After the attack of Germany and Italy on Yugoslavia in April 1941, the new Nazi regime began implementing measures to solidify its rule over the newly occupied territories. One of the first measures was the expulsion of the intelligentsia, including Slovenian priests. In May and June, they were arrested in large numbers and, in July, transported south to Croatia and Serbia.
This master's thesis pays special attention to the fate of priests from two parishes in Upper Carniola. The territory of the Kranj and Radovljica deaneries came under German control during the war. These areas were part of the Carinthia region with the Mežica Valley, which had its administrative center in the early period of the war in Bled. Before being taken south, the priests were imprisoned in Begunje prison, in hiralnica in Mengeš, and in škofovi zavodi in Šentvid. On July 10, 1941, the priests were taken by night train through Ljubljana to Zagreb, from where the priests from Upper Carniola were sent to Đakovo and Sremske Karlovce. A large number of the expelled priests returned to the Province of Ljubljana by the end of August 1941.
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