!!!Slowakei - Österreich

Slovakia - Austria: Slovakia remained part of Hungary until 1918, i.e. 
until the end of the  Austro-Hungarian monarchy; accordingly, the 
Slovakian upper class mainly consisted of Magyars. Nonetheless the 
Slovakian cities, with their great number of German-speaking 
inhabitants (Pressburg/Bratislava, towns in mountainous areas and the 
Zips/Spi<!SZ<!-hatschek>s district), continued to maintain close 
relations with Austria. In the 15%%sup th/%  and 16%%sup th/%  
centuries the silver mines of Altsohl (Zvolen), Neusohl (Bansk&aacute; 
Bystrica), Kremnitz (Kremnica) and Schemnitz (Bansk&aacute; 
&#352;tiavnica) played an important political-economic role. The 
territory called &quot;Upper Hungary&quot; remained under Habsburg 
rule even though the Princes of Transylvania were trying hard to 
acquire, to wage war against Austria or to become kings of Hungary; 
Slovakia was worst affected by the  Kuruc Invasions (1703-1711). As 
long as a major part of Hungary remained under Turkish rule, 
Pressburg/Bratislava served as coronation town; Thyrnau (Trnava) was 
still the seat of the Archbishop of Gran (Esztergom) between 1543 and 
1820 and had a university between 1635 and 1777; from the 18%%sup th/% 
 century all governmental functions were transferred to Budapest. In 
the 19%%sup th/%  century the written language in Slovakia was 
developed by poets such as L. &#352;tur, H.&nbsp;M. Hurban and 
M.&nbsp;M. Hod&#382;a.

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The rural population was predominantly Slovak. The territory of what 
is now the Lower Austrian Marchfeld plain was also populated by 
Slovaks, who, from the 19%%sup th/%  century,&nbsp;began to adapt more 
and more to their German-speaking environment. People increasingly 
migrated to industrialised towns (Hohenau) and to Vienna. Agricultural 
workers and craftsmen (tinsmiths and tinkers) from Slovakia worked in 
Lower Austria during harvest time until up to the mid-20%%sup th/%  
century.

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Due to efforts made by T.  Masaryk, Czech and Slovakian emigrants 
signed the Pittsburgh Convention on May 30, 1918 and founded the 
&#268;SR, which soon was exposed to considerable national tensions. In 
October 1938 Slovakia was granted autonomy; on March 14, 1939 the 
state of Slovakia was established under German sovereignty. In August 
1944 there was a revolt against Germany. 1945 saw the reestablishment 
of the &#268;SR (from 1960 &#268;SSR, from 1991 &#268;SFR). In 1969 
Slovakia became an autonomous country; at the end of 1992/beginning of 
1993 the &#268;SFR was dissolved and the independent Republic of 
Slovakia was founded (area 49,035&nbsp;km%%sup 2/%, pop. 
5.346&nbsp;million). - Due to the proximity of Vienna and Bratislava 
close economic ties were maintained even under Communist rule during 
the  Iron Curtainera.


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