Free Territory of Trieste

Free Territory of Trieste Territorio Libero di Trieste(Italian) Svobodno tržaško ozemlje(Slovene) Slobodni Teritorij Trsta(Croatian) Слободна Територија Трста(Serbian) Teritorio Libero de Trieste(Triestine·Venetian)
1947–1954
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem:Inno Di San Giusto "Hymn to Saint Justus"
Zone A (green) and Zone B (blue and pink), indicating how the territory was split following its dissolution
Status	Independent territory underdirect responsibilityof theUnited Nations Security Council
Capital and largest city	Trieste
Official languages	Italian·Slovene·Serbo-Croatian·English(only for administrative purposes)
Religion	Catholicism,Serbian Orthodox,Judaism
Demonym(s)	Triestine
Government	TemporaryUNSC military government
Governor(Zone A)
• 1945(first)	Bernard Freyberg
• 1951–1954(last)	John Winterton
Governor(Zone B)
• 1945–1947(first)	Dušan Kveder
• 1951–1954(last)	Miloš Stamatović
Legislature	People's Assembly
Historical era	Cold War
•Trieste operation	30 April 1945
•UNSC Resolution 16	10 January 1947
•Treaty of Paris	10 February 1947
•London Memorandum	5 October 1954
•Treaty of Osimo	10 November 1975
Currency	Italian lira(Zone A) Triestine lira(Zone B)
Preceded by Succeeded by Italy Yugoslavia Italy
Today part of	Croatia Slovenia Italy

TheFree Territory of Triestewas an independent territory inSouthern Europebetween northernItalyandYugoslavia,facing the north part of theAdriatic Sea,underdirect responsibilityof theUnited Nations Security Councilin theaftermath of World War II.For a period of seven years, it acted as a free city.

The territory was established on 10 February 1947, by a protocol of theTreaty of Peace with Italy,to accommodate an ethnically and culturally mixed population in a neutral independent country. The intention was also to cool down territorial claims between Italy and Yugoslavia, due to its strategic importance for trade withCentral Europe.It came into existence on 15 September 1947. Its administration was divided into two areas: one being the port city ofTriestewith a narrow coastal strip to the northwest (Zone A); the other (Zone B) was formed by a small portion of the north-western part of theIstrian peninsula.

The territory wasde factodissolved in 1954 and given to Italy (Zone A) and Yugoslavia (Zone B). This created a border dispute which was only settled twenty years later with the signing of the bilateralTreaty of Osimoin 1975, which was ratified in 1977.

The city of Trieste and the territory which formed Zone A is today part of Italy'sFriuli-Venezia Giuliaregion. Following thedissolution of Yugoslaviain the early 1990s, the area of the former Zone B is today part ofSloveniaandCroatia.

Geography

Free Territory of Triesteidentity card

The Free Territory of Trieste comprised an area of 738 square kilometres (285 sq mi) around theGulf of Triestein the northern Adriatic, fromDuino(Devin) in the north toCittanova(Novigrad) in the south, and had approximately 330,000 inhabitants.

It bordered post-warItalyto the north, andYugoslaviato the east and south. The rivers of the territory included theRižana/Risano,theDragonja/Dragogna,theTimavo/Timava,theVal Rosandra/Glinščica,and theMirna/Quieto.The Territory's highest point was atMonte Cocusso/Kokoš(668 metres (2,192 ft)). Its most extreme points were nearMedeazza/Medjavasat 45° 48’ in the north, atTarski Zaliv / Porto Quietoat 45° 18’ in the south,Savudrija / Punta Salvoreat 13° 29’ in the west, andGročana/Grozzanaat 13° 55’ in the east.

History

See also:Imperial Free City of Trieste

Unofficial coat of arms of the Free Territory of Trieste as used in Zone B from 1947 to 1954

Since 1382, Trieste had been part of theHabsburg monarchy,whilst neighboringIstriahad been divided for centuries between the Habsburg monarchy (its central, northern and eastern parts) and theRepublic of Venice(its western and southern parts). The population of the territory has been diverse and mixed, with different and often changing ethnic majorities in different parts of the territory.

Italian-speakers have been predominant in most urban settlements and along the coast, with significant ethnic Slavic minorities ofSlovenesandCroatsinland - especially in the Trieste district, where Slovenes represented a third of the population by the end ofWorld War I(although most of them were recent arrivals, after 1880, from interior Slovene districts).The countryside of the territory was mostly populated by ethnic Slovenes or Croats in the southernmost portion of the area. There was also a smaller number ofIstro-Romanians,Greeks, Albanians, as well as a sizeableTriestine Jewishcommunity.

The localTriestine dialectreflects this ethnic mix. Based on the RomanceVenetian language,the dialect was influenced by ancientRhaeto-Romancesubstrate. In addition, some Triestine vocabulary are ofGermanandSloveneorigin, and there are also loanwords from other languages, such asGreek.

