Mayor ’s conflicts , troubles and joys

The Mayors of Teharje, Municipal Elections and Their Functioning from 1849 till the Disintegration of Austria-Hungary

Abstract

The Teharje noble municipality was one of the last remains of the Old-Slovenian lower administrative regulation with special freedoms and lower taxes. It enjoyed the status of an old noble municipality (Das Edelthum Tüchern) that survived throughout the Middle Ages till the mid-19th century. For the Teharje people, it marked the end of feudalism and the administrative reforms of Austrian rulers, including the area of municipalities, the end of “nobility”, special rights and other tax privileges. Teharje became an ordinary rural municipality in Styria. Industrialization and the first factories, in particular the Štore steelworks, marked the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the Teharje municipality. After 1875, a political struggle erupted, in particular at municipal elections and involving the choice between the pro-Slovenian and pro-German political camps. The struggle also divided the Steelworks management and had an impact on a large part of the Teharje population, both farmers and workers. The two sides took turns in running the city administration. The main topics that characterized the functioning of mayors and election campaigns included their disputable decisions in the field of public transport and other municipal infrastructure.