In the southeastern Alpine region German Slavic and Romance cultures meet and shape one of
the most culturally diverse regions in Europe. For a very long time Germans and Slovenes lived
under a political umbrella that covered economic social and cultural structures common to
people regardless of their language. It was only after 1918 that people found themselves living
in two separate states in which distinguishing between the self and one's neighbours in terms
of nationhood was the norm. The violent politics of National Socialism in particular destroyed
a common space that had grown over centuries. Between 1945 and 1991 people also lived within
different political social and economic systems. Today Austria and Slovenia are members of
the European Union and have converged socially and economically. Culturally and linguistically
however the distance has remained. Against this background the Austrian Academy of Sciences
(OeAW) and the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU) have set themselves the goal of
taking a new look at Austro-Slovenian history. It is narrated from the beginnings of
Slavic-Germanic contacts in the early Middle Ages to the present day. This book offers what
historians call an entangled history. The focus is on the people of a historical region that
has grown since the Middle Ages that was called Inner Austria under Habsburg rule and that
includes today's Slovenian territory as well as in Austria especially Carinthia and Styria.
The book was written by Austrian and Slovenian historians and also places the region in a
European context. It is divided into 15 chapters organised thematically and chronologically.
The presentation and understanding of the shared history are supported by 32 maps over 260
illustrations and numerous tables.