The variations of spoken Slovenian andSerbo-Croatianin the territory were also largely dialectal, sharing words with the Triestine and Istrian dialects. In the southernmost part of the territory, the Croatian-based dialects are of theChakaviantype, while the Venetian-based Istrian is also commonly used.

A 1950 poster for theMarshall Plandisplaying national flags of European countries, including one for Trieste with a blue background (the United Nations' official colour)

At the end of World War I in 1918 and the dissolution ofAustria-Hungary,Kingdom of Italy annexed Trieste, Istria and part of modern-day westernSlovenia,establishing the border region known as theJulian March(Venezia Giulia). In 1924, Italy also annexed theFree State of Fiume(now the city ofRijekain Croatia).

During the 1920s and 1930s, the Slavic population was subject to forcedItalianizationand discrimination under theItalian Fascistregime led byBenito Mussolini.They were also exposed tostate violenceby mobs incited by the ruling fascist partyPNF,which included the infamous burning of theSlovene National Hallin Trieste on 13 July 1920. Because of this, some native Slovenes and Croats emigrated to Yugoslavia, while others joined theTIGRresistance organization, whose methods included more than 100 bombings and assassinations, mostly against Italian authorities in the region, and especially in the areas around Trieste andGoriziato the north.

World War II

Border between the Free Territory of Trieste (Duino-Aurisina / Devin-Nabrežina) and Italy (Monfalcone)

Beginning in 1940, Italy joinedWorld War IIalongsideNazi Germanyas one of theAxis powers.When the Fascist regime collapsed and Italy capitulated with theArmistice of Cassibilein September 1943, the territory in and around Trieste was occupied by the GermanWehrmachtarmed forces, which made the city the capital of their regionalOperational Zone of the Adriatic Littoral(OZAK).

Amid the collapse of German front line towards the end of the war,Yugoslav Partisanunits (4th Armyand the9th Corps) entered Trieste on 1 May 1945, after a battle in the town ofOpicinaon the outskirts of Trieste.

The2nd New Zealand Divisionalso arrived the following day, and forced the surrender of some 2,000 German troops holding out in Trieste, who warily had refused to capitulate to Yugoslav troops, fearing reprisals and executions. An uneasy truce then developed between New Zealand and Yugoslav troops occupying the area, until British GeneralWilliam Morganproposed partition of the territory into separate military-administered zones.

Yugoslav leaderJosip Broz Titoagreed with the idea on 23 May, as the British13th Corpswas moving forward to the proposed demarcation line. A formal agreement on partition was signed inDuinoon 10 June, which created the so-calledMorgan Linedividing the Julian March territory. Yugoslav troops withdrew to their area on 12 June 1945.

Establishment of the territory and provisional government

A postage stamp for Zone B of the Free Territory of Trieste, 1948

In January 1947, theUnited Nations Security CouncilapprovedResolution 16under Article 24 of its charter calling for the creation of a free state in Trieste and the region surrounding it. A permanent statute codifying its provisions was to become recognized under international law upon the appointment of an international governor approved by the Quatripartite Powers (UK, US, France, and the Soviet Union). On 15 September 1947, the peace treaty between theUnited Nations(UN) and Italy was ratified, establishing the Free Territory of Trieste.

Official languages were Italian and Slovene, possibly with the use of Serbo-Croatian in the portion of Zone B south of theDragonjaRiver. However, local government bodies were never formed, and it continued to be run by military authorities, respecting the administrative division demarcated by the Morgan Line: Zone A, which was 222.5 square kilometres (85.9 sq mi) and had a population of 262,406 - including Trieste itself - was administered by the British and American forces; Zone B, which was 515.5 square kilometres (199.0 sq mi) with 71,000 residents - including north-western Istria - was administered by the Yugoslav army.

Cyclists from the Free Territory of Trieste during the 1950Peace RaceinPoland

Between October 1947 and March 1948, theSoviet Unionrejected the candidacy of 12 successive nominees for the civilian governor of the territory, at which point the Tripartite Powers (United States, United Kingdom, and France) issued a note to the Soviet and Yugoslav governments on 20 March 1948 recommending that the territory be returned to Italian sovereignty.

Since no governor was ever appointed under the terms of UN Resolution 16, the Territory never functioned as a real independent state – although its formal status and separate sovereignty were generally respected. It operated as a separate state in theMarshall Plan(launched in April 1948) and the relatedOEEC(formed in March 1948).Meanwhile, theTito-Stalin splitin mid-1948 led to the deterioration of relations between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, which resulted in a political stalemate, and the proposal to return the territory to Italy was suspended until 1954.

TheAllied Military Government(AMG) thus continued to administer Zone A. The governance was split into peacekeeping and law enforcement sectors, with the local command comprising 5,000 Americans in theTrieste United States Troops(TRUST) and 5,000 British personnel in the British Element Trieste Forces (BETFOR).

