Austria–Hungary relations
Encyclopedia
Hungary–Austria relations are the neighborly relations between Hungary
and Austria
, two member states of the European Union
. Both countries have a long common history since the ruling dynasty of Austria, the Habsburgs, inherited the Hungarian throne in the 16th century. Both have been part of the now-defunct Austro-Hungarian Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1921, after their separation.
Prior to World War I
, many aristocratic Hungarian families (like Esterházy, Batthyany
and Pálffy) had their own palaces in Vienna, where their king (at the same time Emperor of Austria) resided. Some of them own these premises still today.
Politicians and generals of both leading nations, German Austrians and Magyar Hungarians, were responsible for the disastrous foreign policy of the Monarchy leading towards World War I. Thence these two were treated as defeated enemies after World War I by the Entente
powers. Both shared the experience to see millions of nationals having to live in other countries: the Austrians were not allowed to integrate the Germans of Bohemia
and Moravia
into their republic, the Hungarians had to leave the Magyars of Transilvania to Romania
and those north of the Danube
river to Czechoslovakia
(today: Slovakia
).
According to the peace treaties of 1919 and 1920, Hungary had to cede its westernmost part, called Deutsch-Westungarn, to Austria, since these districts were inhabited by Germans for centuries. Ödenburg / Sopron
would have been the natural capital of the new Austrian State of Burgenland
. As Hungary did not agree to relinquish this city, the Entente ordered a plebiscite which was won by the Hungarian side. Although the polling was not considered regular by many Austrians, the decision proved to be definitive. The area called Burgenland by the Austrians was handed over to Austria in the autumn of 1921. Until today, in some communities of this Austrian state Hungarian may be used as official language. Hungarian aristocracy like the Esterházys and Batthyany
s kept their vast estates here (while they were expropriated in Hungary in 1945).
made the Hungarians living near the Austrian border and the Austrians living near the Hungarian border feel the division of Europe quite personally.
During the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, Austrians hoped Imre Nagy
, Pál Maléter
and the thousands of revolutionaries would succeed. When the Red Army
intervened, the Austrian neutrality
, adopted in 1955, did not hinder the government to deploy the army, called Bundesheer, at the eastern border with the order to shoot any foreign soldier entering Austria. Over the bridge at Andau
and on other ways tens of thousands of Hungarian refugees found their way into Austria. (In 1957, U.S. writer James Michener published his novel The Bridge at Andau
.) The refugees were received in Austria with great sympathy.
The most prominent refugee was Archbishop Cardinal József Mindszenty, the Primas of Hungary. Liberated from imprisonment during the revolution, he lived at the American Embassy in Budapest until 1971, when he agreed to leave Hungary. He then travelled to Vienna under U.S. protection and lived at the “Pazmaneum“, a seminar for Hungarian priests, until his death in 1975. In 1991 his remains were buried at the cathedral
in Esztergom
in Hungary.
Another refugee of 1956 was Prince Pál Esterházy
. Expropriated in Hungary, he lived from his vast estate in Burgenland (which today belongs to his widow Melinda Esterhazy). But as Burgenland seemed too close to communist Hungary for him, he preferred to reside in Zurich with his wife.
During the seventies, when János Kádár
reduced the oppression by the communist dictatorship and performed politics called “Gulyás Communism“, and Bruno Kreisky
was head of government in Austria, official relations between Hungary and Austria became rather friendly. Commentators, referring to the names of the two politicians, spoke of a new “K & K era“. In the eighties, in both countries plans were discussed to hold a joint world exhibition (”Expo 1996”) in Vienna and Budapest; a negative referendum on the issue, held in Vienna, killed the plan.
When the Hungarian government decided to tear down the Iron Curtain at the border to Austria, together with Austria a “tear-down action“ was staged, at which foreign ministers Alois Mock
and Gyula Horn
cut through barbed wire with pliers in the presence of international photo reporters on 27 June 1989. The photo, published worldwide, prompted many East Germans vacationing in Hungary to move to West Germany via Austria immediately. Hungarian sources later explained that at the time of this “photo opportunity“ most of the Iron Curtain had already been demolished.
allows to cross the common border without control wherever there is a way to go or drive. Austrian entrepreneurs have set up or bought banks, factories and shops in Hungary, vintners from Burgenland make wine in Hungary, farmers use Hungarian farmland leased or bought.
Austrians living in the east of the country know that dentists in Hungary sometimes work much cheaper than in Austria and visit dentists there, for example in Sopron
and in Mosonmagyaróvár
. Hungarian craftsmen are called to Austria for repair works and other technical jobs in households.
