»Že v naprej je natančno preračunana vsaka možnost, kjer bi se dal v zadnjem hipu ujeti še kak košček slovenske zemlje.« Delovanje mednarodne razmejitvene komisije na Štajerskem v letih 1920–23 **

ABSTRACT


SUMMARY
During the long 19 th century, the German-speaking population perceived Lower Styria as a borderland, as a few German-language enclaves existed in the province, while the Slovenian side increasingly equated the linguistic border with the national one. After the collapse of the Monarchy, the Germans were unwilling to give up their former property status in the north (the city of Celje was too far south and therefore no longer in the German sphere of interest). Moreover, they wanted to annex the strategically and economically important areas (the Drava river valley, the Slovenske gorice mountain range) to the new Austria. On the other hand, the Slovenian side tried to convince the Paris Peace Conference with a linguistic border. The reality, however, was somewhere in between. The actual new border that divided Styria between the two new states was merely a product of the superpowers, the lobbying of both sides, and the natural barriers. In many places, it divided the property of the border population and failed to satisfy either side. However, it became (and remained) an international border between two new states, and its final details were ultimately determined by a special International Delimitation Commission.
In accordance with the Treaty, the Commission had to draw up a work plan, define the border, and identify and mark the disputed areas in the field. The Commission managed, organised, and coordinated the efforts at the border, visiting the disputed areas and checking the border crossing points as necessary. At periodic meetings, it also examined the existing documentation, proposed potential corrections of the border and forwarded them to the governments of both relevant states, and participated in the drafting of new border documents or national border treaties. A technical section operated in the field, carrying out measurements and defining the border points as instructed by the Commission. The Commission, chaired by the head of the English delegation, Lieutenant-Colonel A. J. Craven, was also composed of the Austrian, Yugoslav, Japanese, Italian, and French delegations. The Yugoslav delegation was led by General Ante Plivelić.
However, the Slovenian press was quite sceptical about the selection of delegates, as the work at hand required people who possessed a thorough knowledge of the border issues. As early as July, the Slovenian deputy in the Belgrade National Representation Josip Hohnjec kept emphasising the seriousness of the situation. Both the Slovenian (Yugoslav) and Austrian side tried to prepare as thoroughly as possible for the arrival of the Commission, which was based in Maribor and started to operate on 12 August, two weeks after its appointment. Its first formal meetings were held as soon as the work began, while a week later, it also started operating in the field. In the proclamation to the border population, which the Commission issued in the German, French, and Slovenian languages, it announced "to the inhabitants of the affected territories that, under Article 29 of the provisions of the Treaty of Saint-Germain, its sole task is to determine in the field (in nature) the borders described in the said Treaty. " Within three months, the Commission demarcated the first part of the border from Košenjak to Sv. Duh. However, the Slovenian press was disappointed by the delimitation, as the solution was by no means ideal: in several places, the line cut through estates or border villages. Moreover, Austria managed to push it considerably southwards. Therefore, at the end of 1920, articles started to appear that questioned the impartiality of the Commission. Nevertheless, after the New Year, the Commission specified the border all the way to the river Mura. After six months of work, it had mostly completed its efforts by also defining the border along the river Mura as far as the town of Radgona. The Slovenian public was not satisfied, as the line did not follow the watershed (Košenjak -Sv. Ilj). Thus, the dissatisfaction with the Commission's work failed to abate. However, everything published in the press was mostly in vain, as the border had in fact already been set.
By the spring of 1921, the demarcation north of Maribor had largely been completed, while the river Mura was designated as the border river between Šentilj and Radgona. Technical work was carried out throughout the entire segment. The technical section produced four maps at a scale of 1:25,000: from the river Mura at Šentilj to Sv. Jurij; from Mura to Sv. Duh; from Stari potok to Sv. Lovrenc; and from Sv. Lovrenc to Košenjak. However, even in the late autumn of 1921, Austria still kept trying to acquire the Apaška kotlina basin. The German press insisted that the population of the territory in question wanted to join Austria, and sedition against the new state was an everyday occurrence.
These ambitions were unsuccessful, though. By the end of 1921, the Styrian segment of the Yugoslav-Austrian border had been finalised. In June 1922, the Commission specified the last details, thus finally making it official. Only President Craven and the delegations of the two countries concerned remained in the Commission until the completion of the technical work. On the last day of October 1923, the minutes of the delimitation work were finally signed, and the Commission formally concluded its work on 17 November 1923.