German South Moravia
Encyclopedia
German South Moravia was a historical region of Czechoslovakia
. It includes parts of southern and western Moravia
once largely populated by ethnic German
s.
German South Moravia was historically an integral part of the Habsburg constituent
Margraviate of Moravia. During the First World War it suffered military casualties in greater proportion than any other German speaking area of Austria-Hungary
, experiencing 44 war deaths for every 1,000 inhabitants. With the imminent collapse of Habsburg Austria-Hungary
at the end of the war, areas of the Czech-majority Moravia with an ethnic German majority began to take actions to avoid joining a new Czechoslovak state. German South Moravia was declared on 2 November 1918 with its capital at Znojmo
.
On 11 November 1918, Emperor Charles I of Austria relinquished power and, on 12 November, the ethnic German areas of the empire were declared the Republic of German Austria
with the intent of unifying with Germany
. However, the area was quickly taken by the Czechoslovak army with Znojmo falling on 27 December 1918.
The status of German areas in Moravia and Bohemia
was definitively settled by the 1919 peace treaties of Versailles
and Saint-Germain-en-Laye that declared that the areas belong to Czechoslovakia
. The Czechoslovak Government then granted amnesty for all activities against the new state.
The region was then integrated into the Moravian Land of the First Republic of Czechoslovakia
and remained a part of it until the Nazi
dismemberment of Czechoslovakia when it was added to Nazi Austria
(Ostmark). After World War II
, the area was returned to Czechoslovakia and is part of Czech Republic
. The near entirety of the German civilian population in German South Moravia -- like the rest of Czechoslovakia -- was forced out by Czechoslovaks from 1945-1948.
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...
. It includes parts of southern and western 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...
once largely populated by ethnic German
Ethnic German
Ethnic Germans historically also ), also collectively referred to as the German diaspora, refers to people who are of German ethnicity. Many are not born in Europe or in the modern-day state of Germany or hold German citizenship...
s.
History
Kronland
Kronland may refer to:* the German name of Lanškroun, a town in the Czech Republic* a "crown land", a constituent territory of Cisleithania, the Austrian half of former Austria–Hungary...
Margraviate of Moravia. During the First World War it suffered military casualties in greater proportion than any other German speaking area of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, experiencing 44 war deaths for every 1,000 inhabitants. With the imminent collapse of Habsburg Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
at the end of the war, areas of the Czech-majority Moravia with an ethnic German majority began to take actions to avoid joining a new Czechoslovak state. German South Moravia was declared on 2 November 1918 with its capital at Znojmo
Znojmo
Znojmo is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic, near the border with Lower Austria, connected to Vienna by railway and road . The royal city of Znojmo was founded shortly before 1226 by King Ottokar I on the plains in front of Znojmo Castle...
.
On 11 November 1918, Emperor Charles I of Austria relinquished power and, on 12 November, the ethnic German areas of the empire were declared the Republic of German Austria
German Austria
Republic of German Austria was created following World War I as the initial rump state for areas with a predominantly German-speaking population within what had been the Austro-Hungarian Empire, without the Kingdom of Hungary, which in 1918 had become the Hungarian Democratic Republic.German...
with the intent of unifying with Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. However, the area was quickly taken by the Czechoslovak army with Znojmo falling on 27 December 1918.
The status of German areas in Moravia and 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...
was definitively settled by the 1919 peace treaties of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
and Saint-Germain-en-Laye that declared that the areas belong 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...
. The Czechoslovak Government then granted amnesty for all activities against the new state.
The region was then integrated into the Moravian Land of the First Republic of Czechoslovakia
First Republic of Czechoslovakia
-Independence:The Czechoslovak declaration of independence was published by the Czechoslovak National Council, signed by Masaryk, Štefánik and Beneš on October 18, 1918 in Paris, and proclaimed on October 28 in Prague...
and remained a part of it until the Nazi
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
dismemberment of Czechoslovakia when it was added to Nazi 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...
(Ostmark). After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the area was returned to Czechoslovakia and is part of Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. The near entirety of the German civilian population in German South Moravia -- like the rest of Czechoslovakia -- was forced out by Czechoslovaks from 1945-1948.