Austria and central Europe

Abstract

Is Austria part of ‘Central Europe’, as its geographical and historical setting would suggest? Many Austrians tend to think so and a quasi-‘official’ definition by the Austrian Foreign Ministry confirms this: Central Europe comprises Austria and her neighbouring countries Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary, as well as the ‘cultural neighbour’ Poland. The term Central Europe is not only a reference to the geographic proximity of these countries, but is even more defined by the deep rooted historic and cultural links that bind the region together.1.