Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
KOROŠKA
The truncated province of Koroška is essentially just three valleys bounded by the Pohorje
Massif on the east; the last of the Karavanke peaks, Mt Peca, on the west; and the hills of
Kobansko to the north. The Drava Valley runs east to west and includes the towns of Dra-
vograd, Muta and Vuzenica. The Mežica and Mislinja valleys fan out from the Drava; the
former is an industrial area with such towns as Ravne, Prevalje and Črna na Koroškem,
while the latter's main centre is Slovenj Gradec.
There is a reason Koroška is so small. In the plebiscite ordered by the victorious allies
after WWI, Slovenes living on the other side of the Karavanke, the 120-km-long rock wall
that separates Slovenia from Austria, voted to put their economic future in the hands of Vi-
enna while the mining region of the Mežica Valley went to Slovenia. As a result, the Slove-
nian nation lost 90,000 of its nationals (7% of the population at the time) as well as the cit-
ies of Klagenfurt (Celovec) and Villach (Beljak) to Austria.
Understandably, the results of that vote have never sat very well with the Slovenes on the
southern side of the mountains. Still, Koroška holds a special place in the hearts and minds
of most Slovenes. The Duchy of Carantania (Karantanija), the first Slavic state dating back
to the 7th century, was centred here, and the word 'Carinthia' is derived from that name.
UNDER THE LINDEN TREES
Slovenia's national tree, the stately linden (or common lime) and its heart-shaped leaf have become something of a
symbol of Slovenia and Slovenian hospitality.
The linden
(lipa)
grows slowly for about 60 years and then suddenly spurts upward and outwards, living to a ripe
old age. It is said that a linden grows for 300 years, stands still for another 300 and takes 300 years to die.
Linden wood was used by the Romans to make shields and, as it is easy to work with, artisans in the Middle
Ages carved religious figures from it, earning linden the title
sacrum lignum,
or 'sacred wood'. Tea made from the
linden flower, which contains aromatic oils, has been used as an antidote for fever and the flu since at least the 16th
century. More importantly, from earliest times the linden tree was the focal point of any settlement in Slovenia - the
centre of meetings, arbitration, recreation and, of course, gossip. The tree, which could never be taller than the
church spire, always stood in the middle of the village, and important decisions were made by town elders at a table
beneath it.
In fact, so sacred is the linden tree to Slovenes that its destruction is considered a serious offence. In discussing
the barbarous acts committed by the Italians during the occupation of Primorska between the wars, one magazine
article passionately points out that 'Kobarid had to swallow much bitterness…The fascists even cut down the linden
tree…'
