CZECHOSLOVAK-AUSTRIAN FRONTIER: HISTORICAL SURVEY, 1918-1939

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP08C01297R000400230009-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 18, 2012
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: August 5, 1943
• Content Type: MISC

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DEPARTMENI Of
CONFIDENTIAL
It Confidential
41'45\
CZECHOSLOVAK-AUSTRIAN FRONTIER:
HISTORICAL SURVEY, 1918-1939
I. DESCRIPTION OF THE
FRONTIER AREA
1. Area
ATI
,
T-360
August 5 1943
The area involved is located on the Czechoslovak
side of the 1937 frontier, in Southern Bohemia and
Moravia, and comprises the political districts of.
Kaplice, iffeboril. Hradec Jindiqchuv in Southern Bohemia,
and-DaLce, Bud6jovice Moravske, Znojmo and Mikulov in
Moravia. The total area of these frontier districts
is about 2,160 square miles (5,589 square kilometers).
2. Population
The population of these districts, according to
the Czechoslovak census of 1930, is shown in the fol-
lowing table (All starred districts (*) are directly
on the frontiers. Underlined districts are political
districts; others are administrative or judicial dis-
tricts):
TABLE I
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TABLE I
DiOyict
Kaplice* (Kaplitz)
Brod VONf*(Hohen-
furth)
Brady Noi4*(Gratzen)
Kaplice* (Kaplitz)
Tfebori* (Wittingau)
Lomnice (Lomnitz)
Tfebon* (Gmdnd)
Veself (Weseli)
Hradec Jindfichuv* (Neu- :
haus)
Hradec Jindfichuv
Bystfice Nov* (Neu-
bistritz)
Dance* (Datschitz)
---6-Z-Ice
Slavonice* (Zlabings)
Tele
Budejovice Moravske*
(Marisch Budwitz)
Buajovice Moravsk4
Jemnice* (Jamnitz)
Znojmo* (Znaim)
Jaroslavice* (Joslo-
witz)
Vranov* (Frain)
Znojmo*
Mikulov* (Nikolsburg)
Mikulov* (Feldsberg)
Pohofelice (Pohrlitz)
: Area
; SQ.
933
? Total
: Pogulation
*
?
324 : 18,435
259 14,332
350 *
. 17,517
892 : 55,690
200 9.593
463 ?
. 30,522
229 : 15.575
:
711 : 46,$18
504 : 35,708
50,284
207 : 11,110
20 : 11,876
195 9.275
410 : . 25,483
661 : 142E,221
399 : 23,140
262 : 14,168
1,020 : 103,125
272 : 26,314
218 : 10,365
530 : 66,41-6
56353,563
373 : 36,948
190 : 16,615
Germans
: Number
: Czechoslovaks
: Number ? %
?
?
?
?
44,281 88.06 5453 11.84
17,453 94.67
12,300 85.82
14,528 82.94
2,037 3.66
18 .19
1,978 6.48
41 .26
968
2,017
2,968
53,50
9,568
28,485
15,497
5.25
14.07
16.95
96.16
99.74
93.33
99.50
jita? 36.8 : 29,419 62.84
7,536 21.10 : 28,102 78.70
9,780 88.03
? ? 1,317 11.85
7,0684 .15.16
? ? 39,1477 84.65,
210 1.77 : 11,635 97.97
6,753 72.81 ?
? 2,506 27.02
105 .41 : 25,336 99.42
? 37,551 _93.16
?
25,935 99.22
11,616 81.99
40,114 38.92
2.501 9.51
? ? 3.398 32.78
34,235 51.52
78.619,15)4 17.09
21 1.97
?
? ? 11,733 28.48
633 6.53
2,471
? .62
17.44
62,156 60.27
23,780
6,915
31,461
142,107
30,1414.2
11,665
90.37
66.71
47.35
82.39
70.20
T ta
?
1 600 41.32 2.01.417 57.80
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In the administrative sub-districts directly
touching the frontier (Brod VysNi, Hrady Nove, Kaplice,
Trebori, Bystilice Nov, Slavonice, Jemnice, Jaroslavice,
Vranov, Znojmo, and Mikulov), which cover an area of
3,448 square kilometers .(1,331 square miles), there are
157,861 Germans (59.32 percent)., and 94,232 Czechoslovaks
(39.56 percent), in a total population of 255,432.
