Croats of Slovenia
Encyclopedia
The Croats
are an ethnic group
in Slovenia. In the 2002 census 35,642 citizens of Slovenia identified themselves as being ethnically Croats.
for hundreds of years, as the two neighbouring nations were for centuries part of the same political entities, first the Habsburg Empire and then Yugoslavia
. Nevertheless, the number of Croats in the territory of modern Slovenia remained relatively small, as the Slovene Lands were, before the 1950s, a territory of emigration
rather than immigration
. During most of the history, Croats did not constitute a separate community, as they were mostly single individuals who assimilated to either Slovene, German
or Venetian
-speaking environments. After World War I, the number of Croats in Slovenia increased significantly, and more numerous communities were present in Ljubljana
, Maribor
and Celje
. In the 1960s, when larger numbers of immigrants from Croatia and Bosnia and Hercegovina settled in Slovenia, the number of Croats increased significantly.
minorities of Slovenia, the Magyars and Italians, the Croats have not been granted the minority status, although they are the second largest ethnic group in Slovenia, after the Slovenes. In the Slovenian legal and constitutional framework, in fact, only the historical minorities who have been living on clearly defined territories for centuries (and the Roma people, who have formed a distinct, although territorially not strictly determined community since at least the 13th century) have the status of a minority, which brings with it several constitutionally guaranteed rights, among which complete visible bilingualism and an autonomous educational system. All other ethnic groups are guaranteed the right to express and develop freely their cultural and linguistic heritage, under the same laws applying to all citizens, but lack the positive discrimination policies applied to the three constitutionally recognized minority communities, as well as the right to have State-sponsored schools in their languages.
In 2006, the Croatian Heritage Foundation
along with the Federation of Croatian Societies of Slovenia organized the Week of Slovenian Croats in Zagreb
as part of the heritage foundation's annual Croatian minority week.
It seems however that the great majority of Croats living in Slovenia uses Slovene as their primary language of communication.
In 2001, only around 2,700 people spoke either Croatian or a combination of Croatian and Slovene at home, which is a significant decrease from in 1991, when their number was around 10,000.
Number of self-declared ethnic Croats in Slovenia after World War II:
People of Croatian origin who were born or lived in Slovenia include:
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
are an ethnic group
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
in Slovenia. In the 2002 census 35,642 citizens of Slovenia identified themselves as being ethnically Croats.
History
Croats have lived in the Slovene LandsSlovene Lands
Slovene Lands or Slovenian Lands is the historical denomination for the whole of the Slovene-inhabited territories in Central Europe. It more or less corresponds to modern Slovenia and the adjacent territories in Italy, Austria and Hungary in which autochthonous Slovene minorities live.-...
for hundreds of years, as the two neighbouring nations were for centuries part of the same political entities, first the Habsburg Empire and then Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. Nevertheless, the number of Croats in the territory of modern Slovenia remained relatively small, as the Slovene Lands were, before the 1950s, a territory of emigration
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
rather than immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
. During most of the history, Croats did not constitute a separate community, as they were mostly single individuals who assimilated to either Slovene, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
or Venetian
Venetian language
Venetian or Venetan is a Romance language spoken as a native language by over two million people, mostly in the Veneto region of Italy, where of five million inhabitants almost all can understand it. It is sometimes spoken and often well understood outside Veneto, in Trentino, Friuli, Venezia...
-speaking environments. After World War I, the number of Croats in Slovenia increased significantly, and more numerous communities were present in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
and Celje
Celje
Celje is a typical Central European town and the third largest town in Slovenia. It is a regional center of Lower Styria and the administrative seat of the Urban Municipality of Celje . The town of Celje is located under Upper Celje Castle at the confluence of the Savinja, Ložnica, and Voglajna...
. In the 1960s, when larger numbers of immigrants from Croatia and Bosnia and Hercegovina settled in Slovenia, the number of Croats increased significantly.
Legal status
Unlike the two historic autochthonousIndigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
minorities of Slovenia, the Magyars and Italians, the Croats have not been granted the minority status, although they are the second largest ethnic group in Slovenia, after the Slovenes. In the Slovenian legal and constitutional framework, in fact, only the historical minorities who have been living on clearly defined territories for centuries (and the Roma people, who have formed a distinct, although territorially not strictly determined community since at least the 13th century) have the status of a minority, which brings with it several constitutionally guaranteed rights, among which complete visible bilingualism and an autonomous educational system. All other ethnic groups are guaranteed the right to express and develop freely their cultural and linguistic heritage, under the same laws applying to all citizens, but lack the positive discrimination policies applied to the three constitutionally recognized minority communities, as well as the right to have State-sponsored schools in their languages.
In 2006, the Croatian Heritage Foundation
Croatian Heritage Foundation
The Croatian Heritage Foundation is an organization which works with Croatian emigrants. It helps connect diaspora groups back to the country. The foundation organizes several programs within Croatia and around the world ranging from language to folklore...
along with the Federation of Croatian Societies of Slovenia organized the Week of Slovenian Croats in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
as part of the heritage foundation's annual Croatian minority week.
