Serbs in Slovenia
Encyclopedia
The Serbs in Slovenia are an ethnic group living in Slovenia
. In the 2002 census, 38,964 people of Slovenia declared themselves of Serb ethnicity, which corresponds to 1.98% of the total population of Slovenia, making them the second largest ethnic group in the country, after the Slovenes.
(42.4% of the Serb population in the country), followed by Upper Carniola
(14.6%), and the Savinja region
(11.0%). Around 8.1% of Slovenia's Serbs live in the Littoral-Karst region, where they represent 3.4% of the overall population region. Elsewhere, the Serbian community is largely confined to the urban areas of Nova Gorica
, Ajdovščina
, Maribor
and Novo Mesto
while in the regions of Mura Valley
and Slovenian Carinthia, the number of Serbs is negligible.
, mostly from Bosnia and Herzegovina
and Serbia
(including Kosovo
), but also from Croatia
and Montenegro
. After World War II
, many Serbs
employed in the Yugoslav People's Army
were stationed in the Socialist Republic of Slovenia
with their families. In the period of 1971-1981, many ethnic Serbs migrated from Bosnia and Herzegovina to pursue better careers and economical benefits in Slovenia. Before 1991, many Serbs registered as Yugoslavs
, and many still prefer referring to their mother tongue as Serbo-Croatian
rather than Serbian. In the last years, many Serbs from Montenegro started referring to themselves as Montenegrians, while some Serbs from Bosnia and Herzegovina have registered as Bosnians
. It also has to be noted that in the last census in 2002, more than 10% of all Slovenian population decided not to answer the question regarding their ethnic affiliation. All these elements make the estimate of the overall number of Serbs in Slovenia difficult.
Most of Serbs in Slovenia are concentrated in larger urban areas, especially in Ljubljana
and Jesenice. In the 1981 population census, there were only 5 settlements in Slovenia where Serbs had absolute ethnic majority (50.0% and more) on the territory of 300 km2. The highest concentration of the Serbs in Slovenia was in some suburban areas of Ljubljana. The 1991 population census registered 17,486 Serbs in five Ljubljana municipalities or 37.1% of the total number of Serbs in Slovenia. A higher concentration of Serbs occurred in the settlements and municipalities with developed mining and other industries.
inhabited by descendants of Serbs that fled from the Ottoman Empire
in the 16th century, beginning in 1528 and permanent by 1593. These immigrant communities formed settlements, in which the descendants of Serbs live to these days: Bojanci
, Marindol
, Paunoviči
, Adlešiči
, Žuniči
, and others. In Bojanci, the Serbs trace their origin to the families of Vrlinići (Sv. Đurđe), Radojčići (Sv. Nikola) and Kordići (Sv. Lazar). The majority of them have kept the Serbian Orthodox faith and their distinctive culture, although they have been almost completely assimilated to their Slovene-speaking environment. Some of them have converted to the Eastern Catholic faith in the 17th and 18th century.
Serbs who were born or have lived in Slovenia include:
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. In the 2002 census, 38,964 people of Slovenia declared themselves of Serb ethnicity, which corresponds to 1.98% of the total population of Slovenia, making them the second largest ethnic group in the country, after the Slovenes.
Geographic breakdown
Most of Serbs in Slovenia live in Central SloveniaOsrednjeslovenska statistical region
The Central Slovenia statistical region is a statistical region in central Slovenia. It includes the Slovene capital Ljubljana and is the most densely populated area of Slovenia. In terms of size it is the second largest region. It has good traffic connections in all directions and is economically...
(42.4% of the Serb population in the country), followed by Upper Carniola
Upper Carniola
Upper Carniola is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The centre of the region is Kranj, while other urban centers include Jesenice, Tržič, Škofja Loka, Kamnik, and Domžale.- Historical background :...
(14.6%), and the Savinja region
Savinjska statistical region
The Savinja statistical region is a statistical region in Slovenia. The largest town in the region is Celje. It is named after the Savinja River....
(11.0%). Around 8.1% of Slovenia's Serbs live in the Littoral-Karst region, where they represent 3.4% of the overall population region. Elsewhere, the Serbian community is largely confined to the urban areas of Nova Gorica
Nova Gorica
Nova Gorica ; 21,082 ; 31,000 ) is a town and a municipality in western Slovenia, on the border with Italy...
, Ajdovščina
Ajdovšcina
Ajdovščina is a small town and a municipality with the same name and a population of 7000 , located in the Vipava Valley , Slovenia....
, 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 Novo Mesto
Novo Mesto
Novo Mesto is a city and municipality in southeastern Slovenia, close to the border with Croatia. The town is traditionally considered the economic and cultural centre of the historic Lower Carniola region.-Geography:...
while in the regions of Mura Valley
Pomurska statistical region
The Mura statistical region is a statistical region in the north-east of Slovenia. It is predominantly agricultural with field crops representing over three quarters of the total utilised agricultural area, twice as much as the Slovene average...
and Slovenian Carinthia, the number of Serbs is negligible.