The gasoline company OMV
, partly owned by the Austrian state, in the last years tried to obtain economic influence on the Hungarian gasoline company MOL
by buying shares of this company, - with the goal to merge the two companies after some time. Public opinion and government of Hungary were strictly against this movement, and a law was passed to obstruct it. On June 16, 2008 the European Commission
had said that because OMV was already the biggest player in the oil and gas markets in central Europe, a tie-up with MOL would seriously hamper competition in the region. In early 2009 OMV, seeing no chance to realize its plan, sold its MOL shares to a Russian energy company and announced to plan investments in other countries.
Factories in Burgenland are heavily polluting the Raba / Raab river flowing from Austria into Hungary. As the problems could not be solved on the local or regional level, the Hungarian government is now talking with the Austrian government on the question of the earliest possible remedy against the dangerous pollution.
In 2009, in both countries the composer Joseph Haydn
's death 200 years ago is remembered. Haydn, born in Lower Austria, died in Vienna, has lived and worked for the Esterházy princes for 30 years in Western Hungary, part of which now is the Austrian Burgenland.
The company maintains the following railway lines:
The main line of the company was licenced to a private company by the Hungarian government in 1872, the Györ−Sopron track could be opened to traffic in 1876. The “Neusiedler Seebahn“ was opened in 1897. Neither the dissolution of Austria-Hungary nor World War II and the Cold War
thereafter stopped traffic between the two countries.
Beginning in the eighties of the 20th century, the company got more business, especially in freight trains. A new freight terminal in Sopron was constructed. From 1987, the main line could use electric traction.
See: Website of the railway company, in English, Hungarian and German
and six honorary consulates (in Pécs
, Nyíregyháza
, Szombathely
, Székesfehérvár
, Szeged
and Veszprém
). Hungary has an embassy in Vienna
and eight honorary consulates (in Bregenz
, Graz
, Horitschon, Innsbruck
, Klagenfurt
, Linz
, Maria Enzersdorf
and Salzburg
).
Both countries are full members of the European Union
. They share 366 kilometers of common borders, which can be crossed anywhere without control due to the Schengen Agreement
.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, two member states of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. Both countries have a long common history since the ruling dynasty of Austria, the Habsburgs, inherited the Hungarian throne in the 16th century. Both have been part of the now-defunct Austro-Hungarian Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1921, after their separation.
Before World War II
In the last decades of the Dual Monarchy, Austria and Hungary developed quite differently. In Hungary, the Magyar aristocracy and bourgeoisie tried to make the other nations of the multi-national kingdom Magyars within forty years: education was offered in Hungarian language only, place names and all official documents had to be written in this language as well. In multi-national Austria, on the contrary, the Basic Law of the State (Staatsgrundgesetz) of 1867 declared all nations of Imperial Austria equal, and the Germans as the leading nation did not try to Germanize the others. In the Kingdom of Hungary, the voting rights were kept to the upper classes, while in Austria universal, equal and direct voting of all men was established in 1907.Prior to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, many aristocratic Hungarian families (like Esterházy, Batthyany
Batthyány
Batthyány is the name of an old distinguished Hungarian Magnate family. The members of this family bear the title count or countess respectively prince or princess Batthyány von Német-Ujvár...
and Pálffy) had their own palaces in Vienna, where their king (at the same time Emperor of Austria) resided. Some of them own these premises still today.
Politicians and generals of both leading nations, German Austrians and Magyar Hungarians, were responsible for the disastrous foreign policy of the Monarchy leading towards World War I. Thence these two were treated as defeated enemies after World War I by the Entente
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
powers. Both shared the experience to see millions of nationals having to live in other countries: the Austrians were not allowed to integrate the Germans of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
into their republic, the Hungarians had to leave the Magyars of Transilvania to Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and those north of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
river to Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
(today: Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
).
According to the peace treaties of 1919 and 1920, Hungary had to cede its westernmost part, called Deutsch-Westungarn, to Austria, since these districts were inhabited by Germans for centuries. Ödenburg / Sopron
Sopron
In 1910 Sopron had 33,932 inhabitants . Religions: 64.1% Roman Catholic, 27.8% Lutheran, 6.6% Jewish, 1.2% Calvinist, 0.3% other. In 2001 the city had 56,125 inhabitants...
would have been the natural capital of the new Austrian State of Burgenland
Burgenland
Burgenland is the easternmost and least populous state or Land of Austria. It consists of two Statutarstädte and seven districts with in total 171 municipalities. It is 166 km long from north to south but much narrower from west to east...
