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Styria (Slovenia) Štajerska | |
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 Typical Lower Styrian rural landscape inPohorje | |
 Territory of the former Styrian duchy, superimposed on the modern borders of Austria and Slovenia | |
| Country |  Slovenia |
| Elevation | 300 m (1,000 ft) |
| Demonym | Styrian |
Styria (Slovene:Štajerska), also known asSlovenian Styria (Slovenska Štajerska;Austrian German:Slowenische Steiermark[1]) orLower Styria (Spodnja Štajerska;Austrian German:Untersteiermark) to differentiate it fromAustrian Styria, is a traditional region in northeasternSlovenia, comprising the southern third of the formerDuchy of Styria. The population of Styria in its historical boundaries amounts to around 705,000 inhabitants, or 34.5% of the population of Slovenia. Its largest city and urban center isMaribor, with other urban centers includingCelje,Velenje,Ptuj andTrbovlje.
In the 19th century, the Styrian duchy, which existed as a distinct political-administrative entity from 1056 to 1918, used to be divided into three traditional regions:Upper Styria (Obersteiermark;Zgornja Štajerska), Central Styria (Mittelsteiermark;Srednja Štajerska), and Lower Styria, stretching from theMur River and theSlovene Hills in the north down to theSava. Upper Styria and Central Styria, predominantly German-speaking, today form theAustrian state ofStyria (Steiermark). The southern third, predominantly Slovene-speaking Lower Styria, became part of theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Yugoslavia) afterWorld War I. AfterWorld War II, it became part of the predecessor of modernSlovenia, theSocialist Republic of Slovenia.
Although used interchangeably at times, the term "Southern Styria" (Südsteiermark) refers to the southern districts of the Austrian state of Styria, whereas the term "Lower Styria" (Spodnja Štajerska) refers to the region of Styria in northeastern Slovenia.[citation needed]
The Slovene nameŠtajerska is borrowed and adapted from the German name for the region,Steiermark.[2] Both ultimately derive fromCeltic, via the riverSteyr.
In theMiddle Ages, the Lower Styrian lands were ruled by severalimmediate (reichsfrei) dynasties like theCounts of Celje, whose large possessions were not incorporated by theHabsburg dukes until the 15th century.
According to the lastAustro-Hungarian census of 1910, Lower Styria had around 498,000 inhabitants, of which around 82% were Slovene and around 18% German speakers.[3]
In 1918, after the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy followingWorld War I, the Duchy of Styria was divided between the newly established states ofGerman Austria and the YugoslavState of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. In early November 1918,Rudolf Maister, a Slovene major of the formerAustro-Hungarian Army, with about 4,000 local volunteers occupied Lower Styria and the town of Maribor and claimed it for Yugoslavia. After a short fight with German-Austrian paramilitary units, the current border was established, acknowledged by the provisional Styrian assembly atGraz. By December 1918, all of Lower Styria wasde facto included in theKingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. A protest by German-speakingMarburg citizens resulted in theMarburg Bloody Sunday, when 13 people were killed and about 60 wounded.[4]
Confirmed by the 1919Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the border between Yugoslav and Austrian Styria mostly followed the ethnic-linguistic dividing line betweenSlovenes andethnic Germans. Nevertheless, several predominantly German-speaking towns were annexed into Yugoslavia, such asMaribor (Marburg an der Drau) (80% German speakers),Ptuj (Pettau) (86%), andCelje (Cilli) (67%); in addition, the German-speaking area around the village ofApače (Abstall) was annexed to Yugoslavia. According to the 1921 Yugoslav census, some 22,500 ethnic Germans lived in Yugoslav Lower Styria. They represented around 4.5% of the overall population of the region, and around 57% of all ethnic Germans in Slovenia. In 1931, this number dropped to around 12,500 or 2.3% of the regional population, and around 45% of all ethnic Germans in Slovenia.[5][6]
In 1922, the County of Maribor was formed, comprising most of the territory of Slovene Styria, plus thePrekmurje and theMeđimurje regions. After thecoup d'etat ofKing Alexander I of Yugoslavia in January 1929, the counties were abolished and replaced with nineBanates (Slovene:Banovina).[7] Following the reorganization implemented by the Yugoslav constitution of 1931, Slovene Styria was incorporated in the newly establishedDrava Banovina, which was more or less identical with Slovenia, withLjubljana as its capital city.
In April 1941,Nazi Germanyinvaded Yugoslavia and Slovene Styria was annexed, becomingCdZ-Gebiet Untersteiermark underReichsgau Steiermark. A policy of violent Germanization was introduced. Public use of Slovene was prohibited, and all Slovene associations were dissolved. Members of all professional and intellectual groups, including many clergymen, were expelled. Between April 1941 and May 1942, around 80,000 Slovenes (almost 15% of the overall population) were expelled from Lower Styria, or resettled to other parts of the Reich. As a reaction, aresistance movement developed. Many areas of Lower Styria witnessed fierce fighting between German troops and Slovene partisan units.
After World War II,Yugoslav authority over the region was established and Slovene Styria became an integral part of theSocialist Republic of Slovenia. According to prior decisions made by theAnti-Fascist Council of the People's Liberation of Yugoslavia, an expulsion of the remaining ethnic German population was carried out, regardless of their links to the Nazi regime.
Between the 1950s and 1970s, many areas of the region underwent rapid industrialization. Towns like Maribor, Celje, and Velenje became among the most important industrial centers of Slovenia and Yugoslavia.
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Lower Styria has no official status as an administrative or statistical unit within Slovenia. In 2005, the country was divided into 12 statistical regions. The bulk of Lower Styria is subdivided between theDrava Statistical Region (Slovene:podravska statistična regija) with its seat inMaribor, and theSavinja Statistical Region (savinjska statistična regija) with its seat inCelje. Smaller areas of Lower Styria are included in:
Nowadays, many of these peripheral areas are no longer considered part of Styria. An exception is thePrlekija subregion, which is still widely considered part of the region. The nameŠtajerska disappeared from official use in 1922, when the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was administratively divided intooblasts. Nevertheless, the name is still very much alive in both colloquial and media language, and it is part of established cultural and geographical terminology. It also continues to be employed in the promotion of tourism.[8]
The cultural and economic centre of Lower Styria has always been the city ofMaribor. Other major towns areBrežice,Celje,Ptuj,Slovenj Gradec,Slovenska Bistrica, andVelenje.
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Styria is known for itswhite wine, especiallyLjutomer Riesling, for thePohorje ski resort, for cultural festivals and forpumpkin seed oil. It is also known as a hop-growing area producingStyrian Goldings, a variety of the English aroma hop Fuggles.
Eine Salve nach der anderen feuerten die Soldaten in die nichtsahnende, wehr- und waffenlose Volksmenge, .... 13 Tote und etwa 60 Verwundete...
46°22′0″N15°29′0″E / 46.36667°N 15.48333°E /46.36667; 15.48333
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