European Coasts of Bohemia the Danube–Oder–Elbe Canal Attracted a Great Deal of Attention Throughout the Twentieth Century
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Jiří Janáč Jiří European Coasts of Bohemia The Danube–Oder–Elbe Canal attracted a great deal of attention throughout the twentieth century. Its promo- ters defined it as a tool for integrating a divided Europe. Negotiating the Danube-Oder-Elbe Canal in Although the canal was situated almost exclusively on Czech territory, it promised to create an integrated wa- a Troubled Twentieth Century Jiří Janáč terway system across the Continent that would link Black Sea ports to Atlantic markets. In return, the landlocked European Coasts of Bohemia Czechoslovakian state would have its own connections to the sea. Today, the canal is an important building block of the European Agreement on Main Inland Waterways. This book explains the crucial role that experts played in aligning national and transnational interests and in- frastructure developments. It builds on recent inves- tigations into the hidden integration of Europe as an outcome of transnational networking, system-building, and infrastructure development. The book analyzes the emergence of a transnational waterway expert network that continued to push for the development of the ca- nal despite unfavorable political circumstances. The book shows how the experts adapted themselves to various political developments, such as the break-up of the Austrian–Hungarian Empire, the rise of the Third Reich, and integration into the Soviet Bloc, while still managing to keep the Canal project on the map. This book provides a fascinating story of the experts who confronted and contributed to different and often con- flicting geopolitical visions of Europe. The canal was never completed, yet what is more re- markable is the fact that the canal remained on various agendas and attracted vast resources throughout the twentieth century. Foundation for the History of Technology & Amsterdam University Press tehs Technology and European History Series (TEHS) dissertation 9 ISBN 978 90 6450 12 9 789089 645012 omslag_TEHS9_janac.indd 1 11/5/2012 1:31:35 PM Introduction 1 European Coasts of Bohemia TEHS9_janac_proefschrift.indd 1 11/5/2012 1:33:39 PM 2 European Coasts of Bohemia TEHS9_janac_proefschrift.indd 2 11/5/2012 1:33:39 PM Introduction 3 European Coasts of Bohemia Negotiating the Danube-Oder-Elbe Canal in a Troubled Twentieth Century Jiří Janáč TEHS9_janac_hyandels.indd 3 11/13/2012 5:33:33 PM 4 European Coasts of Bohemia This publication is made possible by: Eindhoven University of Technology, Foundation for the History of Technology and the Unger – Van Brero Fund. ISBN 978 90 8964 501 2 e-isbn 978 90 4851 812 8 e-isbn 978 90 4851 813 5 (e-pub) © 2012, Jiří Janáč No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Design and typesetting: Ellen Bouma, Alkmaar, the Netherlands Cover image: Photo used on the cover of the leaflet published by the Ostrava min- ing company in 1966 to promote the construction of the canal. Source: Ostrava hledá přístup k moři (Ostrava Seeks Access to Sea, 1966, NAČR, FMZO, odd. 20, b. 65). Amsterdam University Press, Herengracht 221, NL-1016 BG Amsterdam www.aup.nl TEHS9_janac_hyandels.indd 4 11/13/2012 5:33:33 PM Introduction 5 Acknowledgements Let me start with an anecdote. Two engineers meet at a Comecon expert group conference somewhere in Eastern Europe. One has a weekend house close by the conference venue, and after the meeting, invites his foreign colleague back for dinner. When they arrive, the guest is overwhelmed by the luxury of the place and asks his host whether engineers are so well paid in this country. The response is clear: “No, they are not, but the one-way bridge we came over has 4 lanes on paper!” In a way, the same applies to this book. There is no canal connecting the Danube and the Oder, yet we now have a dissertation. This does not mean I embezzled any funds. To achieve my own goals, however, I have made use of the work done by generations of engineers, some of whom even agreed to meet and provide me with their deep insights into the problems. Here I would like to sin- cerely thank Jaroslav Kubec, Václav Plecháč and Evžen Polenka. Coming back to the bridge metaphor, I must say that the route from research project to book was by no means straightforward in my case. Therefore, I would like to express my gratitude to those who kept me on the right track and did not let me settle for a one-way footbridge. In particular I have in mind my supervi- sors, Luďa Klusáková and Johan Schot. Their trust and encouragement, as well as words of advice on various matters related to writing and (not only) academic life, kept me going whenever I started to lose faith in this project. I am indebted to colleagues involved in