3. ToDegraphy
The primary topographic importance of these fron-
tier regions arises from therelevation of the Southern
B8hmerwald (nmava),7which is about seventy-eight miles
in length. In the district of Kaplice it has an average
elevation of'more than 1,000 jeters or about 3,200 feet.
The land slopes toward the Luznice River, an affluent of
the Vltava (Moldau); in a valley of about 500 meters
(1,640 feet) elevation. The region of GmRnd City is at
a similar elevation. The Bohemian-Moravian Highlands,
which penetrate into the district of Hradec Jindnchuv,
have an elevation of from 1,500 to 2,000 feet. In Dance,
however, the elevation isqnly about 1,050 feet. In
Znojmo it rises to about 1,300 feet, and near Mikulov
(Nikolsburg City) the elevation rises to about 1,800 feet
and diminishes toward the valley of the Morava (March)
River, which drains practically all the rivers of Moravia.
4. Communications
There were nine international railway stations along
the 1937 Austro-Czechoslovak frontier: Horn f DvoiliXtg,
nske Velenice,-Slavnice,:gatov, Hrugovany-gar3ov,
Novosedly-Drnholec, Breclav, Marchegg, and Kopcany.
Prague and Plzen (Pilsen). are connected with Linz, Salz-
burg and the Adriatic S n
ea through sk6 Budnovice
..(Budweis) and the Horni, Dvor'igt6, and with Vienna through
tusk( Velenice .(near Gmand). Prague is also connected
with Vienna through Znojmo via the Brno-155ec1av route.
The B5eclav-Va1tice-Znolmo (Lundenburg-Feldsberg-Znaim)
railway, running parallel to the 1937 frontier about
four hundred meters (1,300 feet) north of it, was an im-
portant railway branch. The Bnclav region contains the
conjunction of all routes crossing the Moravian Gap,
along
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along the so-called Vienna-Silesian route. The Vltava
and the Morava are not genuinely navigable rivers in
the regions under discussion, though the Morava might
be so considered for smaller river vessels, if. regulated.
In its lower course it becomes sluggish, with the char-
acteristics of a river of the plain.
5. Economy'
In the Southern Bftmerwald (gumava) wood industries
and agrieulture predominate, while cereals are cultivated
in a large belt of land paralleling the B8hmerwald, from
Cheb to Gmund. Southern Bohemia is the paper-making
center and in part the brewery of Czechoslovakia. It is
also a center of pencil manufacturing and paper mills.
In the region of Kaplice starches and cotton goods are
produced. Cereals, especially rye and oats, and pota-
toes are raised in the nearby hills. Much sugar is pro-
duced in the valley of the Morava River from Olomouc to
the Danube River. In the Dyje valley manufacturing
(breweries, distilleries, canneries, tanneries) and agri-
culture (vegetables, wine) are important. The district
of Mikulov (Feldsberg), in Moravia, is also known for
textiles and quick-lime.
11. Igg AWRIAN-CZECHOSLOVAK
BOUNDARY PROBLEM AT THE PARIS
CONFERENCE
1. Mlle Czechoslovak Frontier
Claims 2121919 .
At the Paris Peace Conference, the Czechoslovak
Delegation, with respect to the Austrian-Czechoslovak
frontiers, demanded the historic boundaries of Bohemia
and Moravia,. with minor rectifications in the regions of
Gmfind and Mikuloy (Feldsberg) ("Mdmoire No. 10. Prob-
lemes des Rectifications des frontieres tchecoslovaques
et Germano-Autriehietnes", Revue de Droit International,
XIII, No. 4, Oct.-Nov.-Dec. 1938, 486-93). The Czecho-
slovak Delegation asserted that the natural frontier
between Moravia and Austria was formed by the watershed
of the Chuba and Smeda, direct tributaries of the Danube,
and Of the tributaries of the Dyje River and the lower
Morava River. Thence, beginning at Korneuberg, it ran
along
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along the course of the Dahube. All the territory to
the north of this line, it was claimed, was impregnated
with a Czech element and its work. For ethnic and eco-
nomic reasons, the Czechs also claimed a small rectifi-
cation in the Dyje valley west Of Znojmo (Inalm), leaving
Hradek (Hardegg), Merkersdoff, and the castle of Karlslust
in Moravia. For the purpose of rounding out its frontiers,
and for ethnic and ecvomic reasons, the Czechs also
demanded the Gmfind (TreboX) region, and for economic and
strategic reasons they demanded a rectification of the
Austrian-Bohemian frontier in the region of the upper
Vltava (Moldau) River.
