The Slovenian minority in Italy

The Canal Valley

The Canal Valley (Italian: Val Canale, Friulian Val Cjanâl, German Kanaltal) is a narrow, 23-kilometer-long valley running east-west between the Carnic and Julian Alps. It roughly stretches from the village of Coccau, near Tarvisio, to the railway junction of Pontebba. It is the northeasternmost part of the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located at the Italian-Austrian-Slovenian tri-border area. Until 2018, it belonged to the administrative-political unit of the Province of Udine, which was then replaced by ten inter-municipal territorial unions (Unione territoriale intercommunale). The valley area belongs to the Intermunicipal Union of Canal del Ferro and Canale Valley, based in Trbiž, and comprises three municipalities – Trbiž, Malborghetto-Valbruna, and Tablja, with a total area of 424 km². [1] The population is concentrated in the lower parts of the valley, along the Bela (Fella) and Ziljica (Slizza) rivers. These are mostly small settlements, with the center being Trbiž, where around 3,000 people live today. The demographic picture of the valley shows a marked negative trend since World War II. Between 1961 and 2021, the population fell by almost half. In 1961, it stood at 11,842, in 1991 at 9,181, and in 2021 at only 6,229. [2] These negative demographic indicators are mainly influenced by emigration, a lack of employment opportunities in the local area, and a declining birth rate. [3] The valley is located at the intersection of four cultures, languages, and nationalities: Slovenian, Austrian-German, Italian, and Friulian, which gives it a special character. These factors have had a significant impact on the history of the area and its social image. The last census that included nationality was conducted in 1983. Of the 8,886 people living in the three municipalities in the valley, 7,236 (81.4%) chose Italian, 895 (10.1%) chose Slovenian, and 755 (8.5%) chose German. ^[4]

The economy of the valley is primarily defined by its geographical and transport location. It is an important road and rail junction connecting the Adriatic Sea and the Mediterranean with Central Europe. The Žabnice Pass provides the lowest crossing point over the Alps. A gas pipeline and an oil pipeline also cross the valley.[5] In the past, the main economic activities were agriculture and forestry, along with developed local crafts and trade. In the early modern period, ironworks were also established in the area. [6] Especially after the incorporation into Italy, the lead, zinc, and iron mine, which operated until 1992, was also important. [7] After World War II, rapid economic restructuring took place. Between 1951 and 1981, the proportion of the population primarily employed in agriculture fell from 21% to 4%. The proportion of the population employed in industry fell from 36% to 26%, while the proportion in the service sector rose from 43% to 70%, mainly in transport, trade, and hospitality. [8] Today, tourism is an important economic sector in which intensive investment is taking place.

In administrative and political terms, from the Middle Ages until 1918, the area belonged to the Habsburg Empire – most of it was part of the province of Carinthia, while the smaller eastern part was included in the province of Carniola. The exception was a short period in the early 19th century, when the valley was annexed to the Illyrian Provinces and the Kingdom of Italy, which were established by the French Emperor Napoleon I. [9] After 1866, the border location between Austria-Hungary and Italy and transport links, especially the railway network, which was established in the area in the 1870s, gave the valley an important strategic role. This is also indicated by the number of military fortifications that were built in the area at that time (the Hansel and Beisner fortresses, the prison at Lake Rabelj). The valley was severely affected by World War I, as the area was directly on or near the front line (southwestern or Italian front), where the Italian and Austro-Hungarian armies fought. Part of the population was forced to flee, and the infrastructure was destroyed in some places.

After the end of World War I, the Treaty of Saint-Germain (1919) and the Treaty of Rapallo (1920) brought about radical socio-political changes, as the area became part of the Kingdom of Italy and was included in the province of Julian March. The 1920s and 1930s were marked by the denationalization policy of the state authorities, strong pressure and violence against the Slovenian and German national communities, which lost their organizations and the possibility of political, cultural, and educational activities. [10] During World War II, after Italy’s surrender in September 1943, German military units occupied the area. In order to control the northern Adriatic area, the Adriatic Coastal Operational Zone (Operazionszone Adriatisches Küstenland) was established, comprising the provinces of Udine, Trieste, Gorizia, Pula, Rijeka, and Ljubljana provinces, with its headquarters in Trieste.[11] The partisan resistance movement did not establish itself on a large scale in this area. The leadership of the national liberation movement for the Slovenian Littoral was not successful in organizing the district for the Kanal Valley.

After World War II, the new Yugoslav authorities demanded a revision of the state border and the inclusion of the eastern part of the Kanal Valley in the negotiations. In doing so, it had the support of the Soviet Union, whose proposal for a new border in this area was set further west and covered the entire Kanal Valley. [13] The other three superpowers – France, Great Britain, and the United States – did not support this proposal. Unsuccessful calls for inclusion in Yugoslavia also came from some representatives of the Slovenian community in the Kanal Valley. [14] The border between Italy and Yugoslavia was established by the peace treaty signed in Paris in February 1947, at a time when the Cold War was already taking shape in post-war Europe. In addition to the Kanal Valley, the Slovenian-populated areas of Resia, Venetian Slovenia, and Gorizia also came under Italian sovereignty, while the Free Territory of Trieste was established in the Trieste and Istria areas. [15] Especially in the first post-war decade, the Italian-Yugoslav border was one of the conflict hotspots of post-war Europe, largely impenetrable and extremely controlled. [16] During this period, the Slovenian community in Italy faced numerous pressures, restrictions, disregard, and even violence. [17] The situation began to improve gradually after the signing of the London Memorandum (1954) and the Treaty of Trieste (1955), which, among other things, resolved the issue of the Free Territory of Trieste and regulated the crossing of the state border for local border traffic. [18] A new chapter in relations began with the signing of the Osimo Agreements in 1975, which settled the issue of the border between the two countries and laid the foundations for economic development and improvement of the situation of the Slovenian community in Italy. [19] However, both the Treaty of Udine and the Osimo Agreements recognized the existence of the Slovenian community in Italy only in the areas of Gorizia and Trieste. Changes came at the turn of the 20th to the 21st century, when Law No. 482 on the protection of historical linguistic minorities in the territory of the Republic of Italy formally and legally recognized the presence of the Slovenian linguistic community in the province of Udine. The rights of the community were formally guaranteed in 2001 by Law No. 38 on the comprehensive protection of Slovenes in Italy.

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