Žiri, or Sairach, under German occupation

The situation in Žiri significantly worsened with the German occupation on 27 April 1941, when the Italian units retreated. About 30 German gendarmes and financial guards came to town. They settled in the more important buildings, while setting up office for gendarmes in the new presbytery. With the introduction of the occupiers’ strict regime, the town gradually started to look more and more German – German flags were hanging from all of representative buildings, and the order to remove all Slovene signs and replace them with German ones was issued one day after the German takeover. Slovenian names were also Germanised. The population was also affected by the introduction of German in public offices and school. Slovenian teachers only taught for a few more days before class was interrupted and school facilities turned into offices for conducting census surveys. The latter resulted in consequent deportations. Among the deportees were also teachers who had been replaced by German personnel. The latter started teaching – in German, of course – on 4 September 1941. The children in the zones occupied by Germany thus attended German schools, while their peers on the Italian side attended Italian schools (at Jureč in Brekovice, for example). The priest was also deported from Žiri. Occasionally, a German priest would come visit the town, but mostly, the people of Žiri had to look for spiritual care on the Italian side of the border.

The German occupation also affected the town’s economy and culture. The ties with towns on the Italian side of the border were cut, and craftsmen needed to designate a certain portion of their products to the army, which also drafted some of them. The burning of about 2000 Slovenian books and the confiscation of theatre and cinema equipment were also some of the measures taken by the German invaders who wanted to obliterate the Slovenian nation. The theatre and cinema equipment then served the purposes of German propaganda. The latter was also carried out though German newspapers and organisations (Carinthian Homeland Association, Hitler Youth), which replaced the abolished and expropriated Slovenian societies.

Hitlerjugend or Hitler Youth – German Nazi youth organisation – was founded in 1926. One of its goals was to spread Nazi ideology among young people. The organisation also operated in Žiri. Photographs show the application form that one needed to fill out if they wanted to join the Hitler Youth. SI ZAL ŠKL, 0268, 44, B-IV-a-16.

In Žiri, the German teaching body consisted of individuals who lacked pedagogical education. The only person with professional education was the headmaster. In the photograph, we can see the certificate that was given to students of lower secondary school. Female students also attended the courses of handwork and home economics. SI ZAL ŠKL, 0268, 44, B-IV-a-2.

The German occupier forsaw everyone speaking German within four years. This is why adults also needed to attend German language courses. In the photograph, we can see a poster stressing the importance of knowing how to speak German. SI ZAL ŠKL, 0268, 44, C-VI-25.

Not only place names, but also personal names were Germanised. The German invaders did so with the help of a handbook. SI ZAL ŠKL, 0268, 41, B-I-1-1.

During the interwar period, the Municipality of Žiri was part of the administrative unit of Logatec. After the German occupation, however, the town became part of the District of Kranj. In the photograph, we can see the stamp that was used in Žiri during German occupation. SI ZAL ŠKL, 0265, 1, 11.

The residents of Žiri were also mobilised into the German army. The Germans used this poster (seen above) to notify all men born between 1923 and 1924 about the draft. SI ZAL ŠKL, 0268, 79, OK-C-I-21.