Austrian Littoral

Also known as Kustenland, Kuestenland, Austrian Coastland

former country

Key facts

1910: 894,287
Status: Subdivision of Austria-Hungary Imperial Free City of Trieste Margravate of Istria Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca
Capital: Trieste (not part until 1860)
Common languages: Italian Slovene Croatian German
Religion: Roman Catholic
Government: Stadtholder
1848 1916: Franz Joseph I
1916 1918: Karl I
1849 1850: Johann von Grimschitz
1850 1854: Franz Graf Wimpffen
1867 1868: Eduard von Bach
1915 1918: Alfred von Fries-Skene

Article

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.

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.