2. Recommendations .g11 Ihi
Commission on Czech?Slovak
la.i2/
As early as February 2',..1919 the Commission on
Czechoslovak Affairs accepted the principle of preserv-
ing the 1914 frontiers of Bohemia and Moravia, subject
to such minor rectifications as might seem desirable.
After-a number of meetings, on May:9 the Commission
unanftouly recommended that the town of Gmfind be given
to Austria, while the railway station of Gmund, about
two miles from the town itself, should be assigned to
Czechoslovakia; the station formed an important junction
for southern Bohemia, where the two great Czechoslovak
lines from Prague via T4bor to Gmfindt and from Plzen
(Pilsen) via CeskrffadZjovice, meet (Miller Diary, XVI,
234-35). Moreover, the Commission thought it of great
Importance that-CZechoslovakia should control the Course
of the Morava River in. order to be able to construct
canals to serve.Morav.ia,- Therefore, it recommended that
the frontier be:drawn-at the town of Feldsberg (Valtice),
at the confluence of the Thaya and Morava rivers, so as
to leave the Morava entirely in Czechoslovakia. The rail-
way which followed the Morava River at varying distances
was to be left within Austria, since it was necessary in
the Austrian system of communications with Vienna. Thus,
in the regions of Gmiind and Feldsberg, two small pieces
of Austrian territory were assigned to Czechoslovakia.
At the meeting 'of the Council of Ten on May 12, 1919
there were no. objections to these deviations from the old
administrative-frOntiers.: At a later meeting on July 11,
Secretary of State Lansing expressed approval that the
deviations
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deviations from the old Austro-Bohemian-Moravian boundary
line had been confined to the regions of Gmund and
Feldsberg (Miller Diary, XVI, 272; Almond and Lutz, The
Treaty p_flit. Germain: A Decumentary History, Standord
University Press, 1935, 467).
3. Austrian Protests
The government of the new Austrian Republic pro-
tested vigorously against these cessions, as well as
against the inclusion of the Sudeten German regions as a
whole in Czechoslovakia. The Austrians claimed that,
according to the census of 1910, the regions of Southern
Bohemia bordering on Lower and Upper Austria were inhabited
by a German population, with 197,918 Germane.; compared with
7,359 Czechs, while the southern part of Moravia; along
the Austrian border, had 159,263 Germans and only 11,249
Czechoslovaks (the 1930 census indicated a much higher
percentage of Czechoslovaks in both areas). They, there-
fore, proposed that a plebiscite be held in all the.dis-
puted districts (see especially the Austrian counter-
proposals of July 10, 1919; Almond and Lutz, sg.
299-309). . .
4. .Th,g RelAY az 14,2
Allied, 1.r.1_4 Associated
powers -
In a reply of September 2, 1919 (Ibid., pp. 225-31,
470-71), the Allied and Associated Powers stated that they
had tried to determine the boundaries of the states issu-
ing from the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy "with an equity
bound to give Central Europe a durable peace", and had
deviated from the historic boundaries in Southern Bohemia
:and Moravia in only two cases of secondary importance,
where the economic interests of one of the new states
:appeared to prevail over the claims of the Austrian Repub-
lic. They had endeavored
to insure to the Czecho-Slovak State a complete
system of ways of communication. In doing so,
they had to overstep slightly the historic frontier
at two points; namely, in the region of the
.Thaya;-in or.det'to include in the Czechoslovak
territory the line Lundenburg-Feldsberg-Znaim
eclav-Valtice-Znojm27, necessary for the
west to -east commuhications of southern Moravia,
and in the region of Gmand, in order to effect
in
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in Bohemia the junction of two trunk lines which
run almost wholly through the said. province,
namely, the line of Prague throuilh Tdbor, and
that of Pilsen through Budweis LO eke Bud6"jovice7.
