Railway Infrastructure of the »Istarski ugljenokopi – Istrian Coal Mines, Raša« (1945 – 1953)

Abstract

The article on the railway infrastructure of the »Istarski ugljenokopi – Istrian Coal Mines, Raša« is founded exclusively on the study of the archives kept by the Croatian State Archives. The article comprises the period from the end of World War II until 1953, when the »Constitutional Act on the basis of social and political organisation of the Federative People’s Republic of Yugoslavia (FPRY) and federal government bodies« was proclaimed. The period was characterized by strong centralization of political, economic and social functions, following the example of the USSR. Considering the fact that the focus was put on fast industrialization of the country, the largest administrative apparatus was developed in the economic sector. With the creation of the new state, transport was one of the crucial problems in the mines managed by the Ministry of Industry and Mining of the People’s Republic of Croatia. The former owner of the company »Istarski ugljenokopi – Istrian Coal Mines, Raša«, »Arsa Società Anonima Carbonifera« was also the owner of the mines of Raša, Podlabin, Strmac, Pićan, Vremski Britof (Timav) and Sečovlje. The company was registered on 26 June 1925 with the Commercial and Maritime Court of Trieste (Tribunale Commerciale e marittimo, Trieste). At the end of World War II, in 1945, the mines and other parts of the assets of the former »Arsa« were taken over for management by the Military Administration of the Yugoslav Army (VUJA) for Istria, Rijeka and Slovene Littoral. The Government of the Federative People’s Republic of Yugoslavia adopted on 2 January 1948 the Decision in relation to the company »Istarski ugljenokopi – Istrian Coal Mines, Raša« at Raša, Istria. Pursuant to this Decision the joint stock mining company »Arsa società mineraria carbonifera p.a.«, which following the Decree of the Presidium of the FPRY of 9 November 1947 had been proclaimed a company of general state significance, and which had become the property of the State partly on the basis of the Peace Agreement with Italy as property of the Italian republic, and partly on the basis of the Nationalization of Private Companies Act, continued work under the name »Istarski rudnici, Raša« – »Istrian Mines, Raša«. The company seat was at Raša, in Istria. The company incorporated the mines at: Raša, Podlabin, Plomin, Pićan and Strmac. The handover of the »Istrian Coal Mines, Raša« from the Ministry of Mining of the FPRY in Belgrade to the General Coal Direction in Zagreb took place between 27 May and 1 June 1949. »Istrian Coal Mines, Raša« came under the jurisdiction of the People’s Committee of the Labin District on 1 January 1953. In August 1950 the »Istrian Coal Mines, Raša« had: 4 steam locomotives, 12 petrol and diesel locomotives in the shaft, 11 electrical trolley locomotives in the shaft, 17 electrical trolley locomotives outside, 8 shaft cablecars, 2 outside cable cars, 5150 coal trucks, 28 topple coal trucks and 150 topple-unloading coal trucks. The width of the gauge at the »Istrian Coal Mines, Raša« in the shaft and on surface was 630 mm.