. As Hungary did not agree to relinquish this city, the Entente ordered a plebiscite which was won by the Hungarian side. Although the polling was not considered regular by many Austrians, the decision proved to be definitive. The area called Burgenland by the Austrians was handed over to Austria in the autumn of 1921. Until today, in some communities of this Austrian state Hungarian may be used as official language. Hungarian aristocracy like the Esterházys and Batthyany
Batthyány
Batthyány is the name of an old distinguished Hungarian Magnate family. The members of this family bear the title count or countess respectively prince or princess Batthyány von Német-Ujvár...
s kept their vast estates here (while they were expropriated in Hungary in 1945).
After World War II
The political development of Hungary and Czechoslovakia towards communist regimes after 1945 made Austrian politicians extremely cautious in their relations with the Communist Party of Austria, which did not get much support at the elections. The Iron CurtainIron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
made the Hungarians living near the Austrian border and the Austrians living near the Hungarian border feel the division of Europe quite personally.
During the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, Austrians hoped Imre Nagy
Imre Nagy
Imre Nagy was a Hungarian communist politician who was appointed Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Hungary on two occasions...
, Pál Maléter
Pál Maléter
Pál Maléter was born to Hungarian parents in Eperjes, a city in the northern part of Historical Hungary, today part of Slovakia. He was the military leader of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution....
and the thousands of revolutionaries would succeed. When the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
intervened, the Austrian neutrality
Neutrality (international relations)
A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
, adopted in 1955, did not hinder the government to deploy the army, called Bundesheer, at the eastern border with the order to shoot any foreign soldier entering Austria. Over the bridge at Andau
Brücke von Andau
The Brücke von Andau is a small bridge over the Einserkanal/Hansági-főcsatorna, a small river which forms part of the border between Austria and Hungary. It is located near to the village of Andau .- History :...
and on other ways tens of thousands of Hungarian refugees found their way into Austria. (In 1957, U.S. writer James Michener published his novel The Bridge at Andau
The Bridge at Andau
The Bridge at Andau is a 1957 nonfiction book by James Michener chronicling the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Michener was living in Austria in the 1950s...
.) The refugees were received in Austria with great sympathy.
The most prominent refugee was Archbishop Cardinal József Mindszenty, the Primas of Hungary. Liberated from imprisonment during the revolution, he lived at the American Embassy in Budapest until 1971, when he agreed to leave Hungary. He then travelled to Vienna under U.S. protection and lived at the “Pazmaneum“, a seminar for Hungarian priests, until his death in 1975. In 1991 his remains were buried at the cathedral
Esztergom Basilica
The Primatial Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed Into Heaven and St Adalbert is an ecclesiastic basilica in Esztergom, Hungary, the mother church of the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest, and the seat of the Catholic Church in Hungary...
in Esztergom
Esztergom
Esztergom , is a city in northern Hungary, 46 km north-west of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom county, on the right bank of the river Danube, which forms the border with Slovakia there....
in Hungary.
Another refugee of 1956 was Prince Pál Esterházy
Pál Esterházy
Prince Pál Antal Esterházy de Galántha was a Hungarian prince, a member of the famous Esterházy family. He was the son of Prince Nikolaus II and succeeded his father on the latter's death in 1833.-The basis of his wealth:For several generations, the Esterházy family had been exceedingly wealthy...
. Expropriated in Hungary, he lived from his vast estate in Burgenland (which today belongs to his widow Melinda Esterhazy). But as Burgenland seemed too close to communist Hungary for him, he preferred to reside in Zurich with his wife.
During the seventies, when János Kádár
János Kádár
János Kádár was a Hungarian communist leader and the General Secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, presiding over the country from 1956 until his forced retirement in 1988. His thirty-two year term as General Secretary makes Kádár the longest ruler of the People's Republic of Hungary...
reduced the oppression by the communist dictatorship and performed politics called “Gulyás Communism“, and Bruno Kreisky
Bruno Kreisky
Bruno Kreisky was an Austrian politician who served as Foreign Minister from 1959 to 1966 and as Chancellor from 1970 to 1983. Aged 72 at the end of his chancellorship, he was the oldest acting Chancellor after World War II....
was head of government in Austria, official relations between Hungary and Austria became rather friendly. Commentators, referring to the names of the two politicians, spoke of a new “K & K era“. In the eighties, in both countries plans were discussed to hold a joint world exhibition (”Expo 1996”) in Vienna and Budapest; a negative referendum on the issue, held in Vienna, killed the plan.