5. The Treaty of
al. Germain (September 10,
1919)
Article 27 of the Trelaty of St. Germain (Ibid.,
pp. 131-32, Section 6, Article, 27) defined the frontiers
of Austria with Czechoslovakia, which began at the
"point common to the three frontiers of Austria, Hungary
and the Czecho-Slovak State", and then proceeded as
follows from that point:
a-line to be fixed on. the ground following as
much as possible the Old frontier of 1867 be-
tween Austria. and Hungary;
thence westwards? to the Confluence of the Morava
(March) with the Danube;
the principal channel of navigation of the Danube;
thence the Course of the Morava upstream, then
the course of the Thaya upstream to a point to
be selected about 2 kilometers south-east of the
intersection of the Rabensburg-Themenau road
with the Rabensburg-Lundenburg railway;
thence west-north-westwards to a point on the
old administrative boundary between lower Austria
and 'Moravia situated about 400 meters south of the
point where this boundary cuts the Nikolsburg-
Feldsberg
thence west-north-westwards the above mentioned
administrative boundary....
From Moravia into southern Bohemia the line followed
the old administrative boundary line between Lower Austria
and Bohemia, to a point about 5 kilometers north-west of
Gmfind, and then proceeded as follows:
a line to be fixed on the ground passing east
of the Rottenschachen-Zuggers road...;
thence
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thence southwards and then west-north-westwards
to a point on the old administrative boundary
between -Lower Austria and Bohemia situated about
200 meters north of the point where it cuts the
Gratzen-Weitra road;
a line to be fixed on the ground passing between
Zuggers and Breitensee, then through the most
south-easterly point of the railway bridge over
the Lainsitz leaving to Austria the town of
Gmfind and to the Czecho-Slovak State the station
and railway works of Gmfind (Wolfshof) and the
junction of the Gmfind-Budweis and Gmfind-Wittingau
railways, then passing through points 524
(Grundhabel), 577 (north of Hohenberg) and 681
(Lagerberg);
thence south-westwards the above Mentioned admin-
istrative boundary;
then north-westwards. the old administrative boundary
between Bohemia and Upper Austria to its point of
junction with the frontier of Germany.
Essentially, therefore, the only deviations from the old
administrative line separating Austria. from Bohemia and
Moravia were at Gmfind and Feldsberg.
Ili. TERRITORIAL ASPECTS OF
THE MUNICH SETTLEMENT ON THE
FORMER AUSTRIAN-CZECHOSLOVAK -
FRONTIER
1. Area az_10, Population
Along the Austrian-Czecsholovak borders of Bohemia
and Moravia, the lines drawn as a consequence of the
Munich Settlement of September 30, 1938 ceded the follow-
ing regions (2,288 square miles) to Germany (areas and
populations involved are estimated on the basis ofthe
1930 census).
TABLE II
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TABLE II
District
:
:
Area :
sq. km.:
Krumlov tesk5; *
?
:
:
:
:
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
:
:
?
?
?
?
?
1,156
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
Krum;ov Ceski
Plana Horn/*
Kaplice*
297
387
372
93?
Brod Vynf,*
Hrady Nov*
,Kaplice*
Trebon*
32
259
350
463
11
Treboil*
Hradec Jindif.ishuv*
Hradec Jindri,chuv
tystrice Nova*
Dacice*
207
195
262
1,020
Slavonice*
Budejovice Moravske
Jemnice
Znojmo*
Jaroslavice*
vranov*
Znojmo
Krumlov horavskY:
218
530
330
563
Krumlov Moravsky
Mikulov*
Mikulov*
Pohor.elice
Hod2nfn*
373
190
293
Breclav*
Total
:
5,926
:
Total
Population
?
Germans
Number
61,870
12,96/
33,34,3
15,560
0 284
1
14,332
17,517
30,522
46,818
35,708
11,110
9,275
i14,76
103 12
10,365
66,446
28,671
6
1414,9914
18,846
15,164
44,281
17,455
lg000
14,528
i,978
7L3
Czechoslovaks
Number
72.72
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
16,780
_2/2.113.:
15.28
43.25
2.48
11.84
k.71
56.52
97.46
88.o6
1,982
14,421
386
94.67
85.82
82.94
6.48
6.
6. 8
9
2,017 l .07
12,968 16.95
28,485 93.33
29,141962.84
53 - 0
9,780 88.03
6,753 72.81
2,471 17.44
62,1 6 60.2
2 0
6,915 66.71
31,461 47.35
,8,257 28.80
42,10 78.61
2 B2.39
11,665 70.20
1,992 4.64
?
: 20,286
: 9,154 17.0
: 4:733
23,102 78.78
1,317 11.85
2,506 27.02
11,616 81.99
40 1 4 38 92
9
32.78
51.52
3,398
34,335
70.75
40,056 93.21
441,872
: 232.305 55,38 : 204.398 44.62
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