Rapallo Border Historical Society rapalskameja.si · 1920–1947
Rapallo Border · 1920–1947

Tourist Traffic in the Border Zone

The joint alpine border zone under the Opatija Agreement of 1925 — special border passes and alpine clubs


The Opatija Agreement of 1929

The Nettuno Agreement of July 1925 included a special clause on tourist traffic in the mountain border zone. Its provisions were supplemented on 6 June 1929 at a session of the Yugoslav-Italian Commission held in Opatija; the amendments entered into force on 15 August 1930. The changes were published in the Official Gazette, issue 74/18 of 19 February 1929, when the Banate Administration in Ljubljana issued instructions on movement in the border zone.

At Opatija, the two states exchanged official lists of alpine clubs whose members had gained the right to move in the border zone. The term tourist traffic at that time referred to all sporting visitors to the mountains. The German topographic names in the agreement result from the commission's decision to use the map of the Austrian Military Geographic Institute at a scale of 1:75,000 as its cartographic base.

Border Zones for Tourist Traffic

Tourist border traffic was permitted exclusively in the high mountain zone. The Opatija Commission determined that tourist traffic on the Italian side was permitted only in the border zone north of Porezen, and on the Yugoslav side north of the Podrošt–Podbrdo road.

Boundary of the Italian border zone

The line that tourists must not cross under any circumstances runs from Peč (1511) along the state border to boundary stone 1/LXXV, then along the southern boundary of the Italian state forest to a point 800 m south of Pungart (1349), in a straight line to the western boundary of Bela Peč, along the western boundary of Bela Peč to the Bela Peč–Aichhelten path, then 1 km east of Aichhelten and 400 m south of the Bela Peč railway station.

From that point straight to Črni vrh (Kesselbuhl 1485) · point 1343 · trail in Plaze (In der Lahn) · Čez Jezik (Lahnscharte 2072) · Mangartski dom · Mangartska sirarna · saddle Mali Ozebnik (2324) between Veliki Ozebnik (2483) and Belca (2337) · alpine pasture Trenta · source of the Soča · through the villages of Trenta and Log · along the Zadnjica valley to the trail junction (997) at Luknja and Dolič saddle · Dol saddle (1632) between Kanjavec (2568) and Ozebnik (2084) · point 1515 (alpine pasture Trebiščina) · saddle between Čisti Vrh and Lepa Špica (2398) · Dol pod Plazmi · saddle between Kuk (2038) and point 2135 · alpine pasture Za Skalo (1516) · trail point 1880 · saddle between Lanževica (2003) and point 1961 · a point on the Bogatinski pot 500 m west of the border crossing · a line running parallel to the border ridge but 300 m lower, to a point south of Rodica (Hradica 1965) · point 1651 · village of Nemški Rovt · homesteads Rajtler and Bonek · village of Stržišče · path to Huda Južna railway station · Durnik (1151) · point 1248 · Porezen (1632).

This arrangement gave alpine club members access to the peaks of the Julian Alps from the southern, more easily accessible side, as well as to the Trenta valley. From the Bogatinski pot to Rodica the zone is only 300 metres wide, as tourists visit these areas infrequently.

Jalovec — view from the Yugoslav side
Jalovec. Source: Planinski vestnik

Authorised Alpine Clubs

Both governments exchanged official lists of alpine clubs whose members had gained the right to move in the border zone.

Yugoslav clubs

Italian clubs

Alpine hikers at the Rapallo border
Source: Bartolomeo, Sancimio
Hikers in the mountains along the border
Source: Jožko Dakskobler

The Special Border Pass

Every member of an authorised alpine club who wished to visit the mountains in the neighbouring border zone was required to hold a special border pass — a booklet with text in Slovenian and Italian. The pass was obtained through the member's alpine club, which filed an application with the competent authority. Applications and passes were exempt from fees; only the form had to be paid for, at a cost of 5 dinars.

Passes were issued by district prefectures, district branch offices, and police administrations in the area where the alpine club was headquartered. For the Drava Banate, the competent authority was the Police Administration in Ljubljana and all offices where branches of the Slovenian Alpine Society or local organisations of related clubs were headquartered. Alpine clubs were advised to submit applications collectively, in larger batches.

After issuance, the competent authority forwarded the pass to the Italian questura for confirmation: for the section from Peč to V Konca Špica, to the questura in Udine (Videm); for the remainder of the border section, to the questura in Gorizia (Gorica). Both governments undertook to confirm or return unconfirmed passes within two months. The applicant was always required to specify which section of the border the pass was intended for.

Validity: one year. The pass had to be renewed annually with a new photograph — at least two months before expiry, through the alpine club. Until the confirmed new pass was received, the old one remained valid with a certificate of submission for confirmation.

Rules for Movement in the Border Zone

The special border pass entitled the holder to stay in the border zone of a foreign state for a maximum of four consecutive days per visit. The border could be crossed both on trails and paths and off them. Railway stations in the border zones were available for departure and return; stations outside the zone were not permitted.

Yugoslav hikers had access to stations Podbrdo · Huda Južna · Bela Peč, and Italian hikers to Bohinjska Bistrica · Kranjska Gora · Rateče.

On entering the border zone of a foreign state, the tourist was required to report to the border guard or public security authorities, so that the date of departure could be noted on the pass. The same applied on return. Anyone who failed to do so was treated as a person without documentation and had their pass confiscated. It was not required, however, that the tourist report to the same guard post where they crossed the border — entry could be at Vršič and exit at Luknja.

Tourists were permitted to carry maps, a camera, tourist equipment, and clothing. Carrying weapons and drawing sketches were prohibited. Stays exceeding four days were permitted only in cases of force majeure (illness, adverse weather), which had to be certified at a mountain hut or by the competent authority.

Group Excursions of More than Ten Persons

For organised excursions of groups with more than ten participants, Article 4 of the agreement prescribed special rules: each participant had to hold their own pass, and the group had to have a responsible leader. The joint excursion had to be reported to the border authority at the club's headquarters; the leader was also required to notify the nearest border authority of the state to be visited by registered letter at least three days before the excursion.

Yugoslav authorities to be notified

Italian offices to be notified