Numbers
The number of Slovenian citizens of Croatian origin is difficult to establish. According to the 2001 census, 35,642 of them declared themselves as ethnically ("nationally", according to the Slovenian terminology) Croatian. In the same census, around 54,000 people declared Croatian as their mother tongue. Ten years earlier, more than 52,000 Slovenian citizens declared themselves as ethnically Croatian, while the number of those with Croatian as their mother tongue was around 50,000.It seems however that the great majority of Croats living in Slovenia uses Slovene as their primary language of communication.
In 2001, only around 2,700 people spoke either Croatian or a combination of Croatian and Slovene at home, which is a significant decrease from in 1991, when their number was around 10,000.
Number of self-declared ethnic Croats in Slovenia after World War II:
- 1948: 16,069 (1.15%)
- 1953: 17,978 (1.23%)
- 1961: 31,429 (1.97%)
- 1971: 41,556 (2.47%)
- 1981: 53,882 (2.93%)
- 1991: 52,876 (2.76%)
- 2002: 35,642 (1.81%)
Notable personalities
Slovenes of Croatian descent include:- Ivo BrnčićIvo BrncicIvo Brnčić or Brnčič was a Slovenian author, essayist and literary critic of Croat origin, particularly notable for his assessment of the midwar Slovenian literature. Most of his works were published posthumously....
, literary critic - Izidor CankarIzidor CankarIzidor Cankar was a Slovenian author, art historian, diplomat, publicist, translator, and liberal conservative politician...
, essayist, art historian, translator and diplomat (Croatian-German mother); - Angelo Cerkvenik, playwright and translator (Croatian mother);
- Slavko Ivančić, pop singer;
- Željko IvanekŽeljko IvanekŽeljko Ivanek is an Emmy award-winning Slovenian American actor best known for his role as Ray Fiske on Damages. He is also known for playing Blake Sterling on short-lived NBC series The Event and Emile Danko on Heroes....
, actor; - Ivica Jurković, basketball player (born in HerzegovinaHerzegovinaHerzegovina is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there is no official border distinguishing it from the Bosnian region, it is generally accepted that the borders of the region are Croatia to the west, Montenegro to the south, the canton boundaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva...
, Croatian parents); - Jelko KacinJelko KacinJelko Kacin is a Slovenian politician and Member of the European Parliament. During the Slovenian Independence War he was the Secretary of Information of Slovenia. He founded the Slovenian Press Agency on 3 June 1991 and the war started on 27 June 1991...
, politician (Croatian mother); - Jurij Kocbek, photographer and designer (Croatian mother);
- Matjaž Kocbek, poet (Croatian mother);
- Srečko KatanecSrecko KatanecSrečko Katanec is a Slovenian football manager and a former player capped for Yugoslavia and Slovenia. His last position was as the manager of the United Arab Emirates national football team.-Career:...
, football player and coach (Croatian mother); - Tonči Kuzmanić, political theorist;
- Miljenko LiculMiljenko LiculMiljenko Licul was a Slovenian graphic designer of Croatian descent. He was one of the most prominent graphic designers in independent Slovenia.-Life and work:...
, designer; - Ivan Mamić, politician (New SloveniaNew SloveniaThe New Slovenia – Christian People's Party or simply New Slovenia, NSi is a Christian democratic political party in Slovenia...
); - Tino Mamić, journalist and editor (Croatian father);
- Dragutin MateDragutin MateDragutin Mate is a Slovenian diplomat and politician. Between 2004 and 2008 he served as Minister of Interior in the centre-right government led by Janez Janša....
, politician and diplomat; - Nenad Miščević, philosopher;
- Ciril RibičičCiril RibičičCiril Ribičič is a Slovenian jurist, politician and author. Since 2000, he has served as member of the Constitutional Court of Slovenia....
, jurist and politician; - Josip RibičičJosip RibičičJosip Ribičič was a Slovene writer, mostly famous as an author of popular children literature.- Life :He was born as Josip Ribičić in the town of Baška on the island Krk...
, writer; (Croatian father) - Mitja RibičičMitja RibičičMitja Ribičič is a former Slovenian Communist official and Yugoslav politician. He was the only Slovenian prime minister of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
, Communist official and politician; - Goran SankovičGoran SankovicGoran Sankovič is a former Slovenian international football player.-Career:Sankovič made 21 league appearances for SK Slavia Praha in the Czech Republic. He joined Greek Superleague side Panionios F.C. during July 2003....
, football player; - Roko Žarnić, politician, Slovenian Minister of Environment and Spacial Planning (Croatian father);
- Oton ŽupančičOton ŽupancicOton Župančič was a Slovene poet, translator and playwright.Župančič is regarded, alongside Ivan Cankar, Dragotin Kette and Josip Murn, as the beginner of modernism in Slovenian literature...
, poet and translator (Croatian mother).
People of Croatian origin who were born or lived in Slovenia include:
- Alan Hranitelj, costumographer;
- Željko IvanekŽeljko IvanekŽeljko Ivanek is an Emmy award-winning Slovenian American actor best known for his role as Ray Fiske on Damages. He is also known for playing Blake Sterling on short-lived NBC series The Event and Emile Danko on Heroes....
, actor;