National 'marking' of Slovenian Mountains Before World War I

Abstract

In the second half of the 19th century, Slovenian mountains became increasingly popular. By strengthening the bourgeoisie and the industrial society, more and more people had time (“leisure time”) to visit the mountains. This was, however, also the time after the Spring of Nations (1848), when slovenianism is affirmed and national aspirations become realized. By mountaineering, national aspirations were moved from towns to high mountains and were particularly evident in the form of a competition to conquer the summits, build trails and huts. Mountaineering became a tool for a symbolical conquest of mountains. One could say that it was a race of “marking” the mountains. The central area of this competition were the Julian Alps, particularly their central part, the Triglav mountain range. From the last quarter of the 19th century, the “marking” champions were the main two German organizations (present in Slovenian territory through their branches since 1874), the German-Austrian Alpine Society (DÖAV), and the Austrian Tourist Club (ÖTC). Together they developed a network of shelters and mountain trails that were marked exclusively with German inscriptions (signboards, hut names, etc.). Towards the end of the 19th century (1893), the Slovenes founded their own Slovene Mountaineering Society (SPD) as well, resisting the German branding. By using Slovenian names, constructing trails and employing a different way of marking them, and building Slovenian huts, they wanted to prevent the Germans from conquering the mountains they deemed Slovene. A race in constructing the alpine infrastructure started, which eventually turned into arguments. The latter included destruction of property, as well as physical confrontations, which were later called “the battle for the mountains”. The greatest success of the Slovenian side was the purchase of the Triglav summit (1895), where the priest Jakob Aljaž built a tower - the highest Slovenian marking.

Keywords

• Triglav
• mountaineering
• territory marking
• hut building
• Slovene Mountaineering Society
• German-Austrian Alpine Society