New Kozana: Visiting the Home of Ivan and Danila today
2021
Kozana (also known by its Italian name of Cosana del Collio) and the Brda region in which it is located has seen much political change. At the beginning of the 20th century Brda was under the control of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. With the dissolution of that Empire after WW1 the region was ceded to Italy. Then it was re-incorporated into the newly formed country of Yugoslavia after WW2. Finally in 1992 Brda, and Kozana, became part of an independent Slovenia (see Old Kozana: Village and Family History Intertwined).
As the crow flies, Kozana is located less than 5 km from the Italian / Slovenia border. Today this is a border almost in name only as both countries are European Union members and have implemented the Schengen Agreement, enabling passport-free movement of people between them. You can, quite literally, stand on the border line with one foot in each country.
One foot in Italy, the other in Slovenia. On the nominal border between the two countries outside Gorizia's main railway station.
The Village
Sleepy and peaceful Kozana is a beautiful place to visit even without taking into consideration its significance to the Mavrič family. Home to no more than a couple of hundred people today, the village continues to rely on its vineyards and fruit orchids, predominately peaches and cherries. But these days most residents travel to nearby towns each day for work.
A trend in recent years has been an influx of people from elsewhere in Slovenia, Italy and as far away as the United Kingdom looking for a rural retreat. As a result Kozana today is a strange mix of large, modernised or newly built houses as well as empty ramshackle cottages, unchanged from bygone days.
Kozana even had an Australian connection, with a retired Melbourne barrister, Leigh Thompson, calling it home for part of the year with his Slovenian wife, Katya in the early 2000s. In his final years Leigh worked on the story of Australian and New Zealand prisoners of war who escaped from Prisoner of War camps during WW2, led by an Australian soldier Ralph Churches. These prisoners and who were then rescued by Slovene people and the partisans. As Leigh has pointed out this part of the ANZAC story seems to be almost completely unknown in Australia (see Old Kozana: Village and Family History inter-twinned).
Dobrovo
The closest significant urban area to Kozana is Dobrovo, the administrative centre of Goriška Brda. The town is best known for Dobrovo Castle, a 17th century renaissance building on the site of a former medieval castle and one of the best preserved historical monuments in the region.
Dobrovo, Brda with its Castle, left foreground
Gorizia / Nova Gorica
Beyond Dobrovo, is Gorizia / Nova Gorica (combined population of 150,000), located about 15 km away along a winding, but beautiful road that hugs the Soča river.
Soča River along the road from Brda to Nova Gorica with the Solkan Bridge in the background. With an arch span of 85 metres (279 ft), it is the second-longest stone bridge in the world and the longest stone train bridge. It opened in 1906
Sveta Gora
Also nearby is Sveta Gora (“Holy Mountain”), the most important religious site in this part of Slovenia. Located high on a mountain the first sanctuary of Sveta Gora is mentioned in early sources from the middle ages. Legends of an apparition of the Virgin Mary date from the 16th century, encouraging pilgrims from near and far. A substantial basilica was constructed at this time. It was destroyed in June 1915, during fierce fighting between Italian and Austrian troops. The present church was built in 1928.
Sveta Gora, 1962. L to R: Ivan; neighbour Anna and her daughter; Tine (Ivan’s sister); his mother Kristina; and Anna's husband (and Ivan's long-life friend) Šani. Note the Holden car that Ivan shipped from Sydney for his visit!
Sveta Gora, 2012. L to R: Maida (partner of Valter); Daniel; his cousin Valter Jakin; and his aunt Milena. Not much has changed in 50 years between these two photos
The only building of note in Kozana itself is St. Hieronymus Church with a bell tower reconstructed in 1956 according to a plan by Jože Plečnik, Slovenia’s most famous architect. A Baroque altar and an altar painting from 1714 adorn the interior of the church.
Ivan Maurice donated to the church in the 1990s for the replacement of its bells and other renovation works.
St Hieronymus Church, Kozana. In 2014 Daniel discovered that an Australian, Leigh Thompson, owns the house on the right of the Church. Leigh is a keen student of Kozana history and spends time in the village each year
Kozana 120, the Maurič home
Ivan and his sisters were born in house number 120, on the edge of Kozana village along the road that heads north towards Šmartno. Ivan’s father, Bogomir, built the house sometime after the end of World War One.
Danila with Ivan's sister, Tine, outside the Maurič family home, 1976
The Maurič house remained largely unchanged until some modest improvements by Ivan in the 1980s. He added an inside bathroom and brought running water into the kitchen. Around 2010 the house was substantially renovated and extended by new owners. Today it is unrecognizable from the modest cottage in which Ivan and his sisters grew up.
The former Maurič home at 120 Kozana, 2012, after extensions and renovation by its new owners
Kozana 24, the Jakin home
Danila and her brother were born and lived in house number 24 at the other end of the village, near the church of St. Hieronymus. Danila’s father, Rudolf, built the house using the money he earned while working in Argentina in the 1920s and 1930s.
The old Jakin house at 24 Kozana, 1975. L to R: Members of the Jakin family: Suzanna, Livia, Valter, Milena, Nataša, and Milan. On the far right Margie Maurice and her sister Katherine Robinson
The house was severely damaged in the May 1976 Friuli earthquake that killed 939 people, injured 2400, and left 157,000 homeless. Using compensation funds and loans Danila’s brother, Milan, built a new house next door. The original house has been used as a barn and animal stable since then.
The current Jakin house, next door to the old place where Milan, wife Milena, his son Valter and Valter’s partner, Maida, all live
The Kozana cemetery, the final resting place for many Mavrič, Jakin, Reja and Čadež ancestors, is about 200 meters beyond the Jakin house. It is along the road heading south towards Vipolže and the Italian border.
Ivan at the grave of his mother, Kristina, in 1976. The gravesite of his father, Bogomir is uncertain but probably near Gorizia, Italy where Bogomir died
Šmartno
On the other side of Kozana the nearest village is Šmartno. This is also the prettiest and most historically significant settlement in the Brda area. Located on a hilltop the village is surrounded by walls and defence towers dating back to the early 16th century. For the next 200 years Šmartno was an important strategic defence post in the system of fortifications protecting the region against threats from Venice. Today the entire village of Šmartno is a heritage-listed cultural monument.
Šmartno, an historic village just a few kilometres down the road from Kozana
Just behind Šmartno is a local vantage point, a tower called the Spomonik. No visit to the region is complete without a climb to the top, which provides great views over the entire Brda area of peaceful green hills, vineyards and pretty villages.
At the Brda Spomonik. Ivan & Danila 1976 and Daniel 2012, each time with members of the Jakin family.
Exploring further afield in Slovenia
Of course there's much to see in Slovenia beyond this little corner of the country. Slovenia is a small, but varied and still relatively undiscovered European jewel. A guide published in 2016 provides more detailed, updated and comprehensive on the 100 best things to do in Slovenia. It is over 10,000 words and packed with practical tips and advice. You can find it here: https://www.jenreviews.com/best-things-to-do-in-slovenia/