Beidseits der Alpen

In the southeastern Alpine region, German, Slavic and Romance cultures meet and shape one of the most culturally diverse regions in Europe. For a very long time, Germans and Slovenes lived under a political umbrella that covered economic, social and cultural structures common to people regardless of their language. It was only after 1918 that people found themselves living in two separate states in which distinguishing between the self and one’s neighbours in terms of nationhood was the norm. The violent politics of National Socialism in particular destroyed a common space that had grown over centuries. Between 1945 and 1991, people also lived within different political, social and economic systems. Today, Austria and Slovenia are members of the European Union and have converged socially and economically. Culturally and linguistically, however, the distance has remained. Against this background, the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) and the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU) have set themselves the goal of taking a new look at Austro-Slovenian history. It is narrated from the beginnings of Slavic-Germanic contacts in the early Middle Ages to the present day. This book offers what historians call an entangled history. The focus is on the people of a historical region that has grown since the Middle Ages, that was called Inner Austria under Habsburg rule and that includes today’s Slovenian territory as well as, in Austria, especially Carinthia and Styria. The book was written by Austrian and Slovenian historians and also places the region in a European context. It is divided into 15 chapters, organised thematically and chronologically. The presentation and understanding of the shared history are supported by 32 maps, over 260 illustrations and numerous tables.