Centrope

Centrope is the name of a European region, the (clockwise) from the Czech South Moravian Region, the Slovak countryside associations Bratislava ( Pressburg ) and Trnava ( Trnava ), the western Hungarian counties of Győr- Moson -Sopron ( Gyor-Moson - Sopron ) and Vas (Iron Castle ) and the Austrian provinces of Burgenland, Lower Austria and Vienna there. Furthermore, the cities are Brno (Brünn ), Bratislava, Trnava, Győr, Sopron, Szombathely, Eisenstadt and St. Pölten directly a member of the Centrope bodies. On the basis of the Declaration of Kittsee 2003 they work together to build the Europe region in the quadrangle.

Declaration of Kittsee 2003

The central European region ( central europe ) was founded in 2003 with the agreements Kittsee, an Austrian village near the capital of Slovakia and the Hungarian border. It covers approximately 54,500 km ² more than 7.2 million inhabitants. Its foundation focuses on the development of the area has one of the strongest economic regions in Europe.

The specific aim of the formation region is cooperation in the economy, infrastructure, education and culture. The objectives are joint advertising in tourism and joint lobbying.

Even before the First World War, the region area, at that time located in the Austro -Hungarian Empire, was a major cultural, transport and industrial center in Europe. In particular, by the emergence of the Soviet bloc after the Second World War, which was against Austria secured with the Iron Curtain, the synergies of the various parts of the region for decades were lost. They are now, as the entire region area is located since 2004 in the European Union and since December 2007 in the border inspection free inside the Schengen zone, to be rebuilt.

Education and Culture

In 2009, with partners from the regions of South Moravia, Bratislava and Győr- Moson -Sopron launched by the Vienna Board of Education EdTwin project is aimed primarily at students, teachers and education professionals. It is to promote the learning of the other languages ​​spoken in Centrope and thus prepare them for life and work in Centrope.

Cultural enthusiasts magazine K2 culture is issued in centrope in Vienna.

Economy

The economic heartland of Centrope are the twin cities of Vienna and Bratislava with their high educational and training expertise as well as the concentration of research institutions. In the immediate vicinity of Bratislava are the Slovak automotive production sites, near the western Hungarian metal center Győr and the supply industry of eastern Austria. In order to diversify the region's emerging IT sector as well as the Lower Austrian Wood Cluster contributes.

In recent years, also settled hundreds of companies from other countries in the region Vienna -Bratislava, serving the entire Central and Eastern Europe from here.

In the tourism sector Centrope has its thermal spa tradition and extensive spa services. The cultural offer is varied.

Infrastructure

Caused by the Iron Curtain, many roads were interrupted for almost 50 years in the region or greatly restricted in their use. Since 2000 is invested in the infrastructure development of the region massively again.

Thus, the train service between Vienna and Bratislava on two routes - greatly intensified - north of the Danube on the Marchegger Branch, south of the Danube on the Eastern Railway branch line Parndorf to Bratislava Petržalka. The Twin City Liner connects the two cities three times a day on the Danube. About the proposed collaboration between the two airports of Vienna has been discussed for years.

The cross-border traffic between South Moravia and Lower Austria's wine district has also been strengthened. In space Burgenland - West Hungary is the Raab - Sopron - Ebenfurter Railway, a private company owned by Hungary and Austria, active. Local cross-border road links were reactivated and expanded since the abandonment of border controls. In the wine district (A5 ) from Vienna to Brno will be built on the north freeway, although the further construction is still unclear on the Czech side.

2012 under the name of freedom a bike bridge over the March -carrying connection of Devinska Nova Ves (Thebes -Neudorf ) was opened in March Field to the castle courtyard. The bridge was largely funded by the EU.

The twin cities as a gateway to Asia?

The twin cities of Vienna and Bratislava want to develop through the expansion of rail and waterways as Europe's gateway to Asia. There are, for example, efforts to extend the broad-gauge Trans-Siberian railway to Bratislava and Vienna and to connect with the water transport route Danube or the road.

In Russia is already thinking hard about the activation of the trans -Siberian railway. In one experiment, a container train from Japan mastered 10,500 km route in nine days. In an expansion to 120 km / h, the distance could be covered in three and a half days. A similar sea transport for this route takes three weeks.

A similar time savings would result if container ships from Asia with freight for Centrope would no longer be discharged in Rotterdam or Hamburg, but the container in Rijeka in Croatia ( further transport by rail ) or in the Black Sea in Constanta, Romania ( further transport with riverboats ) could be reloaded. Since low water often forms an obstacle to shipping between Rotterdam, Vienna and Bratislava, the supply over the eastern part of the Danube would shorten the travel time to the Twin Cities for a few days.

Centrope prize

The city of Vienna and Raiffeisen -Landesbank Lower Austria 2007 Centrope prize was to recognize excellence in Centrope donated.

2007 was the first with this price Excellent mayor Gerhard Schödinger from Wolfsthal, an Austrian neighboring municipality of the Slovak capital Bratislava, have settled in recent years Pressburger " home builders " in newly constructed single-family homes.

In 2008, the mayor of lying on the border river March Slovak Záhorská Ves, Boris Šimkovič, and the mayor of Buk in Hungary, Lajos Horváth, honored for their cross-border activities in the region.

2009, the prize was awarded to the Vienna media entrepreneur and Publishing director Eduard Harant who was instrumental role in the establishment of the Karl -Renner- house, a house of the encounter, which in the Moravian Dolni Dunajovice (sub Tannowitz ) was built near the Austrian border.

2010 was awarded the prize Hannes Brauner, an Austrian with roots in all Centrope States, for its performed in Vienna Event series "Future District Danube City " and others that he initiated in the cities of the region Centrope events.

2011 was awarded the kindergarten and primary school director Petr Kotyza which allows since 2005 stays of Schwechater young athletes in Moravia and also sought for financially disadvantaged children served by these visits to the Czech Republic.

2012 was awarded the Slovak tenor and chamber singer in the Vienna State Opera, Peter Dvorsky, of the children's song contest " Slávik Slovenska " (Nightingale of Slovakia) as a cross-border competition internationalized, so that already take place events in Canada.