- Gonars
Infobox CityIT
img_coa = Gonars-Stemma.png
official_name = Comune di Gonars
region =Friuli-Venezia Giulia
province = Udine (UD)
elevation_m = 21
area_total_km2 = 19.9
population_as_of = 2004
population_total = 4637
population_density_km2 = 233
timezone = CET,UTC +1
coordinates = coord|45|54|N|13|14|E|region:IT_type:city(4637)
frazioni = Ontagnano, Fauglis, Bordiga
telephone = 0432
postalcode = 33050
gentilic = Gonaresi
saint =Saint Canziano
day =May 30
mayor = Ivan Cignola
website = [http://www.comune.gonars.ud.it comune.gonars.ud.it]Gonars is a town and commune near
Palmanova in theprovince of Udine ,Friuli , northeasternItaly .History
World War II
On
February 23 ,1942 thefascist regime established aconcentration camp in the town, mostly for prisoners from present daySlovenia andCroatia . The first transport of 5343 internees (1643 of whom were children) arrived two days later from the Province ofLjubljana and from the Rab camp and the camp inMonigo nearTreviso .The camp was disbanded on
September 8 ,1943 , immediately after Italian capitulation. Every effort was made to erase any evidence of this black spot of Italian history. The camp's buildings were destroyed, the materials were used to build a nearbykindergarten and the site was turned into ameadow . Only in 1973 asacrarium was created by sculptor Miodrag Živković at the town's cemetery. Remains of 453 Slovenian and Croatian victims were transferred into its two undergroundcrypt s. It is believed that at least 50 additional persons died in the camp due tostarvation andtorture . Apart from the sacrarium no other evidence of the camp remains and even many locals are unaware it.Among the people interned in the camp were the writer
Vitomil Zupan , poetsAlojz Gradnik andFrance Balantič , historiansBogo Grafenauer andFran Zwitter , sculptorJakob Savinšek , and politicianAnton Vratuša .Further reading
* Alessandra Kersevan, "Un campo di concentramento fascista. Gonars 1942-1943.", Kappa Vu Edizioni, Udine, 2003
External links
* [http://www.gonarsmemorial.org Official site of the concentration camp Memorial]
* [http://www.romacivica.net/anpiroma/deportazione/deportazionecampi1b.htm An article from Romacivica.net] it icon
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