the PhD Program, TheH idden Integration in Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe which was launched by the Foundation for the History of Technology in 2006. We went through the thick and thin of researching and writing with other students on the scheme, Ivaylo Christov, Emilia Karaboeva and Elitsa Stoilova. We all set out on this voyage to- gether, and throughout the process they provided me with endless support, inspi- ration and also understanding in my moments of weakness. For many valuable comments on earlier versions of individual chapters and on general articulation of the idea for the book, my thanks go to members of the Program’s Scientific Committee, Dobrinka Parusheva and Ivan Tchalakov. Besides the Bulgarian part of the committee, the same is true for the Dutch part. Erik van der Vleuten’s en- lightening comments helped me clarify my arguments when I found it difficult to articulate my thoughts, and Ruth Oldenziel guided me patiently through the TEHS9_janac_proefschrift.indd 5 11/5/2012 1:33:40 PM 6 European Coasts of Bohemia intricacies of turning the manuscript into a book. In this respect, my thanks also go to Val Kidd for speedy editing. James Morrison and Paul Cooper helped me with the language in the earlier stages of writing. Also, I am grateful to the people at the Foundation for the History of Technology, especially to Jan Korsten and Sonja Beekers. The anecdote continues by returning to a session with the same Comecon ex- pert group some years later, this time the two engineers have swapped roles. The dinner is taking place in an even bigger dacha. How have you managed to af- ford this? asks the visitor. Did you notice the bridge we crossed? There was no bridge… Similar to the joke, writing this book has been stretched between two places - Prague and Eindhoven. For the welcome and support offered during my stay in Eindhoven, I would like to thank everyone at Eindhoven University of Technology, especially Alec Badenoch, Vincent Lagendijk and others involved in the History of Technology course. In Prague I owe a great deal to my colleagues in the department, most notably Karel Kubiš. I am truly grateful to my parents, sister and friends for their support. At some point in my studies I turned for help to well-known historians Ivan Jakubec, Andreas Kunz and Cornelis Disco, who all kindly answered my questions and willingly shared their expertise. The same is true for archivists Naďa Urbánková, Bohumír Brom and Miroslav Kunt. During my research for this book I enjoyed the hospitality of my dear colleagues Helena Durnová and Frank Schipper. Last but not least, this book owes its very existence to my dear wife Jana, who has always generously tolerated my somewhat eccentric lifestyle, full of night-time writing, conference trips and piles of paper everywhere. Prague. August 15, 2012 TEHS9_janac_proefschrift.indd 6 11/5/2012 1:33:40 PM Introduction 7 Table of Contents Acknowledgements 5 1 Introduction 9 Infrastructure Historiography 12 Canal as a Laboratory of Europe 20 Sources 24 2 Mittel-Europeanization on Waterways 27 On Mittel-Europeanization 28 Building Mitteleuropa on Waterways before Versailles 35 De-Austrianization: Shaping the Czechoslovak State 45 Mittel-Europeanization beyond the State? 57 Conclusion 80 3 Canal as Artery for Nazi Expansion 85 On Nazification 92 Constructing the Grossraum 101 From Grand Opening to Inauspicious End 111 Conclusion 125 4 Linking the Soviet Volga; not the Rhine! 131 On Sovietization 133 Projecting a Soviet Canal 145 Sovietization “Beyond the State” 158 The Final Plan 171 Conclusion 177 5 Mastering Three Seas 181 On Europeanization 185 Across the Curtain 193 Europeanization of the Canal Design 206 Canalizing Europe 225 Conclusion 232 TEHS9_janac_proefschrift.indd 7 11/5/2012 1:33:40 PM 8 European Coasts of Bohemia 6 Conclusion 235 Annex 1 List of Barge Types 245 Bibliography 247 List of Abbreviations 269 Summary 271 TEHS9_janac_proefschrift.indd 8 11/5/2012 1:33:40 PM Introduction 9 Chapter 1 Introduction “This (the Danube Oder Elbe canal) is a European affair. It makes no sense as a national project. We cannot afford it; such a project is tens or hundreds of bil- lions of crowns. If the European Union recognizes the project is reasonable and is ready to finance it, then it might be realized”. Thus argued Pavel Drobil, Czech Environment Minister on August 16, 2010. Drobil agitated for a bold decision: Three months earlier, on May 26, 2010, the caretaker government of the Czech Republic, led by Prime Minister Jan Fischer, decided to extend the building ban in the corridor of the proposed route of the Danube-Oder-Elbe Canal.1 The admin- istration took the last possible opportunity to close the debate that had re-opened several years earlier when the Czech Republic entered the European Union (EU).