Austrian Littoral
The Austrian Littoral (German: Österreichisches Küstenland, Italian: Litorale Austriaco, Croatian: Austrijsko primorje, Slovene: Avstrijsko primorje, Hungarian: Osztrák Tengermellék) was a crown land (Kronland) of the Austrian Empire, established in 1849. It consisted of three regions: the Margraviate of Istria in the south, Gorizia and Gradisca in the north, and the Imperial Free City of Trieste in the middle. The region has been contested frequently, with parts of it controlled at various times by the Republic of Venice, Austria-Hungary, Italy, and Yugoslavia among others.
Austrian Littoral Österreichisches Küstenland Litorale austriaco Austrijsko primorje Avstrijsko primorje | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1849–1919 | |||||||||
Flag
Coat of arms
| |||||||||
Austrian Littoral within Cisleithanian Austria-Hungary, 1914 Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca Margraviate of Istria | |||||||||
| Status | Subdivision of Austria-Hungary
| ||||||||
| Capital | Trieste (not part until 1860) | ||||||||
| Common languages | Italian, Slovene, Croatian, German | ||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | ||||||||
| Government | Stadtholder | ||||||||
| Emperor of Austria | |||||||||
• 1848–1916 | Franz Joseph I | ||||||||
• 1916–1918 | Karl I | ||||||||
| Statthalter of Trieste | |||||||||
• 1849–1850 | Johann von Grimschitz | ||||||||
• 1850–1854 | Franz Graf Wimpffen | ||||||||
• 1867–1868 | Eduard von Bach | ||||||||
• 1915–1918 | Alfred von Fries-Skene | ||||||||
• Upper house | Landtag | ||||||||
| Historical era | Modern history | ||||||||
• Spring of Nations | 4 March 1849 | ||||||||
• Treaty of Saint-Germain | 10 September 1919 | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1910 | 894,287 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
The Kingdom of Italy annexed most of the area after World War I according to the Treaty of London and later the Treaty of Rapallo. After World War II it was split, with Italy in the west and Yugoslavia in the east.
Trieste had strategic importance as Austria-Hungary's primary seaport, and the coast of the Littoral was a resort destination known as the Austrian Riviera. The region was a multi-ethnic one, with Italians, Slovenes, Croats, Germans and Friulians being the main groups. In 1910, it had an area of 7,969 square kilometres (3,077 sq mi) and a population of 894,287.