List of historical German names for places in Slovenia

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This is a list of German language names for places located in Slovenia. Those names have important historical value.

Historical perspective

Until 1866, the only official language used in the Empire of Austria administration was the German. Some German place names were only "Germanised" versions of the original Slavic names.

The compromise of 1867 marked the start of a recognition of the need to bilingualism in areas where an important proportion of another language was used.

In the provinces that now are (completely or not) part of Slovenia, the languages used were (near 1900):[1]

  • Carinthia: German (72%), Slovenian (28%)
  • Carniola: Slovenian (94%), German (6%)
  • Austrian Littoral: Italian (45%), Slovenian (31%), Serbo-Croat (21%), German (2%)
  • Styria: German (68%), Slovenian (32%).

It may thus be more appropriate to state that German names were all official endonyms.

As illustrated by the name of post-offices, many towns and villages received a dual name after 1867 (the fact became a law in 1871[2]), except - as stated - where there was a clear German speaking majority.

The code (used in the list) of the Austrian Districts Bezirkshauptmannschaften in 1900[3] is given hereafter, for verification and further use:

A large part of Slovenia is represented here in 1897

List, sorted by Slovenian alphabet

File:Haidenschaft 1859 Ajdovscina.jpg
Ajdovščina - Haidenschaft in 1859
File:5kr IssueII RDb-f Flitsch.jpg
Bovec - Flitsch in 1859
File:Tschernembl 1897 Cernomiel.jpg
Tschernembl - Črnomelj in 1897
File:Rieg 1899 Reka Kocevska.jpg
Rieg only before 1867
File:Laibach 1891 Ljubliana.jpg
Laibach - Ljubliana, Bilingual in 1891
Early use of letter Č, bilingual named Ratschach - Radeče later
File:Radmannsdorf 1867 Radovljica.jpg
Radmannsdorf - Radovljica, end of the 1860s, bilingual after
File:1883 Schönstein 10kr Sostanj.jpg
Šoštanj, 1883 bilingual (St,20)
File:1874ca Trifail 5kr Trbovlje.jpg
Trbovlje, bilingual at the end of the 19th c. (St,2)
File:Sairach 1911 Ziri.jpg
Sairach - Ziri in 1911

See also

References

  1. Die postalischen Abstempelungen auf den österreichischen Postwertzeichen-Ausgaben 1867, 1883 und 1890, Wilhelm KLEIN, 1967 (in German)
  2. Klein p.28, Erlass vom 2. April 1871.
  3. Klein 1967, Die politische Gliederung der Österreishischen Reischshälfte, p.11-14.

External links