Izvleček
V članku je predstavljeno zgodovinsko obdobje med obema svetovnima vojnama, ko je Slovence na zahodu ločevala t. i. rapalska meja med kraljevinama Jugoslavijo in Italijo. Približno 350 000 Slovencev je bilo z njo ločenih od matične domovine in podvrženo poitalijančevanju. Žiri so bile eden pomembnejših krajev ob rapalski meji, na katero v okolici še danes spominjajo številni mejniki oz. »konfini«, kaverne, italijanske ceste ter osebne zgodbe prebivalcev na obeh straneh meje. Učencem naše šole predstavimo zgodovino rapalske meje ter njene ostaline na vodeni ekskurziji, ki poteka iz Žirov do Breznice, Mrzlega vrha ter nazaj v Žiri. Na poti vidijo materialne ostanke, ob zgodbah pa spoznavajo, kako je rapalska meja nasilno posegla v življenje prebivalcev vasi, ki so tako rekoč čez noč pripadle Italiji. Domači prebivalci se niso predali, kljubovali so tujemu gospodarju, za preživetje pa so se ukvarjali s tihotapstvom oz. kontrabantom. Nemška okupacija ob začetku druge svetovne vojne je razmere še poslabšala. Rapalska meja je bila uradno odpravljena s pariško mirovno pogodbo leta 1947.
Abstract
Rapallo Border in the Žiri Region: Learning About the History of Our Town
The article discusses the historical period between both World Wars, when Slovenes were divided in the West by the so-called Rapallo border between the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Kingdom of Italy. The Rapallo border cut off some 350 thousand Slovenes from their motherland and subjected them to Italianisation. Žiri was one of the more important towns along the Rapallo border. In the area surrounding Žiri, there are still many reminders of the border in the form of boundary markers or “confini”, caverns, Italian roads, and personal stories experienced by the inhabitants on both sides of the border. The pupils of our school are presented the history of the Rapallo border and its remains on a guided field trip across the area from Žiri to Breznica and Mrzli vrh, and back to Žiri. On the way, the pupils see the material remains of the border, and hear stories that tell them how the Rapallo border violently changed the lives of the inhabitants of villages which had ended up in Italy virtually overnight. However, the local population did not give up; they defied the foreign intruder and resorted to smuggling or contraband to survive. The German occupation at the start of World War II made the situation even worse. The Rapallo border was officially abolished with the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947.