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Austria–Croatia relations

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Austrian-Croatian relations
Map indicating locations of Austria and Croatia

Austria
Croatia
Diplomatic mission
Austrian embassy in ZagrebCroatian embassy in Vienna
Envoy
Andreas WiedenhoffVesna Cvjetković
Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić-Radman meets with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg in the Vienna on 13 September 2019

Austria–Croatia relations refer to the bilateral relationship between Croatia and Austria. Diplomatic relations among two countries were established on January 15, 1992 following Croatia's independence from SFR Yugoslavia.

Croatia and Austria were part of the same union for almost 400 years; Habsburg Monarchy (1527-1804), Austrian Empire (1804-1867) and Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867-1918); with Croatian regions Istria and Dalmatia being under the Austrian rule since 1867 Compromise until 1918 collapse.

Croatia has an embassy in Vienna and honorary consulates in Graz, Linz, St. Pölten, and Salzburg.[1] Austria has an embassy in Zagreb, general consulate in Rijeka, consulate in Split, as well as Office of the Coordinator for educational cooperation, Austrian Cultural Forum, Office for Foreign Trade, Office of Attaché for Agricultural and Environmental Questions, and Office of Police Liaison in Zagreb.[2]

There is around 120,000 Croats that live in Austria out of which 56,785 have Croatian citizenship. The most recognizable group of Austrian Croats are Burgenland Croats that live in the Austrian state of Burgenland. 297 Austrians in Croatia are officially recognized as a minority by the Croatian Constitution and therefore have their own permanent seat in the Croatian Parliament.[3]

Both countries are full members of the European Union.

Country comparison

Austria Austria Croatia Croatia
Population 8,902,600 4,154,200
Area 83,879  km2 (32,386 sq mi) 56,594 km2 (21,851 sq mi)
Population Density 106/km2 (274.5/sq mi) 75.8/km2 (196.3/sq mi)
Capital Vienna Zagreb
Largest City Vienna – 1,888,776 (2,600,000 Metro) Zagreb – 688,163 (1,113,111 Metro)
Government Federal parliamentary republic Unitary parliamentary republic
Current Leader President Alexander Van der Bellen
Chancellor Sebastian Kurz 		President Zoran Milanović
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković
Official language German Croatian

History

Croatian high nobility elected Ferdinand I of the House of Habsburg as King of Croatia in 1527

After the death of King Louis II of Hungary at Mohács monarchical crisis in the Kingdom of Hungary occurred. The Croatian Parliament met in 1527 in the town of Cetin and chose Ferdinand I of the House of Habsburg as new ruler of Croatia, under the condition that he provides protection to Croatia against the Ottoman Empire in the Croatian–Ottoman War while respecting its political rights, although he later failed to fulfill this promise.[4]

Austro-Croatian relations have been close for most of modern history. Several heroes of Croatian history and culture were of Austrian origin and the country was one of the strongest in favor of Croatian recognition in the 1990s when Croatia declared its independence from SFR Yugoslavia.

Austria has also influenced development of education in Croatia. First Gymnasiums in Zagreb (1607), Rijeka (1627) and Varaždin (1636) were founded by the Jesuits from the Augustineum Training College.[5]

Many famous Croats like Janko Drašković, Dimitrije Demeter, Ljudevit Gaj, Stanko Vraz, Vatroslav Lisinski, Blagoje Bersa, Božidar Širola, Jakov Gotovac, Ivan Zajc and Ivan Meštrović have acquired higher education at the Universities of Vienna and Graz.[5]

Economic Relations and Tourism

There are more than 700 Austrian companies in Croatia.[6]

Austria is also the largest foreign investor in Croatia with more than 7 billion euros invested from 1993 to 2014.[7][6] Cooperation between Austrian and Croatian entrepreneurs is most often in the field of metal, electrical industry, wood processing, textile and footwear industry and food industry in the form of healthy food.[8]

Croatia and Austria are founders and members of The Alps-Adriatic Working Group. Goals of this organisation are mutual communication, discussion and coordination of the points of interest of the member states, development of cooperation and exchanges in the Alpine-Adriatic region, strengthening of the Central European cultural identity and participation in the processes of the European cooperation and integration. Main areas of cooperation are sports, tourism, environmental protection, connecting cities, preservation of cultural and recreational spaces, culture and science and European integration.[9]

