DECISION
28 July 1920 — division of the disputed lands instead of a plebiscite
What was ruled
After the planned plebiscite was cancelled, the Conference of Ambassadors divided the disputed lands between Poland and Czechoslovakia. The decision was issued on 28 July 1920.
What it meant locally
In Orawa, Poland was awarded, among others, Jabłonka, both Zubrzyce villages, Sucha Góra, Głodówka and part of Lipnica Wielka; the last of these ended up on both sides of the border.
Spatial scope in the material
- Areain the material
- Localityin the material
- Marking out on the groundpartly — further work
- Plotnot in the material
The division between states was settled, but marking the line on the ground and making local adjustments required further work. The material does not give the course of the line across plots.
Source (link carried over from V2, not opened in V3): Orawski Park Etnograficzny [Orawa Ethnographic Park] — „Region”
COURT OPINION — division recognised as final
6 December 1923 — division final, adjustments possible
What was ruled
The Permanent Court of International Justice held the division of 28 July 1920 to be final. The delimitation commission, however, kept the right to propose specific changes.
This is an (advisory) opinion, not a boundary decision in its own right: it confirms the earlier decision of 1920 and does not itself draw the line. In the ladder it stands in the DECISION column because it concerns the status of the existing division; this placement is an editorial interpretation and needs to be checked against the source.
What it meant locally
The dispute concerned, among other things, the upper Jaworzyna valley. Adjustments were to take into account the interests of people and communities along the border and special local conditions; they could not mean abandoning almost the whole of the established line.
Spatial scope in the material
- Areain the material
- Localitypartly — the valley in dispute
- Marking out on the groundpartly — adjustments
- Plotnot in the material
Marking out a border and making a minor adjustment to it are different tasks from dividing the region anew. The Jaworzyna valley is treated here as an area of dispute, not as a list of villages or plots.
Sources (links carried over from V2, not opened in V3): UN — summary, pp. 24–27 · opinion no. 8 (PDF)
PROPOSAL
12 March 1924 — recommendation of the League of Nations Council
What was ruled
The League of Nations Council recommended a line based on new proposals from the delimitation commission. This is a recommendation: it is not yet a binding border.
What it meant locally
The Council considered protocols regulating border traffic desirable as an integral part of the territorial settlement. The description of the line alone therefore did not settle matters concerning how the borderland would function.
Spatial scope in the material
- Areapartly — a line on the disputed section
- Localitynot in the material
- Marking out on the groundnot in the material
- Plotnot in the material
The protocols were still to be agreed. The March recommendation should not be equated with the June taking over of the changed border in Orawa.
Source (link carried over from V2, not opened in V3): UN — aftermath of the opinion, p. 27
DECISION
26 March (1924) — adoption of the recommendation
What was ruled
The Conference of Ambassadors adopted the Council’s recommendation on 26 March. The year 1924 follows from the context of the V2 material and needs to be checked against the source.
What it meant locally
Adopting the recommendation did not close the matter of border traffic: the protocols regulating it remained to be agreed (according to V2).
Spatial scope in the material
- Areapartly — a line on the disputed section
- Localitynot in the material
- Marking out on the groundnot in the material
- Plotnot in the material
The V2 material does not describe what the adoption meant for individual localities or fields.
Source (link carried over from V2, not opened in V3): UN — aftermath of the opinion, p. 27
DECISION · bilateral
6 May 1924 — Kraków protocols: Lipnica in exchange for Sucha Góra and Głodówka
What was ruled
The Kraków protocols were signed. Czechoslovakia received Sucha Góra and the part of Głodówka that belonged to Poland; Poland received almost all of the remaining part of Lipnica Wielka.
What it meant locally
The change joined the separated parts of Lipnica on the Polish side. Small fragments of Lipnica remained with Czechoslovakia.
Spatial scope in the material
- Areain the material (Orawa)
- Localityin the material
- Marking out on the groundpartly — taking over only in June
- Plotnot in the material
Signing the protocols is not yet the taking over of the changed border on the ground — that happened in June. The material does not give the division into plots and owners.
Source (link carried over from V2, not opened in V3): „Orawska droga do niepodległej Polski” [The Orawa road to independent Poland] — calendar of events
IMPLEMENTATION
2–5 June 1924 — taking over the changed border in Orawa
What was ruled
Taking over the changed border in Orawa lasted from 2 to 5 June 1924 (according to the calendar of events). This is the moment when the change moves from paper onto the ground.
What it meant locally
What this looked like at the level of individual houses and fields, the material does not say.
Spatial scope in the material
- Areain the material (Orawa)
- Localityin the material
- Marking out on the groundtaking over according to the calendar of events, details unknown
- Plotnot in the material
This material does not tell us how the marking out proceeded or how access to fields cut by the line was resolved. There is no cadastre or list of owners.
Source (link carried over from V2, not opened in V3): „Orawska droga do niepodległej Polski” [The Orawa road to independent Poland] — calendar of events
,_centrum_4.jpg){kind=link}