The immigrant community
Most of the Serbs in Slovenia are first or second generation settlers from other republics of former YugoslaviaFormer Yugoslavia
The former Yugoslavia is a term used to describe the present day states which succeeded the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
, mostly from Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
(including Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
), but also from Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, many Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
employed in the Yugoslav People's Army
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
were stationed in the Socialist Republic of Slovenia
Socialist Republic of Slovenia
The Socialist Republic of Slovenia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1943 until 1990...
with their families. In the period of 1971-1981, many ethnic Serbs migrated from Bosnia and Herzegovina to pursue better careers and economical benefits in Slovenia. Before 1991, many Serbs registered as Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
, and many still prefer referring to their mother tongue as Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...
rather than Serbian. In the last years, many Serbs from Montenegro started referring to themselves as Montenegrians, while some Serbs from Bosnia and Herzegovina have registered as Bosnians
Bosnians
Bosnians are people who reside in, or come from, Bosnia and Herzegovina. By the modern state definition a Bosnian can be anyone who holds citizenship of the state. This includes, but is not limited to, members of the constituent ethnic groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs and...
. It also has to be noted that in the last census in 2002, more than 10% of all Slovenian population decided not to answer the question regarding their ethnic affiliation. All these elements make the estimate of the overall number of Serbs in Slovenia difficult.
Most of Serbs in Slovenia are concentrated in larger urban areas, especially 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...
and Jesenice. In the 1981 population census, there were only 5 settlements in Slovenia where Serbs had absolute ethnic majority (50.0% and more) on the territory of 300 km2. The highest concentration of the Serbs in Slovenia was in some suburban areas of Ljubljana. The 1991 population census registered 17,486 Serbs in five Ljubljana municipalities or 37.1% of the total number of Serbs in Slovenia. A higher concentration of Serbs occurred in the settlements and municipalities with developed mining and other industries.
Historic Serb communities in White Carniola
Apart from the immigrant community that makes up the vast majority of Serbs in Slovenia, there are a few villages in the southern region of White CarniolaWhite Carniola
White Carniola is a traditional region in southeastern Slovenia on the border with Croatia and is the most southern part of the historical and traditional region of Lower Carniola. Its major towns are Metlika, Črnomelj, and Semič, and the principal river is the Kolpa, which also forms part of the...
inhabited by descendants of Serbs that fled from the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in the 16th century, beginning in 1528 and permanent by 1593. These immigrant communities formed settlements, in which the descendants of Serbs live to these days: Bojanci
Bojanci
Bojanci is a village in the Municipality of Črnomelj in the White Carniola area of southeastern Slovenia. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included in the Southeast Slovenian statistical region....
, Marindol
Marindol
Marindol or Šobatovci is a settlement on the terrace above the left bank of the Kolpa River in the municipality of Črnomelj in the White Carniola area of southeastern Slovenia. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included in the Southeast Slovenia statistical...
, Paunoviči
Paunoviči
Paunoviči is a small settlement on the left bank of the river Kolpa in the Črnomelj municipality in the Bela Krajina area of southeastern Slovenia. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included in the Southeast Slovenia statistical region.-External links:*...
, Adlešiči
Adlešiči
Adlešiči is a settlement on the left bank of the Kolpa River in the Municipality of Črnomelj in the White Carniola area of southeastern Slovenia. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included in the Southeast Slovenia statistical region...
, Žuniči
Žuniči
Žuniči is a settlement on the left bank of the Kolpa River in the municipality of Črnomelj in the White Carniola area of southeastern Slovenia. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included in the Southeast Slovenia statistical region.A small chapel in the...
, and others. In Bojanci, the Serbs trace their origin to the families of Vrlinići (Sv. Đurđe), Radojčići (Sv. Nikola) and Kordići (Sv. Lazar). The majority of them have kept the Serbian Orthodox faith and their distinctive culture, although they have been almost completely assimilated to their Slovene-speaking environment. Some of them have converted to the Eastern Catholic faith in the 17th and 18th century.
Language
Most Serbs in Slovenia use Slovene as their language of communication, since only 4,300 people in Slovenia declared that they use the Serbian language at home, while more than 31,000 people declared their mother tongue as Serbian (and another 36,000 as Serbo-Croatian).Religion
The majority of Serbs in Slovenia are Serbian Orthodox Christian. There is also a substantial number of atheists and agnostics.Demographic history
The table shows the year and number and percentage of Serbs in Slovenia after World War II, according to the official censuses.- 1948 - 7,048
- 1953 - 11,225 (0.8%)
- 1961 - 13,609 (0.9%)
- 1971 - 20,521 (1.2%)
- 1981 - 42,182 (2.3%)
- 1991 - 47,097 (2.5%)
- 2002 - 38,964 (2.0%)
Notable people
Notable Slovenes of Serb descent include:- Milenko AčimovičMilenko AcimovicMilenko Ačimović is a former Slovenian footballer who last played for Austria giants Austria Wien. He was a playmaker who has a great passing range and an abundance of skill...
