The Czech-Polish and Austrian-Slovenian Borderlands – Similarities and Differences in the Development and Typology of Regions
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MORAVIAN GEOGRAPHICAL REPORTS 3/2012, Vol. 20 THE CZECH-POLISH AND AUSTRIAN-SLOVENIAN BORDERLANDS – SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND TYPOLOGY OF REGIONS Petr KLADIVO, Pavel PTÁČEK, Pavel ROUBÍNEK, Karen ZIENER Abstract In the paper, cross-border and borderland issues are presented on the example of two borderlands in Central Europe: Austrian-Slovenian and Czech-Polish. In the theoretical part, types of cross-border links are described, mostly depending on previous political circumstances. After that, the most important historic milestones in the two borderlands are identified. The comparison of borderlands dwells on the statistical analysis of demographic and other socioeconomic characteristics including the accessibility and types of settlement system in the four countries. Finally, the cluster analysis and the development of five relatively homogeneous groups of territorial units bring a new viewpoint on the study of border areas and enable typology of both borderlands based on socioeconomic characteristics. Shrnutí Česko-polské a rakousko-slovenské pohraničí – podobnosti a rozdíly vývoje a typologie regionů Článek se zabývá otázkami vývoje rakousko-slovinského a česko-polského pohraniční. První část je zaměřena na teoretické přístupy k vývoji přeshraničních vazeb a popisuje také historické mezníky ve vývoji obou zkoumaných pohraničí. Dále byla popsána metodologie výzkumu, který byl založen na porovnání a statistické analýze dynamických i okamžikových charakteristik územních jednotek v obou pohraničích (demografické, socioekonomické charakteristiky, dostupnost). Shluková analýza byla potom použita pro komplexní typologii územních jednotek v obou pohraničích. Bylo vytvořeno pět typů územních jednotek a byly diskutovány otázky jejich výskytu ve zkoumaných územích. Keywords: cross-border collaboration, regional disparities, Austria, Czech Republic,Poland, Slovenia 1. Introduction to compare the two borderlands with a different The paper focuses on some aspects of the history and development of the border situation geography of border areas. It tries to introduce a and different conditions for cross-border interaction more comprehensive and synthetic view on the and collaboration. In this process, perceptions and processes and determinants of the current stages valuations of local and regional stakeholder groups of development on the example of Czech-Polish and were gathered and analyzed. The paper presents a Austrian-Slovenian borderlands. The main aim is to basic regional analysis of the borderlands including bring a new viewpoint to the discussion about the the development of the borders and border regimes as border areas. As mentioned by Bufon (2007), ”the well as conclusions for cross-border collaboration and literature written up till now on geography of border integration. The analysis of selected characteristics landscapes mainly comprises of works dealing with should describe the current stage of the development border areas as part of individual countries only, while in both border areas where similar cross-border rarely extending over the political borders to define links are expected. In particular, we would like to and discover a so-called cross-border region”. In this answer the question if there are more similarities article, we would like to break this rule and analyze between adjoining areas on both sides of the border or border areas (borderlands) as non-divided spaces. The between areas along the border. In other words, is the aim of the common project between the Geographical political border the main dividing factor of the spatial Institutes of the Palacký University in Olomouc and structure or not? What does it mean for functional University of Klagenfurt founded by the Programme relations and for the development of an integrated “Aktion Österreich-Tschechische Republik” was border region? 48 Vol. 20, 3/2012 MORAVIAN GEOGRAPHICAL REPORTS 2. Theoretical basics border is functionally closed and the residents of the neighbouring countries act as strangers to each other. Related to the European integration and enlargement In the case of the “coexistent borderlands”, the border in politics, society and science, the perspective has is slightly open, so that international relations are changed from border regions and their problems possible but only a limited cross-border interaction to cross-border interaction and development, from develops. The borderland interdependence exists if a national state point of view to an interregional or regions on both sides of the border are symbiotically European point of view. National borders have lost linked with each other. Economic complementarities a larger part of their function as a barrier meaning generate cross-border interaction and collaboration, that cross-border interaction and collaboration have which stimulate the development of markets, become increasingly important (Jeřábek, 2002). In capital and labour. Moreover, the “interdependent the border research of the last decades, different borderlands” are characterized by social relationships approaches and fields such as Border area view across the border. On the other hand, some factors (Ratti, 1993) and Transnational Regionalism View such as over immigration, trade competition and (Schmidt-Egner, 2005) have been developed. ethnic nationalism influence the cross-border relations and the border regime negatively. In the The different types of borderlands interaction by “integrated borderlands”, no barriers exist to trade Martinez provide a basis for the borderland analysis and human movement across the common border. The in our study. Using the example of the border between neighbouring regions merge economically, with capital, the USA and Mexico, he distinguishes four stages of product, and labour flowing. The major political borderland interaction: (1) Alienated borderlands, differences between the neighbouring countries are (2) Coexistent borderlands, (3) Interdependent eliminated and the locals perceive themselves as borderlands and (4) Integrated borderlands (Fig. 1). members of one social system (Martinez, 1994, p. 1–5). In the “alienated borderlands”, the routine cross- In the sense of Martinez, the widely-used term ”trans- border interactions are practically non-existent. border region” (or ”cross-border region”) is equitable The permeability of the border is very low. The with the ”integrated borderlands”. That means that Fig. 1: Types of borderland interaction (by Martinez). Source: Martinez, 1994, p. 3 functional relations and interactions across the border Central European and East European (Bufon, 1998, exist and common cross-border regional identity has cit. in Bufon, 2007). The Central and East European developed. Whereas the Austrian-Slovenian border ones are typical for our case study region. In the was part of the Iron Curtain, there is a long tradition Central European type, historical regions often do not of cross-border interacting and cooperation. In the match the actual spatial regionalization. Numerous Czech-Polish borderland, the traditional cross-border delimitation processes have occurred there namely cooperations were discontinued in the context of the following the two world wars in the last century and two world wars. Interactions started developing again divided the originally homogeneous historic regions in the 1990s after the accession of the two countries into several units. Cross-border regions do not fit in the EU. However, the development of integrated the administrative spaces and rather match the borderlands not only bases on the regional structures, existing cultural or historic regions. Aside from the it requires durable functional relations in particular. interstate cooperation and openness, they also display “a remarkably high level of social integration, which When we look at the differences between border usually leads to the formation of special cross-border regions and cross-border regions in Europe, Bufon spatial systems that could be defined as “regions distinguishes three basic groups: West European, within regions” (Bufon, 2007, p. 6). 49 MORAVIAN GEOGRAPHICAL REPORTS 3/2012, Vol. 20 On the other hand, the East European regions are part of Silesia and Kłodzko region (almost 37,000 km2) characterized, according to Bufon, by a combination were lost by the Habsburg monarchy and became of old and new borders in the traditionally less part of Prussia. The new border between Prussia developed and sparsely populated space. During the and Austria often did not respect natural phenomena communist regime, this unfavourable situation was such as rivers or mountain chains and divided many magnified by causing or encouraging the emigration settlements (e.g. in the Javorník region). These of autochthonous population and hindering the territorial changes (the loss of Silesia) lasted until the social and economic development in the border areas. World War I. Between the two wars, Czechoslovakia Because of their low potential, such borderlands have had its new borders the first time also with the newly even in the new circumstances only very limited established Poland. The three border point between possibilities for advanced forms of the cross-border these countries and Germany was located on the Odra cooperation. This is why Bufon (2007) calls them (Oder) River near Gliwice and Bohumín. As a result of “regions under reconstruction”. It is obvious that the World War II, the shift of this three border point institutional and political aspects such as the