Ljubljana - Crossroads on the way to the World

A letter of “Ivan Bihl” from Buchs on the Austrian-Swiss border (1913). Above the text “Each to each”, Carniolian, Swiss and American flags are fluttering (from left to right).

Personal contact in written form was a frequent form of communication of representatives of foreign travel agencies, which for that purpose employed Slovenes skilful in some foreign languages, especially Slavic ones. Many agents used duplicated “letters” (Fran Sakser from New York). Sakser also had printed “letters” with rubrics in which he wrote data of emigrants, and frequently added additional information. The letters were written in ink or on a “typing” machine. In short, informative activity in written form was a frequent way of acquiring data before going to America.



A letter by Vincenc Leban from Trieste, authorised agent for travels to North and South America (1909). He is offering an emigrant his services and is stating services, which he had already offered to his fellow villagers. He recommended the steamship Alice. At the same time, he writes to a group that will arrive to Trieste by train, that they will recognize their agent by his jacket on which he will have a small American flag, and Leban written on his hat.	A multiplied letter by Frank Sakser from New York (1901) in which he advises an emigrant from Litija to board the train in Medvode in case he had not fulfilled the military obligation, in order to avoid the Ljubljana police.	A printed letter by Frank Sakser in which the main stations on the way to Basel are added: Ljubljana (Laibach) – Trbiž (Tarvis) – Beljak (Villach) - … Innsbruck – Feldkirchen - Bux (on Austrian-Swiss border) – Zürich – Basel. This was a section of the famous “French line”, i.e. a railway route from Ljubljana to Le Havre on which a large number of Slovene emigrants travelled.	A letter in German language about how to act during journey, sent by the Rommel & Cie agency from Basel.