Page 126 - Dark Shades of Istria
P. 126
Memories and Dark Tourism in Istria
wreath-laying ceremony – see Dagostin (2017) and Radović (2016).
A similar event is also organised by the Istria County;
• residents of Istrian Municipalities in Slovenia also remember events
related to w w i i and anti-fascism on their municipal public holi-
days.³⁹ On 15 October, the formation of the first ‘Naval Detachment
Koper’ in 1944 is remembered in Piran (A. S., 2017), the citizens
of Izola remember the mass departure of the locals to the partisan
units in 1944 on 11 July (Občina Izola – Isola, n.d.), while Koper re-
members the rebellion in Marezige from 15 May 1921, which was one
of the first anti-fascist rebellions in Europe (Mestna občina Koper,
n.d.). Besides the memorial one, these events are also of a cultural
and sports nature; they are also interesting because they attract –
apart from local politicians and anti-fascists – all generations of the
population. Hence, 15 September marks the ‘Day of Restoration of
the Primorska Region to the Motherland’ when Slovenians, and es-
pecially the residents of its Western part including Slovenian Istria,
remember the entry into force of the Treaty of Peace with Italy and
the definition of the western border in 1947.⁴⁰ On this occasion, an
official state ceremony in one of the municipalities in this part of
Slovenia is held each year;
• there are two commemorations that attract people from the whole
region and beyond (Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy): the commemora-
tion in Plovanija on 22 June – the Anti-Fascist Struggle Day (L. J.,
2018) (Figure 6.10) – and in Kućibreg in the beginning of October
(Jelavić, 2017), both at the Slovenian-Croatian border. What mark
these events are participants from three different states, multicul-
turalism, anti-fascism (including symbols of the national liberation
struggle and the image of Josip Broz Tito), and collective memory
embracing many regionalist topics. An important informal element
of these events is the socialising of participants. In this context, the
³⁹ The only exception is the Municipality of Ankaran, which has not yet defined its munic-
ipal public holiday.
⁴⁰ This public holiday is defined by the Public Holidays and Work-Free Days in the Republic
of Slovenia Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o praznikih in dela prostih
dnevih v Republiki Sloveniji (z pdpd-a), 2005). However, in the case of Istria, the Act
does not rely on the relevant facts, since the Slovenian part of Istria was formally assigned
to the Second Yugoslavia after solving the Trieste issue in October 1954. The introduction
of the holiday and the related politicisation can be seen as a response to the introduction
of the Il Giorno del ricordo in Italy – see Verginella (2009a, p. 39).
126
wreath-laying ceremony – see Dagostin (2017) and Radović (2016).
A similar event is also organised by the Istria County;
• residents of Istrian Municipalities in Slovenia also remember events
related to w w i i and anti-fascism on their municipal public holi-
days.³⁹ On 15 October, the formation of the first ‘Naval Detachment
Koper’ in 1944 is remembered in Piran (A. S., 2017), the citizens
of Izola remember the mass departure of the locals to the partisan
units in 1944 on 11 July (Občina Izola – Isola, n.d.), while Koper re-
members the rebellion in Marezige from 15 May 1921, which was one
of the first anti-fascist rebellions in Europe (Mestna občina Koper,
n.d.). Besides the memorial one, these events are also of a cultural
and sports nature; they are also interesting because they attract –
apart from local politicians and anti-fascists – all generations of the
population. Hence, 15 September marks the ‘Day of Restoration of
the Primorska Region to the Motherland’ when Slovenians, and es-
pecially the residents of its Western part including Slovenian Istria,
remember the entry into force of the Treaty of Peace with Italy and
the definition of the western border in 1947.⁴⁰ On this occasion, an
official state ceremony in one of the municipalities in this part of
Slovenia is held each year;
• there are two commemorations that attract people from the whole
region and beyond (Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy): the commemora-
tion in Plovanija on 22 June – the Anti-Fascist Struggle Day (L. J.,
2018) (Figure 6.10) – and in Kućibreg in the beginning of October
(Jelavić, 2017), both at the Slovenian-Croatian border. What mark
these events are participants from three different states, multicul-
turalism, anti-fascism (including symbols of the national liberation
struggle and the image of Josip Broz Tito), and collective memory
embracing many regionalist topics. An important informal element
of these events is the socialising of participants. In this context, the
³⁹ The only exception is the Municipality of Ankaran, which has not yet defined its munic-
ipal public holiday.
⁴⁰ This public holiday is defined by the Public Holidays and Work-Free Days in the Republic
of Slovenia Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o praznikih in dela prostih
dnevih v Republiki Sloveniji (z pdpd-a), 2005). However, in the case of Istria, the Act
does not rely on the relevant facts, since the Slovenian part of Istria was formally assigned
to the Second Yugoslavia after solving the Trieste issue in October 1954. The introduction
of the holiday and the related politicisation can be seen as a response to the introduction
of the Il Giorno del ricordo in Italy – see Verginella (2009a, p. 39).
126
