The triglavka or Triglav cap (in
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
) or the partizanka or Partizan cap (in
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
)
is a
side cap
Side or Sides may refer to:
Geometry
* Edge (geometry) of a polygon (two-dimensional shape)
* Face (geometry) of a polyhedron (three-dimensional shape)
Places
* Side (Ainis), a town of Ainis, ancient Thessaly, Greece
* Side (Caria), a town of ...
that was a part of the
Yugoslav Partisan
The Yugoslav Partisans, Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene: , or the National Liberation Army, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska (NOV), Народноослободилачка војска (НОВ); mk, Народноослобод ...
uniform in
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
,
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
and western
Bosnia.
There, it was the most characteristic part of Partisan clothing.
Despite its common name in Slovenia, the cap's design was not inspired by Mount
Triglav, but was a copy of a cap design used by soldiers of the
Spanish Republican faction. The first Yugoslav models were made in the second half of 1941 in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...
by the Communist Party activist Dobrila Jurić for
Vladimir Popović and
Otmar Kreačić, former fighters in the
International Brigades, and organizers of the
Croatian Liberation Front.
In occupied Yugoslavia, the cap originated in use among
Croatian Partisans
The Croatian Partisans, officially the National Liberation Movement in Croatia ( hr, Narodnooslobodilački pokret u Hrvatskoj; NOP), were part of the anti-fascist National Liberational Movement in the Axis-occupied Yugoslavia which was the most ...
in western Yugoslavia,
but quickly spread through the Partisan movement, particularly among
Slovene Partisans
The Slovene Partisans, formally the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Slovenia, (NOV in POS) were part of Europe's most effective anti-Nazi resistance movement Jeffreys-Jones, R. (2013): ''In Spies We Trust: The Story of Western ...
.
The triglavkas were very diverse.
In general, there existed four versions of the cap.
Initially, they had three prongs, with the two in front and in the back about high, and the middle one high or somewhat lower.
The second version had an about upward bent edge at the back.
The third version had the same form as the second, with a shield added at the front.
The third version had the edge at the back long enough to be crossed at the top and pinned with a button to the cap.
It was very practical, as it allowed for the edge to be rolled down and pinned under the chin, protecting the Partisan against wind and cold.
Many of triglavkas were bordered with a red ribbon.
In Slovene Lands, partizankas appeared for the first time in March 1942.
They were at first worn by the
3rd Group of Detachments, where they were prescribed with a decree.
Then they spread to the
Lower Carniola
Lower Carniola ( sl, Dolenjska; german: Unterkrain) is a traditional region in Slovenia, the southeastern part of the historical Carniola region.
Geography
Lower Carniola is delineated by the Ljubljana Basin with the city of Ljubljana to the n ...
and the
White Carniola
White Carniola ( sl, Bela krajina; german: Weißkrain or ''Weiße Mark'') is a traditional region in southeastern Slovenia on the border with Croatia. Due to its smallness, it is often considered a subunit of the broader Lower Carniola region, alt ...
. in the
Upper Carniola
Upper Carniola ( sl, Gorenjska; it, Alta Carniola; german: Oberkrain) is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The centre of the region is Kranj, while other urban centers include Jeseni ...
, they appeared in late first half of 1942, and in the
Slovene Styria, in July 1942.
in the
Littoral
The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal a ...
, they appeared in the second half of 1942.
Triglavkas were the initial and the most characteristic element of the uniform of the Slovene Partisans.
They were renamed to triglavkas after Mount
Triglav, literary meaning "three heads", associated with
three major Slavic gods.
As the ascent on Triglav via its northern face was connected with the competition between Slovenes and Germans in the 19th century, the triglavka symbolically captured the primary drive for the Slovene resistance to the Fascist and Nazi armies, a national liberation.
Since June 1943, it was quickly replaced with the
titovka,
particularly after a decree about caps in April 1944.
Few specimens have been preserved, the majority of them being of the third type.
Of the first type, only one specimen has been preserved, and of the second type, none have been preserved.
The partisans treated their caps with reverence. According to
Savo Zlatić, losing one's cap was considered a disgrace on par with losing one's weapon.
Triglavka was used as a cue for the article ''Triglav from under Triglavka'' ( sl, Triglav izpod Triglavke), written by
France Avčin, a Partisan and the first post-war president of the
Alpine Association of Slovenia. It was published in 1980 in ''
Planinski Vestnik'' ("Alpine Gazette").
See also
*
Titovka
References
{{Hats
Yugoslav Partisans
Military uniforms
Slovene Partisans
Caps