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Slovenske meje danes in v preteklosti/Slovenian borders now and before

13K views 26 replies 11 participants last post by  Lander 
#1 ·
My dad used to tell me about how people from former Yugoslavia used to travel to Trieste, Italy in thousands every year. Slovenian border to Italy and Austria is largely made up of mountains and it´s not easy to watch over.
I was wondering how it was in the "old" days? I would imagine that people would be hiking in the mountains and without noticing cross the border. How was border control back then, did people who lived in the area close to the border travel often to Italy or Austria? I find it very interesting that in the past one could change from "east to west" quite easily? Was there ever some sort of illegal trade with necesities from Italy and Austria that were missing in Yug?
A lot of questions, I know...it´s very interesting.
 
#3 ·
Umm, well, there was smuggling, yup, like we smuggled our VCR over the border in the late 80s, cuz we couldn't bring it in.. :D

But people also brought in stuff legally, however, it was very discouraged, customs officers treated you almost like criminals, basically. Yes, travelling was normal, and the border in the mountains was arranged with the Treaty of Osimo. Basically you could step over the border, but you had to return to the country you came from, if I understand correctly.

I hope someone who is a bit older can give you more detailed answers.. :)
 
#4 ·
As far back as I can remember we never had any problems buying stuff in Italy. But then again I understood very little back then (I'm not that old either) Tho I do remember we used to smugle whiskey around a lot :D from Italy, other than that - clothes and all... no problem. Maybe it's because we used those local border crossings since we practically live on the border anyway...
 
#5 ·
I think that can be the case with Romania suring the era of Ceaucescu. He was the one that never allowed anyone out. Yugoslavs were fine in that time. But I think you still asked a good question. Also was Trieste part of Yugoslavia. I Think it was but, Italians stole it.
 
#25 ·
Borders were normally opened till World war2. Then it was hard to cross from 1945-1949. In 50s borders were normally opened, and people didnt need visas.

A lot of people worked and commuted normally during 60s since incomes were much higher in Italy and especially Austria.

I remember that until 1996 we went often to supermarkets in Austria (it was 2km from me) because prices were lower.
I also remember we smuggled cheaper home appliances:lol:

Now Lander that didnt look like you see in movies where people smuggle stuff on a horse and where they pass mountains:lol:
We just put lets say TV in the back of our car and didnt pay import tax when we crossed border.

Now (unfortunately) borders are gone and charm of smuggling is also gone:lol:
 
#13 ·
I was looking local political representation in Trieste area, there are few parties that represent slovenians in that part of Italy. There are also schools that teach in slovenian.
I thought that Yug got a smaller part of the cake in 1945 when it comes to drawing land borders, I think even Tito wanted to get to Trieste before allied troops.
 
#22 ·
^^ Thats irrelevant. Yugoslavia ceased to exist in 1990 and so did this common border u speak of. The socialist republics became independent states .... and borders of the sea and the laws that define them (by the UN) applied to each of the newly independent states.

This thread is becoming too political, im suprised it was allowed in the first place.
 
#24 ·
Most 'westerns' think that Yugoslavia was on the other side of the iron curtain…well, I am alpinist and mountaineer but never had problems in mountains »in the time of Yugoslavia« at least Slovenia/Italy or Slovenia/Austria. It was quite open border, much more as an example France/Spain border in 80-ies. There was only restriction that you needed to 'check in' on the police or army checkpoint, but truly I never did it and had no problems at all. When I was 16 and 17 years old, I had taken interrail ticket and traveled all over the West Europe during the summer holidays. That was quite common among Slovenian teenagers in the beginning of 80-ies. I didn’t feel any pressure or idea to not be a free person. When I had to obligatory serve YU army in Macedonia - I was in Stip, the same distance from Ljubljana as to Paris – then it was completely different story, although the same country. There was no chance to freely move in the mountains in the border area, we had even a, how to say “first shot then ask” guardians… as I was 18 years boy in that time, the military service was my first contact with the “Yugoslavia” and a cultural shock, as big that I spent my first three month of military service in the school learning “Serbo-Croatian” language, all I understood was only the intuition and the Slavic similarity of languages…
 
#26 ·
in the 60's the number of times u could cross the border was rationed, but grandparents told me the guards even weighed meat and other products and didn't let u back into Yugoslavia if u had even a few grams too much, same with eggs (so my grampa got pissed and threw some on the floor in front of the guard.. he could pass normally then :D)
 
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