Four landscapes, one border — From the Alps to the Adriatic
The Rapallo Border was not a uniform line. Over 244 kilometres it crossed four entirely different landscapes — from snow-capped Alpine ridges to settled hills, vast Dinaric forests and the urban environment of an Adriatic port. The mixed border commission followed this same division.
The border ran along the high-mountain ridge of the Julian Alps from the tripoint at Peč to Hoč. Many peaks — Triglav, Jalovec, Mangart — were on the border or just beside it.
The central section of the border passed through settled areas — Idrija, Logatec, Rakek and Postojna. Here the border most directly affected the daily lives of local communities.
The southern section of the border ran from the Snežnik massif to the Adriatic Sea at Matulji.
After the abolition of the Free State of Fiume in 1924, the border was extended to the Adriatic Sea. The port of Baroš went to Yugoslavia, while the city of Fiume went to Italy.
Northern section - Julian Alps
The northern section of the Rapallo Border begins at the summit of Peč (1508 m) — the tripoint of Austria, Italy and Slovenia that still exists today. From here the border descends into the Upper Sava valley at Rateče and then rises along the Ponce ridge to V konca špice (2351 m). This section is the only part of the Rapallo Border that still holds as a state border between Slovenia and Italy today. From V konca špice onwards the original Rapallo Border turned eastward — across Kotovo sedlo, Jalovec (2645 m), Mala Mojstrovka and the Vršič pass (1611 m), which thereby became a border area. The border then ran across Prisojnik and Kriška stena — Razor (2601 m) fell entirely to Italy — and descended across Bovški Gamsovec to the alpine crossing at Luknja and rose to Triglav (2863 m by the measurement of the time). From Triglav the border followed the ridge across Dolič, Kanjavec and the Valley of the Seven Lakes to the Lepošpičje ridge. Here it even encroached upon the boundaries of the then newly established Triglav Lakes Valley park: the two highest lakes ended up in Italy and were excluded from the original protected area. The Italians renamed the highest lake tellingly Lago Zero — Lake Zero.
At Velika vrata the border cut across old grazing paths between the Upper Soča valley and the high-mountain pastures — overnight, inhabitants found themselves cut off from their centuries-old pastures. From Bogatinsko sedlo (1803 m) onwards the border follows the watershed almost precisely: across Veliki Bogatin, Tolminski Kuk, Vogel, Rodica and Črna prst (1844 m) it runs along the very ridge itself. Only above Soriška planina does it cross over to the Gorenjska side and via Šavnik, Čevžl and Dravh reaches the Petrovo Brdo pass (797 m). Here it leaves the Julian Alps and rises steeply to Hoč (1514 m) — the last peak of the northern section.
Sector 1 - Peč (Tromeja) - Rateče
Sector 2 - Rateče - Visoka Ponca
Sector 3 - Visoka Ponca - Kotovo sedlo
Sector 4 - Kotovo sedlo - Jalovec - Jalovška škrbina
Sector 5 - Jalovška škrbina - Travnik - Mala Mojstrovka
Sector 6 - Mala Mojstrovka - Nad Šitom Glava - Vršič
Sector 7 - Vršič - Prisojnik - Dovška vrata
Sector 8 - Dovška vrata - Bovški Gamsovec - Luknja
Sector 9 - Luknja - Triglav
Sector 10 - Triglav - Dolič
Sector 11 - Dolič - Kanjavec - Prehodavci
Sector 12 - Prehodavci - Lepošpičje - Plaski Vogel - Čelo - Velika vrata
Sector 13 - Velika vrata - Kal
Sector 14 - Kal - Oslova škrbina - Lanževica
Sector 15 - Lanževica - Bogatinsko sedlo
Sector 16 - Bogatinsko sedlo - Veliki Bogatin - sedlo Dobrenjščica
Sector 17 - Sedlo Dobrenjščica - Tolminski Kuk
Sector 18 - Tolminski Kuk - Škrbina
Sector 19 - Škrbina - Vrh nad Škrbino - Globoko
Sector 20 - Globoko - Vogel - Šija
Sector 21 - Šija - Rodica
Sector 22 - Rodica - Raskovec - Matajurski vrh
Sector 23 - Matajurski vrh - Črna prst - Čez Suho
Sector 24 - Čez Suho - Šoštar - Na Kalu
Sector 25 - Na Kalu - Kobla - Vrh Bače
Sector 26 - Vrh Bače - Šavnik - Čevžl - Soriška planina - Dravh
Sector 27 - Dravh - Petrovo Brdo
Sector 28 - Petrovo Brdo - Hoč
Central section - settled area
The central section differs fundamentally from the alpine one: here the border does not follow ridges but crosses them. In the Cerkljansko, Idrijsko and Škofjeloško hills, Italy forced the line to run just below the watershed — key passes and peaks remained on the Italian side, while settlements lost their natural hinterland. From Hoč the border descends across the eastern slopes of Porezen (1630 m) and turns towards Blegoš, where it turns southwest. Across the hills of the Cerkljansko and Idrijsko it cuts valleys at right angles — streams flow into Yugoslavia, passes remain with Italy. At Sovodenj it makes an exception and leaves it to Yugoslavia; at Medvedje Brdo (814 m) above Godovič it crosses the old provincial boundary for the last time. From here onwards to the present Slovenian-Croatian border it runs exclusively through the territory of Carniola. In the second part of the section the landscape becomes lower and more settled. The border skirts Hotedršica, follows the southern side of the Logatec–Ajdovščina road, crosses the Planinsko polje beside the Hošperk manor and cuts off Planina from surrounding settlements. Before Stražnik it crosses the southern railway line and in an almost straight line reaches Veliki Javornik (1269 m) — the entry point into the vast Dinaric forests.