When the Hungarian government decided to tear down the Iron Curtain at the border to Austria, together with Austria a “tear-down action“ was staged, at which foreign ministers Alois Mock
Alois Mock
Alois Mock is a politician and member of the Austrian People's Party . He was Vice Chancellor of Austria from 1987 to 1989. As foreign minister he helped take Austria into the European Union....
and Gyula Horn
Gyula Horn
Gyula Horn is a Hungarian politician and the third Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary, from 1994–1998....
cut through barbed wire with pliers in the presence of international photo reporters on 27 June 1989. The photo, published worldwide, prompted many East Germans vacationing in Hungary to move to West Germany via Austria immediately. Hungarian sources later explained that at the time of this “photo opportunity“ most of the Iron Curtain had already been demolished.
Relations today
Meanwhile both countries entered the European Union, and since the end of 2007 the Schengen AgreementSchengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement is a treaty signed on 14 June 1985 near the town of Schengen in Luxembourg, between five of the ten member states of the European Economic Community. It was supplemented by the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement 5 years later...
allows to cross the common border without control wherever there is a way to go or drive. Austrian entrepreneurs have set up or bought banks, factories and shops in Hungary, vintners from Burgenland make wine in Hungary, farmers use Hungarian farmland leased or bought.
Austrians living in the east of the country know that dentists in Hungary sometimes work much cheaper than in Austria and visit dentists there, for example in Sopron
Sopron
In 1910 Sopron had 33,932 inhabitants . Religions: 64.1% Roman Catholic, 27.8% Lutheran, 6.6% Jewish, 1.2% Calvinist, 0.3% other. In 2001 the city had 56,125 inhabitants...
and in Mosonmagyaróvár
Mosonmagyaróvár
Mosonmagyaróvár is a city in Győr-Moson-Sopron county in northwestern Hungary. It lies close to both the Austrian and Slovakian borders and has a population of 30,200 ....
. Hungarian craftsmen are called to Austria for repair works and other technical jobs in households.
The gasoline company OMV
OMV
OMV is Austria's largest oil-producing, refining and gas station operating company with important activities in other Central European countries...
, partly owned by the Austrian state, in the last years tried to obtain economic influence on the Hungarian gasoline company MOL
Mol
-Places:* City Municipality of Ljubljana, known after the acronym MOL in Slovene language * Märkisch-Oderland, a rural district of Brandenburg, Germany* Mol, Belgium, a municipality in Belgium* Mol, Serbia, a town in Serbia...
by buying shares of this company, - with the goal to merge the two companies after some time. Public opinion and government of Hungary were strictly against this movement, and a law was passed to obstruct it. On June 16, 2008 the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
had said that because OMV was already the biggest player in the oil and gas markets in central Europe, a tie-up with MOL would seriously hamper competition in the region. In early 2009 OMV, seeing no chance to realize its plan, sold its MOL shares to a Russian energy company and announced to plan investments in other countries.
Factories in Burgenland are heavily polluting the Raba / Raab river flowing from Austria into Hungary. As the problems could not be solved on the local or regional level, the Hungarian government is now talking with the Austrian government on the question of the earliest possible remedy against the dangerous pollution.
In 2009, in both countries the composer Joseph Haydn
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
's death 200 years ago is remembered. Haydn, born in Lower Austria, died in Vienna, has lived and worked for the Esterházy princes for 30 years in Western Hungary, part of which now is the Austrian Burgenland.
Győr–Sopron–Ebenfurth Railway
This railway company with headquarter in Sopron is a common enterprise of the states of Hungary (66.5 %) and Austria (28.6 %) and a holding belonging to ÖBB Austrian Federal Railways (4.9 %), which is due to sell its shares to Strabag building company if European Commission agrees. In Hungarian it is called Győr-Sopron-Ebenfurti Vasút (GySEV), in German it has been called Raab-Oedenburg-Ebenfurther Eisenbahn (ROeEE) until 2008 and is now called Raaberbahn.The company maintains the following railway lines:
- GyőrGyor-Climate:-Main sights:The ancient core of the city is Káptalan Hill at the confluence of three rivers: the Danube, Rába and Rábca. Püspökvár, the residence of Győr’s bishops can be easily recognised by its incomplete tower. Győr’s oldest buildings are the 13th-century dwelling tower and the...
/Raab–SopronSopronIn 1910 Sopron had 33,932 inhabitants . Religions: 64.1% Roman Catholic, 27.8% Lutheran, 6.6% Jewish, 1.2% Calvinist, 0.3% other. In 2001 the city had 56,125 inhabitants...