Austrian nobility started visiting the Croatian coast in the 1880s. Opatija became a fashionable destination for the Austrian imperial family and Austrian nobility. Soon many luxury hotels and villas were built. The first luxury hotel – Hotel "Quarnero" (1884) (today "Grand Hotel Kvarner") was built according to the plans by Viennese architect Franz Wilhelm. The hotel Kronprinzessin Stephanie was opened in 1885. Crown princess Stephanie, after whom hotel was named, and her husband Crown Prince Rudolf appeared at the opening. In 1887, Heinrich von Littrow established the "Union Yacht Club Quarnero" in Opatija which was the first sailing club on the Adriatic. In 1889, Austrian government officially declared Opatija as the first climatic seaside resort on the Adriatic.[10] Evan today Austrians are among the most frequent visitors of the Croatian coast, while Croats are frequent visitors of Austrian ski resorts.[11][12] In 2018, 1.37 million Austrian tourists visited Croatia. They accounted for 7.065 million overnight stays, behind only German and Slovenian tourists in the overall number of overnight stays of foreign visitors.[13]

Croatian (cultural) organizations in Austria

Croatian Embassy in Vienna

Today there is a significant number of Croatian institutions in Austria. Some of them are:[3]

  • Croatian Cultural Center
  • Burgenland Croatian Center
  • Scientific Institute of the Burgenland Croats
  • Croatian Cultural Association in Burgenland
  • Croatian-Burgenland Cultural Association
  • Croatian Press Association of Eisenstadt - publishes the weekly "Croatian newspaper" (Hrvatske novine), an annual calendar as well as books on the Burgenland-Croatian language
  • Croatian literature
  • Croatian cultural and Documentation Centre - prints textbooks for the needs of Croatian bilingual schools in Burgenland
  • Croatian Cultural Society - publishes the newspaper "Croatian media outlet" (Hrvatsko glasilo)

Burgenland Croats have all kind of their own newspapers, radio, news portals (like kroativ.at) and TV programs in the framework of the ORF.

Croatian Catholic Mission in Vienna is also very active religious-cultural organization.[14]

Matica hrvatska has a branch in Vienna.[15]

Education of Croats in Austria

Classes in the Croatian language are being held in some Austrian schools. There is a bilingual primary school in Großwarasdorf and a gymnasium in Bort. Teaching the Croatian language is carried out in three grammar schools in Oberpullendorf and Eisenstadt. Vienna and Burgenland have few kindergartens in which young children can learn or improve Croatian language.[3]

Other

Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz choose Croatia as the first destination that he visited upon his appointment. On 20 December 2013 mr. Kurz met in Zagreb with Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić.[16]

In year 1955, Austrian Cultural Forum was founded in Zagreb. It is an organization that promotes Austrian culture and German language in Croatia.[17]

Diplomacy

See also

References

  1. ^ "MVEP • Veleposlanstva RH u svijetu • Austrija, Beč". Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  2. ^ "MVEP • Veleposlanstva stranih država u RH • Austrija, Zagreb". Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "Hrvatska manjina u Republici Austriji". Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  4. ^ Čepulo, Dalibor, Croatian legal history in the European Context from Middle Ages to Contemporary Period: Pravni fakultet u Zagrebu, 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Croatia.eu - Croatian-Austrian and Croatian-German relations". Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  6. ^ a b http://www.jutarnji.hr/vujcic-u-becu---hrvatski-bankovni-sustav-jedan-je-od-najstabilnijih-u-europi-/1196484/
  7. ^ http://www.bmeia.gv.at/hr/veleposlanstvo/zagreb/veleposlanstvo.html[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ "Najveći broj sudionika u povijesti Hrvatskoga gospodarskog dana u Beču". Hrvatska gospodarska komora. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  9. ^ "MVEP • Radna zajednica Alpe-Jadran - općenito". Archived from the original on 2015-07-05. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  10. ^ "Hrvati i manjine u Hrvatskoj: moderni identiteti". Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  11. ^ "Austrijanci poludjeli za hrvatskom obalom, u prvih 5 mjeseci stiglo ih više od 200 tisuća!". Slobodna Dalmacija. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  12. ^ "Uglavnom plaćaju karticama: Evo kamo će Hrvati na skijanje!". Večernji.hr. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  13. ^ "Turizam u brojkama 2018" (PDF) (in Croatian). Ministry of Tourism (Croatia). 2019. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  14. ^ Toni Mastelić. "Povijest misije". Archived from the original on 21 May 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  15. ^ "Ogranak Matice hrvatske u Beču". matica.hr (in Croatian). Matica hrvatska. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
  16. ^ "HRT: Hrvatska i Austrija potvrdile odlične odnose". Hrvatska radiotelevizija. 20 December 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  17. ^ "AKF". Austrijski kulturni forum Zagreb. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
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