East-Central Europe

  • The core area of East Central Europe
  • For further East Central Europe occasionally counted

In East-Central Europe is defined as the eastern part of the European Region of Central Europe.

Assignment in language use

A clear definition of the geographic regions of Western and Central Europe makes little sense, because the historical development and the development of the underlying states there would be taken into account.

In the language of western and central Europe, approximately following assignment of a country reflects:

  • West Central Europe: Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein
  • Central and Eastern Europe: at least Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. Sometimes, Romania, Slovenia and Croatia be included.

Western and Central Europe in this broader sense together approximately correspond to also the term Central Europe, English Central Europe (CE). To be differentiated these cultural geographic region from economic policy term CEEC Central and Eastern European countries / CEE Central and Eastern Europe, a concept that is a little more comprehensive mentioned here the East-Central Europe is equal to or comprising the east to see.

Criteria of belonging

In recent years, the countries of East Central Europe continued also highly dependent on its eastern neighbors. The new dividing line can be explained by the new eastern and southern border ( with the respective boundaries of the new EU states - Poland, Hungary, etc. - match) EU account.

The core area of East Central Europe, the countries of the Visegrad Group (Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary). Your development towards EU accession became apparent earlier. In these States began in the 1980s, a willingness to reform within the socialist parties. In this way, among others, could the Polish Solidarity foothold. In Hungary, the reform policy (by Gyula Horn ) led to the dissolution of the Iron Curtain.

Research institutes with a focus on Central and Eastern Europe

East Central Europe was the central theme of the research Ostforschung. Among the important researchers included, inter alia, Karl Valentin Müller, Eugen Lemberg and the historian Hermann Aubin. Important research institutions were the University of Prague, and the Collegium Carolinum.

  • Herder-Institut ( Marburg ) History and culture of Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Kaliningrad region
  • Humanities Center f culture and history of East Central Europe ( Centre for European Studies ) in Leipzig
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