/Ödenburg–Ebenfurth (Lower Austria), the main line of the company - Sopron/Ödenburg–Szombathely/Steinamanger (parallel to the Austrian border, in Hungary only; operated by MÁV, the Hungarian State Railway, until 2002)
- SzombathelySzombathelySzombathely is the 10th largest city in Hungary. It is the administrative centre of Vas county in the west of the country, located near the border with Austria...
/Steinamanger–Szentgotthárd/St. Gotthard (as above; operated by MÁV until 2006) - Neusiedl am See (Burgenland)–Fertőszentmiklós (Hungary), in Austria called “Neusiedler Seebahn“
- Széchenyi Museum Railway near Nagycenk/Groß-Zinkendorf (Hungary), a narrow-gauge track constructed in 1972
The main line of the company was licenced to a private company by the Hungarian government in 1872, the Györ−Sopron track could be opened to traffic in 1876. The “Neusiedler Seebahn“ was opened in 1897. Neither the dissolution of Austria-Hungary nor World War II and the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
thereafter stopped traffic between the two countries.
Beginning in the eighties of the 20th century, the company got more business, especially in freight trains. A new freight terminal in Sopron was constructed. From 1987, the main line could use electric traction.
See: Website of the railway company, in English, Hungarian and German
Diplomatic Representation
Austria has an embassy in BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
and six honorary consulates (in Pécs
Pécs
Pécs is the fifth largest city of Hungary, located on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the south-west of the country, close to its border with Croatia. It is the administrative and economical centre of Baranya county...
, Nyíregyháza
Nyíregyháza
- Tourist sights :Nyíregyháza also has several museums and exhibitions, showing the city's rich cultural heritage.* Collection of the International Medallion Art and Small Sculpture Creative Community of Nyíregyháza-Sóstó – periodic exhibitions of works of contemporary artists-Twin towns — Sister...
, Szombathely
Szombathely
Szombathely is the 10th largest city in Hungary. It is the administrative centre of Vas county in the west of the country, located near the border with Austria...
, Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár is a city in central Hungary and is the 9th largest in the country. Located around southwest of Budapest. It is inhabited by 101,973 people , with 136,995 in the Székesfehérvár Subregion. The city is the centre of Fejér county and the regional centre of Central Transdanubia...
, Szeged
Szeged
' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....
and Veszprém
Veszprém
Veszprém is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county of the same name.-Location:...
). Hungary has an embassy in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and eight honorary consulates (in Bregenz
Bregenz
-Culture:The annual summer music festival Bregenzer Festspiele is a world-famous festival which takes place on and around a stage on Lake Constance, where a different opera is performed every second year.-Sport:* A1 Bregenz HB is a handball team....
, Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, Horitschon, Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
, Linz
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
, Maria Enzersdorf
Maria Enzersdorf
Maria Enzersdorf is a town in the district of Mödling in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. In addition, there are many castles and ruins in the forest surrounding Maria Enzersdorf...
and Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
).
Both countries are full members of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. They share 366 kilometers of common borders, which can be crossed anywhere without control due to the Schengen Agreement
Schengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement is a treaty signed on 14 June 1985 near the town of Schengen in Luxembourg, between five of the ten member states of the European Economic Community. It was supplemented by the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement 5 years later...
.
See also
- Hungarians in AustriaHungarians in AustriaThe Hungarian community in Austria numbers 25,884 according to the 2001 Census. Of these, 10,686 were in Vienna and 4,704 in Burgenland. The total number of Hungarian-speakers is estimated at around 40,000, with 6,600 in Burgenland. Most of the Burgenland Hungarians live near the two district...
- Andrássy Gyula German Language University of BudapestAndrássy Gyula German Language University of BudapestThe Andrássy University Budapest ; full name: Andrássy Gyula German Speaking University Budapest - is a private university in Budapest, the capital of Hungary...
- Foreign relations of AustriaForeign relations of AustriaThe 1955 Austrian State Treaty ended the four-power occupation and recognized Austria as an independent and sovereign state. In October 1955, the Federal Assembly passed a constitutional law in which "Austria declares of her own free will her perpetual neutrality." The second section of this law...
- Foreign relations of HungaryForeign relations of HungaryExcept for the short-lived neutrality declared by the anti-Soviet leader Imre Nagy in November 1956, Hungary's foreign policy generally followed the Soviet lead from 1947 to 1989. During the Communist period, Hungary maintained treaties of friendship, cooperation, and mutual assistance with the...