, football player - Siniša AnđelkovićSiniša AnđelkovićSiniša Anđelković is a Slovenian football defender who currently plays for Italian Serie B club Ascoli, on loan from Palermo, and Slovenia national football team.-Club career:...
, football player - Mladen DabanovičMladen DabanovicMladen Dabanovič is a former Slovenian football goalkeeper.-Career:He started his professional career with Maribor and Rudar Velenje, before moving to Belgian side Sporting Lokeren in 1999...
, football player - Zlatko DedičZlatko DedicZlatko Dedič is a Slovenian footballer who plays as a striker for 2nd Bundesliga club Dynamo Dresden and the Slovenia national team.-Club career:He started his career with Koper....
, football player - Goran Dragić, basketball player in the NBA
- Spomenka HribarSpomenka HribarSpomenka Hribar is a Slovenian author, philosopher, sociologist, politician, columnist, and public intellectual. She was one of the most influential Slovenian intellectuals in the 1980s, and was frequently called "the First Lady of Slovenian Democratic Opposition", and "the Voice of Slovenian...
, sociologist, politician and public intellectual (Serbian father) - Sara IsakovičSara IsakovicSara Isakovič is a freestyle swimmer from Slovenia. She spent much of her childhood in Dubai. Isakovič was a member of the Žito Gorenjka Radovljica Swimming Club from Radovljica, Slovenia and trained under the supervision of coach Miha Potočnik.Isakovič competed for Slovenia at the 2004 Summer...
, swimmer (Serbian father) - Zoran Janković, manager and politician, mayor of LjubljanaLjubljanaLjubljana 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...
(Serbian father) - Darko KarapetrovičDarko KarapetrovicDarko Karapetrovič is a Slovenian footballer currently playing in NK Radomlje.- Career :He started playing in Slovenia in NK Olimpija Ljubljana in the Slovenian First League, where also played for Vevče Ljubljana, NK Domžale, NK Tabor Sežana, NK Ljubljana, NK Bela Krajina and NK Livar...
, football player - Rasho Nesterovič, basketball player
- Milivoje NovakovičMilivoje NovakovicMilivoje Novakovič is a Slovenian footballer who plays for 1. FC Köln and the Slovenia national team.-Club career:...
, football player - Damir PekičDamir PekicDamir Pekič is a Slovenian football player who plays as a forward for NK Domžale.-Club career:Pekič started his career in NK Maribor. Before he was given a real chance in the club he was sent to NK Celje on loan for a season...
, football player - Robert Pešut, a.k.a. "Magnifico", singer and actor (Serbian father)
- Danilo PopivodaDanilo PopivodaDanilo Popivoda is a former Slovenian football player.On the national level he played for Yugoslavia national team , and was a participant at the 1974 FIFA World Cup, and at Euro 1976, where he scored a goal in a match against West Germany.- Clubs : NK Olimpija Ljubljana Eintracht Braunschweig...
, football player - Boris Popovič, politician, mayor of Koper
- Miroslav RadulovičMiroslav RadulovicMiroslav Radulovič is a Slovenian football defender who is currently playing at NK Celje in 1. division in Slovenia.-External links:* * *...
, football player - Aleksandar Rodić, football player
- Simona ŠkrabecSimona ŠkrabecSimona Škrabec is a Slovene literary critic, essayist and translator who lives and works in Barcelona.She was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, to a Serbian father and a Slovene mother. She spent her childhood in the small town of Ribnica in the Lower Carniola region. She studied German language and...
, Slovenian-Catalonian author and translator (Serbian father) - Dalibor StevanovičDalibor StevanovicDalibor Stevanović Dalibor Stevanović Dalibor Stevanović ( (born 27 September 1984 in Ljubljana) is a Slovenian football midfielder player, who is currently playing for FC Volyn Lutsk in the Ukrainian Premier League.- Career :...
, football player - Zlatko ZahovičZlatko ZahovicZlatko Zahovič is a retired Slovenian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.After making a name for himself in Europe in Portugal, most notably with Porto and Benfica, he went on to have unassuming spells in Spain and Greece...
, football player - Sasha VujačićSasha VujacicAleksandar "Sasha" Vujačić is a Slovenian basketball player who has played in Italy, the United States , and more recently for Anadolu Efes S.K. in Turkey...
, basketball player
Serbs who were born or have lived in Slovenia include:
- Milan Aksentijević, general of the Yugoslav People's ArmyYugoslav People's ArmyThe Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
- Branko Đurić, actor
- Draža MihailovićDraža MihailovicDragoljub "Draža" Mihailović was a Yugoslav Serbian general during World War II...
; resistance military leader in Yugoslavia during World War II - Željko Ražnatović Arkan, paramilitary leader in the Yugoslav warsYugoslav warsThe Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...