Grenzlandgalerie
The Grenzlandgalerie ( Slov. Galerija na meji) is an approximately 4.5 km long hiking trail to the Pößnitzberg on the border between Styria and Slovenia . The path was designed by the Austrian-Slovenian artist and scientist collective LJUD ( Ljubljana ) on the 99th anniversary of the demarcation of the border at the end of the First World War in May 2018 with seven stops .
The starting point of the hike is the Langegg border crossing on the Weinstrasse or Mejni Prehod . Directions using an audio guide can be downloaded from the Internet or borrowed free of charge as an MP3 player from the nearby Vračko Inn.
These stations are marked by empty picture frames through which the view is drawn to local features. The development of the border in the course of the peace treaty of St. Germain is described . Since there was no natural border here (for example through a river or a mountain ridge), the peculiarity arose that every farmer living in this border area could decide for himself whether he wanted to belong to Austria or to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia , later Slovenia; this resulted in an extremely intricate borderline.
This border now separated the people who had lived together for a long time in the K&K monarchy . Now customs officials and soldiers were supposed to prevent this exchange from continuing, which obviously only succeeded in part. Smuggling flourished and the Slovenes brought bacon and honey across the border and exchanged clothes or kitchen utensils from the Austrians. Once a “department store” was even created, a pile of harvested grapevines, in which the goods were hidden from the customs officers and from which people would pick up their barter goods at night. However, deaths at unauthorized border crossings are also reported.
In the course of the refugee crisis in Europe , politicians planned to erect a border fence here; but this was rejected by the population and also not carried out.
Station "The Tree"
Station "The House"
Station "The Line" (= borderline)
Station "The Border"
