Austria's Name: A Historical Perspective On The Country's Identity

Austria is a country in central Europe that has been called many things over the years. The area was settled in pre-Roman times by various Celtic tribes and was the core of the Hallstatt culture by the 6th century BC. The Celtic Kingdom of Noricum, which included most of modern Austria, was conquered by the Roman Empire in 16 BC and made into a province called Noricum. After World War I, the Austrian monarchy was broken up and politicians of the new republic declared its name to be Deutschösterreich (Republic of German-Austria). In 1938, Austria became part of Nazi Germany and was called the Ostmark (Eastern March). Nowadays, Austrians do not consider themselves Germans but as a separate Germanic ethnic group.

Austria's name in German

In 1919, after the breakup of the Austrian monarchy, politicians of the new republic declared its name to be 'Deutschösterreich' (Republic of German-Austria) and that it was part of the German Republic. However, unification of the two countries was forbidden by the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. In 1938, Austria became part of Nazi Germany and was called the 'Ostmark' (Eastern March). After World War II, Austria declared independence from Germany and Austrian national identity has been popular since then. Nowadays, Austrians do not consider themselves Germans but as an ethnic group closely related to their neighbouring Germans, Liechtensteiners, and German-speaking Swiss.

Austria's history

Austria has a long and complex history. The area that is now Austria was settled in pre-Roman times by various Celtic tribes, and by the 6th century BC, it had become the core of the Hallstatt culture. The city of Hallstatt has the oldest archaeological evidence of the Celts in Europe. The Celtic Kingdom of Noricum, which included most of modern Austria and parts of modern Slovenia, was conquered by the Roman Empire in 16 BC and made into a province called Noricum, which lasted until 476. The regions of today's Austria that were not located within the province of Noricum were divided between the Roman provinces of Pannonia, which encompassed parts of eastern Austria, and Raetia, which included the areas of present-day Vorarlberg and Tyrol.

After World War I and the breakup of the Austrian monarchy, politicians of the new republic declared its name to be "Deutschösterreich" (Republic of German-Austria) and stated that it was part of the German Republic. However, a unification of the two countries was forbidden by the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, which was imposed by the victorious Allies of World War I to prevent the creation of a territorially extensive German state. In 1938, Austria was incorporated into Germany by Hitler and was renamed the Ostmark (Eastern March). It became part of Nazi Germany, but after World War II, Austria declared independence from Germany on 27 April 1945. Since then, Austrian national identity has been strong, and Austrians consider themselves as ethnic Austrians rather than Germans, despite the close relationship between the two nationalities.

Austria's independence

Austria is now an independent country, having declared independence from Germany on 27 April 1945. Austria is officially called the Republic of Austria, but its German name is Österreich, which means 'eastern realm'.

Austria's history has been closely tied to Germany's. In pre-Roman times, the area that is now Austria was settled by various Celtic tribes, and the Celtic Kingdom of Noricum that included most of modern Austria and parts of modern Slovenia was conquered by the Roman Empire in 16 BC. The region became a province called Noricum, which lasted until 476. After the breakup of the Austrian monarchy following World War I, politicians of the new republic declared its name to be "Deutschösterreich" (Republic of German-Austria) and that it was part of the German Republic. However, the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye forbade a unification of the two countries, to prevent the creation of a territorially extensive German state.

In 1938, Austria was incorporated into Germany by Hitler and was renamed the Ostmark (Eastern March). After World War II, Austria declared independence from Germany and established itself as a neutral country, with its own distinct national identity. Austrian national identity has been popular since then, and nowadays Austrians do not consider themselves as Germans but as ethnic Austrians.

Austria's Celtic past

Austria has a long and complex history. The area that is now Austria was settled in pre-Roman times by various Celtic tribes, with the city of Hallstatt containing the oldest archaeological evidence of the Celts in Europe. The Celtic Kingdom of Noricum, which included most of modern Austria and parts of modern Slovenia, was conquered by the Roman Empire in 16 BC and made into a province called Noricum, which lasted until 476. The regions of today's Austria that were not located within the province of Noricum were divided between the Roman provinces of Pannonia, which encompassed parts of eastern Austria, and Raetia, which included the areas of present-day Vorarlberg and Tyrol.

The Celtic history of Austria came to an end long before Bavarian (re-)colonization. During the Iron Age, the Celtic La Tène culture spread to Austria, giving rise to the first-recorded local tribes and place names. Out of this arose Noricum, a confederation of twelve Alpine Celtic tribes under the leadership of the Norici. It was confined to present-day southern and eastern Austria and part of Slovenia. The West was settled by the Raeti.

Some Austrians today wear kilts to signify pride in their supposed Celtic ancestors, and some even claim that the Scottish kilt originated in Austria. However, the modern kilt is a Scottish invention, dating to the 16th century at the earliest.

Austrians today may be described either as a nationality or as a homogeneous Germanic ethnic group, that is closely related to neighbouring Germans, Liechtensteiners, and German-speaking Swiss. After World War I and the breakup of the Austrian monarchy, politicians of the new republic declared its name to be "Deutschösterreich" (Republic of German-Austria) and that it was part of the German Republic. In 1938, Austria was incorporated into Germany by Hitler and was called the Ostmark (Eastern March). After World War II, Austria declared independence from Germany on 27 April 1945, and Austrian national identity has been popular since then. Nowadays, Austrians do not consider themselves as Germans but as ethnic Austrians.

Austria's Germanic ethnic group

Austria is now an independent country, having declared independence from Germany in 1945. Austrians are a Germanic ethnic group, closely related to neighbouring Germans, Liechtensteiners, and German-speaking Swiss. They are predominantly German-speaking and Roman Catholic.

Austrians are considered to be a homogeneous Germanic ethnic group, but they do not descend from the Germanic people. Instead, they are of Celtic origin, with the core of Celtic culture situated around the area where Bavaria and Austria are today. The Celtic Kingdom of Noricum, which included most of modern Austria, was conquered by the Roman Empire in 16 BC and made into a province called Noricum.

After World War I and the breakup of the Austrian monarchy, politicians of the new republic declared its name to be "Deutschösterreich" (Republic of German-Austria) and that it was part of the German Republic. However, a unification of the two countries was forbidden by the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. In 1938, Austria became part of Nazi Germany, but after World War II, it declared independence from Germany and Austrian national identity has been popular since then.

Today, Austrians consider themselves as ethnic Austrians rather than Germans, and the country has a significant German-speaking population. Other main ethnic groups in Austria include Serbs, Slovenes, Croats, Bosniaks, Turks, and Hungarians.

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