Tote Grenze oder lebendige Nachbarschaft?

In this book the Austrian-Slovak relations between the end of WWII and the „Prague Spring“ are scientifically analyzed for the first time. In the light of the communist takeover and the intensifying Cold War it is tried to lighten up specific aspects of this border-area that are otherwise neglected due to the fixation on classic bilateral relations. The historic contacts existing strongly on economic and kinsman like level have been heavily loaded by compulsory measures based firstly on nationalism and in succession on ideology. A picture of Slovakia comes up having friendly words for their Austrian neighbours wishing to exclude their citizens from a treatment as Germans also on a political level while at the same time accelerating the displacement. Noticeable is also the decline of cross-border exchange at the beginning of the ideological confrontation in terms for example of tourism or cultural affairs. Nevertheless an astonishing big part of these contacts stay alive. Many of them mediated through the Austrian General Consulate – since 1951 the sole representation of a western country in Slovakia’s capital – and intensifying in times of political thaw, despite great reserve by the Viennese Ballhausplatz. It’s interesting to see how the Slovak politicians responded to the riddle of their monopoly of information by the Austrian broadcasting service or that during the observation period the “iron curtain” along the “green border” between Austria and Slovakia was completely closed for five years only. The liberalization of the early sixties boosted the cultural and personal cross-border contacts and thus led to a modified image of Austria. But the confrontation formative for the years after the war was replaced by the example Austria now became in terms of politics and economy just before the military end of the “Prague Spring” marked the renewed downfall of the iron curtain for a long time.