A memorial of the occupied territory in front of the Rectorate of the University of Ljubljana

Abstract

The article discusses the history of the memorial plaque dedicated to the territory of the Littoral, which Italy occupied after the signing of the Treaty of Rapallo in 1920. The plaque was unveiled in Congress Square, in front of the Rectorate of the University of Ljubljana, on the initiative of the Yugoslav Society, an association aiding and supporting Slovenians abroad. The inauguration took place on 20 March 1921, in reaction to Italy’s festivities celebrating the annexation, which was carried out that same day. During the interwar period, several ideas were raised to convert the plaque into a bigger monument, none of which came to fruition. Apart from representing a place of memory, related to the traumatic loss of territory, the plaque also became a place of student political manifestations directed as much against Italy and Fascism as the Belgrade regime and its violence. Standing in the university’s autonomous territory, the plaque fell outside the jurisdiction of the Yugoslav government. It was destroyed and removed during Italy’s occupation at the onset of the Second World War. In 2012, a new memorial plaque was unveiled in front of the university building. However, due to a lack of knowledge about the history of its predecessor, it came to be regarded as a memorial of the Basovizza victims.