Styria ( Slovene : Štajerska ), also known as Slovenian Styria ( Slovenska Štajerska ; German : Slowenische Steiermark ) or Lower Styria ( Spodnja Štajerska ; German : Untersteiermark ) to differentiate it from Austrian Styria , is a traditional region in northeastern Slovenia , comprising the southern third of the former Duchy of Styria . The population of Styria in its historical boundaries amounts to around 705,000 inhabitants, or 34.5% of the population of Slovenia. The largest city is Maribor .
24-688: 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
48-513: A new system of nine banates (in Serbo-Croatian , the word for "banate" is banovina ) was implemented. From 1918 to 1922, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes continued to be subdivided into the pre-World War I divisions of Austria-Hungary and the formerly independent kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro . Provinces ( pokrajine ) were: These were subdivided into districts and counties: The Vidovdan Constitution of 1921 established
72-517: A variety of the English aroma hop Fuggles. 46°22′0″N 15°29′0″E / 46.36667°N 15.48333°E / 46.36667; 15.48333 Upper Styria Upper Styria ( German : Obersteiermark ), in the Austrian usage of the term, refers exclusively to the northwestern, generally mountainous and well-wooded half of the federal state of Styria . The southeastern half of
96-536: 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
120-731: The Anti-Fascist Council of the People's Liberation of Yugoslavia , an expulsion of the remaining ethnic German population was carried out, regardless of their links to the Nazi regime. Between the 1950s and 1970s, many areas of the region underwent rapid industrialization. Towns like Maribor, Celje, and Velenje became among the most important industrial centers of Slovenia and Yugoslavia. Lower Styria has no official status as an administrative or statistical unit within Slovenia. In 2005,
144-541: 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
168-626: 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
192-637: The new Yugoslav Constitution . The banates (banovinas) were as follows: The City of Belgrade , together with Zemun and Pančevo was also an administrative unit independent of the surrounding Danube Banovina . As an accommodation to Croatian politicians in the Cvetković-Maček Agreement , the Banovina of Croatia ( Banovina Hrvatska ) was formed in 1939 from a merger of the Littoral and Sava Banovinas, with some additional territory from
216-526: 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
240-461: The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes as a unitary state and, in 1922, 33 new administrative oblasts (counties) ruled from the centre were instituted. These bore no relation to the earlier divisions and, in the interest of promoting Yugoslavism , statism and multiculturalism , were not given any ethnic or national names. They were largely named after rivers, regions and cities from which they were administered. They were unpopular in parts of
264-399: The Kingdom of Yugoslavia The subdivisions of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (initially known as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes ) existed successively in three different forms. From 1918 to 1922, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia maintained the pre- World War I subdivisions of Yugoslavia's predecessor states. In 1922, the state was divided into 33 oblasts or provinces and, in 1929,
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#1732779554043288-520: The area between the towns of Judenburg and Mürzzuschlag , in the valley formed by the rivers Mur and Mürz , with extensive industrial sites. The area around Altaussee in the far northwest is part of the Austrian Salzkammergut cultural landscape. The Obersteiermark region consists of five districts : In Slovenian usage, the term Upper Styria ( Zgornja Štajerska ) refers to the whole Austrian state of Styria—as opposed to
312-526: The country since their formation, which led to the creation of banates . From 1929, the kingdom was subdivided into nine new provinces or banates called banovinas . Their borders were intentionally drawn so that they would not correspond either to boundaries between ethnic groups, or to pre- World War I imperial borders. Except for the Littoral Banovina, they were named after major rivers. Slight changes to their borders were made in 1931 with
336-707: 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: Nowadays, many of these peripheral areas are no longer considered part of Styria. An exception
360-480: 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
384-499: The overall population) were expelled from Lower Styria, or resettled to other parts of the Reich. As a reaction, a resistance movement developed. Many areas of Lower Styria witnessed fierce fighting between German troops and Slovene partisan units. After World War II, Yugoslav authority over the region was established and Slovene Styria became an integral part of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia . According to prior decisions made by
408-496: The promotion of tourism. 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 . 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 ,
432-676: 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 . In the Middle Ages , the Lower Styrian lands were ruled by several immediate ( reichsfrei ) dynasties like
456-628: The state around the capital of Graz is known as Central Styria ( Mittelsteiermark ), which is further divided into Eastern and Western Styria (east and west of Graz). Upper Styria is separated from Central Styria by the Stubalpe and Gleinalpe ranges of the Lavanttal Alps , and the Prealps East of the Mur . It is a generally rural region characterized by agriculture and tourism, except for
480-625: 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
504-458: The traditional region called Lower Styria ( Spodnja Štajerska ), Slovenian Styria ( Slovenska Štajerska ) or just Styria ( Štajerska ), the southern third of the former Duchy of Styria which after World War I was allotted to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia according to the 1919 Treaty of Saint Germain and is today part of Slovenia . 47°20′N 15°01′E / 47.34°N 15.02°E / 47.34; 15.02 Subdivisions of
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#1732779554043528-476: 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
552-520: 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
576-540: Was more or less identical with Slovenia, with Ljubljana as its capital city. In April 1941, Nazi Germany invaded Yugoslavia and Slovene Styria was annexed, becoming CdZ -Gebiet Untersteiermark under Reichsgau Steiermark . A policy of violent Germanization was introduced. Public use of Slovene was prohibited, and all Slovene associations were dissolved. Members of all professional and intellectual groups, including many clergymen, were expelled. Between April 1941 and May 1942, around 80,000 Slovenes (almost 15% of
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