Sector 29 - Hoč - Hum
Sector 30 - Hum - Prvič - Bičkarjev vrh
Sector 31 - Bičkarjev vrh - Črni vrh
Sector 32 - Črni vrh - Kovk
Sector 33 - Kovk - Leskovica - Krnice pri Novakih
Sector 34 - Krnice pri Novakih - Vrhovčev grič
Sector 35 - Vrhovčev grič - Nova Oselica
Sector 36 - Nova Oselica - Laniše
Sector 37 - Laniše - Mrzlik
Sector 38 - Mrzlik - Breznica
Sector 39 - Breznica - Vrsnik
Sector 40 - Vrsnik - Ravne pri Žireh
Sector 41 - Ravne pri Žireh - Zavratec - Brnikov Log
Sector 42 - Brnikoc Log - Lanevše - Trate
Sector 43 - Trate - Žejna dolina - Kobila
Sector 44 - Kobila- Hotederšica - Log
Sector 45 - Log - Novi Svet - Kalce
Sector 46 - Kalce - Grčarevec
Sector 47 - Grčarevec - Lipje
Sector 48 - Lipje - Planina
Sector 49 - Planina - Planinsko polje -Hasberg - Unec
Sector 50 - Unec - Stražnik
Southern section - vast forests
The southern section runs through one of the largest contiguous forested areas in Slovenia and Croatia — across the Javorniki, Snežnik and the slopes of Gorski Kotar all the way to Matulji near Rijeka. Unlike the northern section, the border here does not follow natural boundaries. It runs in predominantly straight lines between summits: from Veliki Javornik across Debeli vrh, Lačnik (1103 m) and Škodovnik (1260 m) to Leskova dolina. From here it turns south and at Črni vrh (1121 m) south of Gomance finally leaves Slovenian territory. In Croatia it crosses Trstenik (1248 m) and Štulac (1057 m) — the last two peaks above 1000 metres — and descends into the Mlaka valley. It divides Klana and Studeno westward, then rises to Mačkov vrh and continues south to Majevi vrh. Here begins the final, 69th sector of the original border — but this one no longer runs through forest, but between the settlements of Spinčići, Matulji and Rubeši in the outskirts of Rijeka.
Sector 51 - Stražnik - Škanski grič - Lašček
Sector 52 - Lašček - Čela
Sector 53 - Čela - Suhi vrh
Sector 54 - Suhi vrh - Otoška dolina
Sector 55 - Otoška dolina - Lačnik
Sector 56 - Lačnik - Škrajni vrh
Sector 57 - Škrajni vrh - Bički laz
Sector 58 - Bički laz - Leskova dolina
Sector 59 - Leskova dolina - Korita - Vavkovec
Sector 60 - Vavkovec - Praprotna draga - Paravičeva miza
Sector 61 - Paravičeva miza - Jelenja draga - Čabranska polica
Sector 62 - Čabranska polica - Veliki Smrekovac - Brlog
Sector 63 - Brlog - Zeleni vrh
Sector 64 - Zeleni vrh - Štulac - Proslap
Sector 65 - Proslap - Bojin
Sector 66 - Bojin - kota 554
Sector 67 - Kota 554 - Mačkov vrh
Sector 68 - Mačkov vrh - Majevi vrh
Sector 69 - Majevi vrh - Trinajstići - Matulji
Rijeka Area
Sector 69 was the last sector of the original Rapallo Border. It ended at a special tripoint marker that marked the junction of three territories: the Kingdom of Italy, the Kingdom of SHS and the Free State of Fiume. This marker — number 70 — differed in form from the tripoint at Peč where the border began, as it also had to mark the border with a state entity of an entirely different status. With the abolition of the Free State of Fiume in 1924, the tripoint marker lost its purpose. The border was extended further toward the sea — but with a notable difference: while the entire Rapallo Border from Peč to Majevi vrh is marked with concrete markers, the new extended route in 1924 was marked with hewn stones. The Rijeka section is thus a distinct entity by the material appearance of its markers, reflecting both a different time of creation and a different political context. Boundary marker number 70 became a relic of the brief and turbulent history of a city that two kingdoms could not divide without a mediator.
Sector 70 - Matulji - Martinkovac - Reka
The Rijeka section is the only part of the Rapallo Border that was not created in 1920 together with the rest. The original border ended at the tripoint with the Free State of Fiume — a short-lived independent territory belonging to neither Italy nor Yugoslavia. When the Rome Agreement of 1924 abolished this state and divided its territory, the border had to be extended to the sea. The new line ran between the city of Rijeka, which fell entirely to Italy, and the port of Baroš at the mouth of the Rečina river into the Adriatic, which went to Yugoslavia. The border cut through the urban fabric almost surgically — it ran between neighbouring settlements, followed streets and ended by the Dead Canal, the former mouth of the Rečina into the port. The Italians erected a wall along their side of the border parallel to the boundary line, which literally blocked streets and severed city quarters. For Yugoslavia, Baroš was strategically crucial for two reasons: without its own outlet to the Adriatic it would have been dependent on Italian goodwill for every maritime export, while at the same time a railway from the interior led into the port — a direct connection between the Slovenian and Croatian hinterlands and the open sea. The Rijeka section is thus the only part of the Rapallo Border where it was not about nature or geography, but about port infrastructure and railway access to it.
