TRG DE AMICIS / DE AMICIS SQUARE

SLO

Na robu današnjega Trga de Amicis, nekdanjega Trga Koren, stoji ena najlepših palač v Gorici – Palača Attems Petzenstein. Zgrajena je bila leta 1750 kot mestna rezidenca grofa Sigismunda Attemsa, zasnoval pa jo je Nicolò Pacassi.

Stavbo je Pacassi oblikoval v vmesnem slogu med barokom in rokokojem, z elegantno simetrično fasado in umetelno obdelanimi detajli. S svojo obliko in okrasjem – na vrhu fasade kraljujejo bogovi Olimpa – je ena izmed najrazkošnejših palač v Gorici. Leta 1900 je tu cesar Franc Jožef slovesno odprl muzej, ki še danes domuje v tej mogočni stavbi in je ena ključnih kulturnih ustanov v mestu.

~1850  Trg še zaprt proti severnemu delu mesta - Vir: Fond Giovanni Viola

Ob trgu je do konca 19. stoletja tekel potok Koren, ki je napajal tudi znamenito Erkulovo fontano pred palačo. Fontano, Pacassijevo delo iz leta 1775, so leta 1934 prestavili v muzejski vrt, potok pa prekrili. Ob palači se odpira ulica Carducci (nekdanja Via dei Signori), šele leta 1908 pa so dotlej zaprti trg odprli z novo ulico Silvio Pellico, ki je povezala mestno jedro s severno železniško postajo.

~1910 Trg s tramvajem - Vir: Fond Giovanni Viola

~1919  Trg po prvi svetovni vojni - Fotografije iz arhiva italijanskega Narodnega združenja borcev za osvobodilno vojno - www.combattentiliberazione. it Associazione Nazionale Combattenti Guerra di Liberazione inquadrati nei reparti regolari delle FF.AA.
Sezione Roma Capitale MOVM "Salvo D'Acquisto - Gastone Giacomini"

Nicolò Pacassi izhaja iz goriške družine kamnosekov. Čeprav se ni rodil v mestu, so ga sodobniki imeli za "najbolj goriškega izmed vseh" – njegovi predniki so namreč stoletja ustvarjali oltarje in arhitekturne elemente na Goriškem. Ravno grof Attems, njegov sosed na Trgu Corno, naj bi Pacassija še kot mladega arhitekta povezal z dunajskim cesarskim dvorom, kjer je njegova kariera hitro napredovala: postal je dvorni arhitekt Marije Terezije, načrtoval je prenovo dunajskega dvorca Schönbrunn, gradov v Pragi, Budimpešti, Hetzendorfu, in sodeloval pri številnih javnih projektih od Dunaja do Rima. Leta 1769 je bil povišan v barona, a se je leta 1772 skrivnostno umaknil iz javnosti.

Trg de Amicis je bil nekoč živahno vozlišče mestnega življenja, poln gostiln in trgovin. Danes čedalje bolj postaja predvsem povezovalna pot s severnim delom mesta in z Novo Gorico, mirna oaza umetnosti pa ostaja muzej v palači Attems.

ENG

At the edge of today’s Piazza de Amicis, formerly Piazza Corno, stands one of the most beautiful palaces in Gorizia – Palazzo Attems Petzenstein. It was built in 1750 as the city residence of Count Sigismund Attems and was designed by Nicolò Pacassi.

Pacassi designed the building in a transitional style between Baroque and Rococo, with an elegant symmetrical façade and finely crafted decorative details. With its elegant design and rich ornamentation – crowned by the gods of Olympus atop the façade – it ranks among the most splendid palaces in Gorizia. In 1900, Emperor Franz Joseph ceremoniously inaugurated the museum housed within, which still occupies the building today and remains one of the city's foremost cultural institutions.        

Until the late 19th century, the Corno/Koren Stream ran along the edge of the square, feeding the renowned Hercules Fountain in front of the palace. Designed by Pacassi in 1775, the fountain was moved to the museum garden in 1934, and the stream was covered. Via Carducci (formerly Via dei Signori) begins beside the palace. The square remained enclosed until 1908, when Via Silvio Pellico was opened, linking the city centre to the northern railway station.

Nicolò Pacassi came from a Gorizian family of stonemasons. Although he wasn’t born in the city, his contemporaries considered him “the most Gorizian of them all” – his ancestors had spent centuries crafting altars and architectural elements throughout the Gorizia region. It was Count Attems, his neighbour on Piazza Corno, who is said to have introduced the young architect to the Viennese imperial court, where Pacassi’s career quickly flourished. He became court architect to Maria Theresa and was responsible for the redesign of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, as well as palaces in Prague, Budapest, and Hetzendorf, and took part in numerous public projects from Vienna to Rome. In 1769, he was elevated to the rank of baron, but in 1772, he mysteriously withdrew from public life.

Piazza de Amicis was once a lively hub of city life, full of inns and shops. Today, it increasingly serves as a connecting route to the northern part of the city and to Nova Gorica, while the museum in Palazzo Attems remains a peaceful oasis of art.