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From the first half of the 11th century, the Karawanks formed the border between the territory of the [[Duchy of Carinthia]] and the adjacent [[March of Carniola]] in the south. After Carniola had been elevated to a [[Duchy of Carniola|duchy]] in 1364, both lands became part of [[Inner Austria]] and were [[crown land]]s of the [[Habsburg Monarchy]] from 1526 up to [[World War I]]. The northern slopes of the Karawanks were a historic settlement area of [[Carinthian Slovenes]], nevertheless in October 1920, the crest was decided with the [[Carinthian Plebiscite]] as the border between the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes]] (later [[Yugoslavia]]); only the [[municipality of Jezersko]] had already passed from Carinthia to Yugoslavia.
In the final weeks of the [[Second World War]] the Karawanks passes witnessed intense fighting. The [[24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Karstjäger|24th SS ''[[Kampfgruppe]]'' (battlegroup) commanded by SS-''[[Brigadeführer|Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen]]''-SS (Brigadier) [[Heinz Harmel]] was ordered to keep the Karawanken passes open between Yugoslavia and Austria. This task was critical in allowing German forces to withdraw from Yugoslavia in order to surrender to British rather than Yugoslav forces. The ''Kampfgruppe'' succeeded in its final task, and was one of the last German units to surrender, when it encountered the British [[6th Armoured Division (United Kingdom)|6th Armoured Division]] on 9 May 1945.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Waffen SS (4): 24. to 38. Divisions, & Volunteer Legions|author=Williamson, Gordon|year=2004|p=4}}</ref>
After World War II the Karawanks remained the border between Austria and the [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] and finally the independent Slovenia from 1991. Since the entry of Slovenia to the [[Schengen Area]] in 2007, a free movement of people and goods across the Karawanks has been allowed and the two countries started to aim for an economic integration of their border areas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.si-at.eu/images/uploads/OP_SI-AT_2007- 2013_21-12-2007_en.pdf |title=Operational Programme: Cross-Border Cooperation Slovenia–Austria 2007–2013 |publisher=European Territorial Co-operation SI-AT |date=December 2007 |accessdate=19 April 2012}}</ref>
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