevanje celotnega kompleksa pa je trajalo skoraj desetletje. Na njenem mestu so zrasle nove, sodobnejše stavbe, namenjene bivanju in vsakodnevnemu življenju. 

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At the junction at the start of today’s Erjavčeva Street, there once stood the frnaža – a large brickworks. Built in 1922 to support the post–First World War reconstruction of Gorizia, it was one of the largest industrial buildings in the area: 125 metres long, with a 50-metre-high chimney – the tallest in the Gorizia region. The area where Nova Gorica now stands was rich in clay, ideal for brick production – a fact still evident today in the remnants of former clay pits behind the library and theatre. An earlier, smaller brickworks had once stood in the same spot, but it was destroyed during the battles on the Isonzo Front, making a new facility necessary. The second, larger brickworks remained in operation until 1944. With the arrival of a new era, however, it took on an unexpected second life – becoming the temporary heart of Nova Gorica. The building provided shelter for the first brigadiers who came to build the new town, and it soon evolved into a true “city within a city”. Under its roof operated a bakery, a medical clinic, a library, shops, community spaces, a music school – and even a hairdresser. The former administrative building housed the construction site’s leadership. In this way, the frnaža became the temporary core of the new city – a place where people and activities coexisted until the permanent Nova Gorica was built.

Today, only the former administrative building of the brickworks still stands on this site, now home to the Local Community of Nova Gorica. The brickworks itself has long since disappeared – as have the orchards, vineyards, and fields that once surrounded it, as well as the old Gorizia city cemetery, which lay nearby. Over time, the structure came to be seen as an obstacle to the city’s further development, as it had become dilapidated and unsuitable. The chimney was demolished in 1957, and dismantling the entire complex took nearly a decade. In its place, new, more modern buildings were constructed, designed for residential and everyday use.