Styria

Use of the term

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 the Mur River and the Slovene Hills in the north down to the Sava. Upper Styria and Central Styria, predominantly German-speaking, today form the Austrian state of Styria (Steiermark). The southern third, predominantly Slovene-speaking Lower Styria, became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Yugoslavia) after World War I. After World War II, it became part of the predecessor of modern Slovenia, the Socialist 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.

The Slovene name Štajerska is borrowed and adapted from the German name for the region, Steiermark. Both ultimately derive from Celtic, via the river Steyr.

History

In the Middle Ages, the Lower Styrian lands were ruled by several immediate (reichsfrei) dynasties like the Counts of Celje, whose large possessions were not incorporated by the Habsburg dukes until the 15th century.

According to the last Austro-Hungarian census of 1910, Lower Styria had around 498,000 inhabitants, of which around 82% were Slovene and around 18% German speakers.

In 1918, after the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy following World War I, the Duchy of Styria was divided between the newly established states of German Austria and the Yugoslav State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. In early November 1918, Rudolf Maister, a Slovene major of the former Austro-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 at Graz. By December 1918, all of Lower Styria was de facto included in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. A protest by German-speaking Marburg citizens resulted in the Marburg Bloody Sunday, when 13 people were killed and about 60 wounded.

Confirmed by the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the border between Yugoslav and Austrian Styria mostly followed the ethnic-linguistic dividing line between Slovenes and ethnic Germans. Nevertheless, several predominantly German-speaking towns were annexed into Yugoslavia, such as Maribor (Marburg an der Drau) (80% German speakers), Ptuj (Pettau) (86%), and Celje (Cilli) (67%); in addition, the German-speaking area around the village of Apače (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.

In 1922, the County of Maribor was formed, comprising most of the territory of Slovene Styria, plus the Prekmurje and the Međimurje regions. After the coup d'etat of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia in January 1929, the counties were abolished and replaced with nine Banates (Slovene: Banovina). Following the reorganization implemented by the Yugoslav constitution of 1931, Slovene Styria was incorporated in the newly established Drava Banovina, which was more or less identical with Slovenia, with Ljubljana as its capital city.

Statistical division

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 the Drava Statistical Region (Slovene: podravska statistična regija) with its seat in Maribor, and the Savinja Statistical Region (savinjska statistična regija) with its seat in Celje. Smaller areas of Lower Styria are included in:

The Mura Statistical Region (pomurska statistična regija): the subregion called Prlekija, with the municipalities of Apače, Gornja Radgona, Križevci, Ljutomer, Radenci, Razkrižje, Sveti Jurij ob Ščavnici, and Veržej;

The Carinthia Statistical Region (koroška statistična regija): the municipalities of Mislinja, Muta, Podvelka, Radlje ob Dravi, Ribnica na Pohorju, Slovenj Gradec, and Vuzenica;

The Lower Sava Statistical Region (spodnjeposavska statistična regija): the Municipality of Bistrica ob Sotli, and the territory on the left bank of the Sava River in the municipalities of Brežice, Krško, Sevnica, and Radeče;

The Central Sava Statistical Region (zasavska statistična regija): the territory on the left bank of the Sava River in the municipalities of Hrastnik and Trbovlje.

Nowadays, many of these peripheral areas are no longer considered part of Styria. An exception is the Prlekija subregion, which is still widely considered part of the region. The name Štajerska disappeared from official use in 1922, when the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was administratively divided into oblasts. 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.

Cities and towns

The cultural and economic centre of Lower Styria has always been the city of Maribor. Other major towns are Brežice, Celje, Ptuj, Slovenj Gradec, Slovenska Bistrica, and Velenje.

Tourism

Styria is known for its white wine, especially Ljutomer Riesling, for the Pohorje ski resort, for cultural festivals and for pumpkin seed oil. It is also known as a hop-growing area producing Styrian Goldings, a variety of the English aroma hop Fuggles.

Prominent people

Anton Aškerc, poet

Jože Brilej, politician, diplomat and ambassador of Yugoslavia, politician, President of the United Nations Security Council, chief justice of the supreme court of Slovenia, World War II partisan war hero, editor of Ljudska pravica

Marta Brilej, diplomat, partisan war hero, head of PR for tourism Yugoslavia, patron of the arts

Aleš Čeh, football (soccer) player

Jolanda Čeplak, athlete

Peter Dajnko, philologist and poet

Karel Destovnik Kajuh, poet

Mladen Dolar, philosopher

Janja Garnbret, rock climber

Vekoslav Grmič, theologian

Drago Jančar, writer

Edvard Kocbek, writer, poet, and politician

Anton Korošec, politician, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Janez Menart, poet

Franz Miklosich, linguist

Matija Murko, linguist and ethnographer

Johann Puch, inventor, bicycle industry

Žarko Petan, film and theatre director

Herman Potočnik, electrical engineer and astronautics theorist