Province of Ljubljana
The Ljubljana Province (Italian: Provincia di Lubiana, Slovenian: Ljubljanska pokrajina ) was during the Second World War as an Italian province in the area of occupied Yugoslavia from 1941 to 1945, from 1943 under German control.
The Ljubljana province comprised a part of Slovenia, namely Inner Carniola ( within the Yugoslav pre-war borders ), the majority of Carniola and Ljubljana with surroundings (up to the river Sava ).
The occupied in April 1941 by the Italian army area was the kingdom of Italy connected on 3 May 1941 which in most newspapers of the leading Slovenian parties ( Slovenian People's Party, Liberal Party ), particularly in Slovenec ( " Slovene " ) and Jutro ( " the morning " ), was officially welcomed.
On May 17, 1941 Benito Mussolini convened an advisory body composed of representatives of the Slovenian economy and politics. However, the panel had no real say against the Italian government.
Unlike the Germans, the Italians were to some extent Slovenian cultural life and also administrative structures, the university, the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, schools, theaters and courts. The Slovenians were not drafted into the Italian army.
For this reason, investigated from April to June 1941 tens of thousands of Slovenes from the German -controlled areas ( CdZ region Carinthia and Carniola and CdZ region Lower Styria ), where the Slovenes were forced to serve in the armed forces, took refuge in the Italian province of Ljubljana.
The administration was bilingual, in the Italian schools was compulsory, but the Slovene-language instruction was otherwise maintained. The fascists also built organizational structures in the province in order to strengthen its influence on the population.
Unlike other Italian provinces, the province of Ljubljana by a appointed by the Government in Rome High Commissioner ( Alto Commissario Provinciale ) was ruled, who had more powers than the prefect ( Prefetti ) in other provinces. First High Commissioner was Emilio Grazioli.
In May 1941, following five districts ( distretti ) were created:
- Lubiana ( Laibach ) - provincial capital, in the north- west of the province, 91,600 inhabitants
- Longatico - to the west of the province, 24,700 inhabitants
- Cocevie ( Gottschee ) - in the south of the province, comprised predominantly German -speaking inhabitants ( Gottscheers ), which were mostly resettled in 1941, so there were very few residents
- Cernomeli - in the southeast of the province, 29,800 inhabitants
- Novo mesto - in the north- east of the province, 81,400 inhabitants
The districts were headed by district commissioners ( Commissari distrettuali ), mostly local Slovenes, according to the sub-prefect ( sottoprefetti ) in other provinces.
The collaboration with the occupying power was rejected by the Slovenian population for the most part. This was reflected in the strong support for the partisans of the " Liberation Front " ( Osvobodilna fronta ). The rise of the partisan movement was followed by an increase of repression by the Italian occupiers.
After the capitulation of Italy in September 1943, the province was occupied by the German Wehrmacht. The Germans took over the management structure and made - unlike in northern Slovenia - the Slovene language continued to increase. The province formally remained in Italy, but stood as part of Operation Zone Adriatic Littoral de facto completely under German control. The German Reich Defense Commissioner of the Operational Zone Adriatic Littoral Friedrich Rainer entrusted the former Yugoslav general and used by the Italians as Ljubljana Mayor Leon Rupnik with the civil administration of the province of Ljubljana, but the head of the Police Unit, SS General Erwin Rosener, and Hermann Doujak, Friedrich Rainer's political consultant for the province of Ljubljana, exercised the real power.
After the victory of the partisans the province of Ljubljana was finally dissolved on 9 May 1945.