According to the estimates published by the Allied Military Government, the population in Zone A as of 1949 was about 310,000, which included 239,200 ethnic Italians and 63,000 ethnic Slovenes.

According to contemporary Italian sources,in Zone B there were at the time 36,000 to 55,000 Italians and 12,000 to 17,000 Slovenes and Croats. According to the Yugoslav census of 1945 (which was considered falsified by the Quadripartite Commission set up by the UN),in the part of Istria which was to become Zone B there were a total of 67,461 inhabitants - including 30,789 Slovenes, Serbs and Croats, 29,672 Italians, and 7,000 people of unidentified nationality.

Elections in the Territory were held twice, in 1949 and 1952, but only for municipal councils. The elections for what was supposed to be the People's Assembly (Free Territory of Trieste's national legislature) were never held.

Free Territory of Trieste Diplomatic visa issued in Vienna.

Dissolution

On 5 October 1954, the London Memorandum was signed by ministers of the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, and Yugoslavia. The memorandum effectively disestablished the Free Territory of Trieste, which meant that the civilian administration was formally transferred to neighboring Italy and Yugoslavia.

Former Zone A with Trieste was given to Italy, while Zone B – which already had a separate communist civilian government since 1947 – to Yugoslavia. In addition, Yugoslavia was given some smaller parts of the former Zone A, including the city ofKoper(Koppe), as well as several villages in the municipality ofMuggia,likePlavje,Spodnje Škofije,Elerji,Hrvatini,Kolomban,Cerej,Premančan,andBarizoni.The castle and village ofSocerbaboveSan Dorligo della Vallewas also ceded to the Yugoslav administration, according to the demarcation line defined by Annex I to the London Memorandum.

However, objections to the demarcation line and territorial claims from both sides continued. These were finally put to rest with the November 1975 signing of the bilateralTreaty of Osimobetween Italy and Yugoslavia, which ended any current or future claims - as the London Memorandum had only dissolved the territoryde facto,but notde jure.

Governors of the territory

Zone A

Military commander

Governor	In office	Country
Maj. Gen.Bernard Freyberg*	2 May 1945 – July 1945	New Zealand
Col.Alfred Connor Bowman*	July 1945 – July 1947	United States
Col.James Jewett Carnes*	July 1947 – 15 September 1947
Maj. Gen.Sir Terence Airey	15 September 1947 – 31 March 1951	United Kingdom
Maj. Gen.Sir John Winterton	1 April 1951 – 26 October 1954

Zone B

Military commander

Governor	In office	Country
Dušan Kveder*	1 May 1945 – September 1947	Yugoslavia
Mirko Lenac	15 September 1947 – March 1951
Miloš Stamatović	March 1951 – 25 October 1954

*Governors of allJulian Marchprior to the establishment of the Territory.

Economics

The economy of the territory was based on its ports, namely theFree Port of Triesteand thePort of Koper/Capodistria.The first had a peculiarfree zone(nowadays alsooffshore) status originated in 1719and confirmed by theTreaty of Peace with Italy of 1947,which allows the transportation of goods inside the area. This status is recognised by the international community and the European Union.

An excerpt from the answer given byAlgirdas Šemetaon 7 August 2012, on behalf of theEuropean Commissionabout the Free Port of Trieste:

Annex VIII to the Treaty of peace with Italy of 10 February 1947 stipulates in its Article 1 that the port of Trieste shall be a customs-free port. Article 5(2) of Annex VIII provides that in connection with the importation into or exportation from or transit through the Free Port,the authorities of the Free Territory shall not levy on such goods customs duties or charges other than those levied for services rendered.[emphasis added]

Further information:Confederazione dei Sindacati Unici Classisti del Territorio libero di Trieste

Demographics

During the late 1940s and in the years following the division of the territory, up to 40,000 people(mostly Italians) chose to leave the Yugoslav Zone B and move to the Italian Zone A for various reasons: some were intimidated into leaving, and some simply preferred not to live in Yugoslavia. Within Yugoslavia, the people who left were referred to asoptanti'choosers', whereas they called themselvesesuli'exiles'. About 14,000 Italians chose to remain in the Yugoslav zone. The population of the Free Territory of Trieste was approximately 370,000 in 1949.

See also

• Treaty of Peace with Italy, 1947
• Communist Party of the Free Territory of Trieste
• United Nations Security Council Resolution 16
• Julian March
• Istrian–Dalmatian exodus
• Morgan Line
• Slovene Littoral
• Province of Trieste
  • List of governors of the Province of Trieste
• Triestine Serbs
• Slovenian Istria
• Istria County
• Trieste United States Troops
• Saar Protectorate
• Shanghai International Settlement
• Free City of Danzig

External links

Media related toFree Territory of Triesteat Wikimedia Commons

• VintageLifeMagazine Photos of Triesteat Google Images.
• http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/s_2015_809.pdf