Mystifying & Miraculous – The Austria-Hungary-Slovakia Tripoint (The Lost Lands #36)

One of the worst aspects of American tourism is the urge to make a fortune by turning a tourist attraction into kitsch. Such vacation hotspots as Gatlinburg, Las Vegas, and Niagara Falls offer copious examples of what can happen when pursuit of the almighty dollar trumps everything else. Soulless high-rise hotels and condominiums, saltwater taffy shops on steroids, overpriced restaurants with artery clogging food, entertainment as a substitute for intellect, and the use of artifice to loosen wallets. When this trend manifests itself at historic attractions it can be doubly distasteful. Last year I had the displeasure of going into what was reputedly Old St. Augustine in Florida. Tacky, touristy, and ahistorical sums up that enervating experience. I never felt further from history than there. If Ponce De Leon had visited, he could have found the fountain of uncouth.

One place of great interest to me that suffers from such abominations is the Four Corners Monument where the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. I have never visited the monument though I have been through the area before. That is because to visit the spot I would have to pay an entry fee and find the equivalent of a flea market. The bastardization of Four Corners is a shame because geographically there is no other spot like it in the United States and a rarity in other parts of the world. To satisfy my cartographical curiosity, I will have to go international and settle for a tripoint. I am adding one as the next stop on my itinerary for the lost lands of Hungary. This one is as improbable as it is anonymous to foreigners. There are monuments and markers, but no sales stalls. I inadvertently missed it seven years ago. That is a mistake I plan to rectify.?

Peaceful Coexistence - The Great Convergence

I guess if you follow in your own footsteps long enough the opportunity will eventually arise to avenge regrets. One regret that I have concerns missing out on visiting the Austria-Hungary-Slovakia tripoint. I was mere minutes away while visiting the area with a friend in 2017. The tripoint was in our line of sight, and we were looking the other way. My friend and I were so laser focused on visiting the Roman ruins at Gerulata in Slovakia and Carnuntum in Austria that we never knew how close we were to the point where the three national borders converge. The tripoint is relatively new. It is also a miracle of peaceful coexistence between three peoples that have been at odds numerous times. The borders between the three were either nonexistent or unsettled for centuries, Austria’s current border was not set until after World War I. Hungary’s after World War II, and Slovakia’s only after the Velvet Divorce with the Czech Republic in 1994. The tripoint is open to all today. That has not always been the case.

When the 21st century began, the tripoint was part of three controlled borders. Relations between Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia had improved, but there were still issues to overcome. Decades of communism had created suspicions that were not easily forgotten. There were major differences in political and economic development. Hungary and Slovakia joined the European Union in 2004 which put them on the path to greater prosperity. Then in 2008 Hungary and Slovakia joined Austria in the Schengen Zone which opened their borders to one another. This was an event of historic proportions. Borders that had been fought over and adjusted within living memory were now permanent and they also allowed free movement. Gone were the days of warfare and ethnic upheaval that created the current borders. The tripoint was now a symbol of unity.

Going The Other Way - Beyond History

The lost lands beyond Hungary’s borders are usually fraught with historical tensions. Fortunately, there are exceptions. The Austria-Slovakia-Hungary tripoint is one of them. It is a measuring stick to see how far those countries have come. While Hungarians lament losing lands they had ruled for centuries, less is said about recent successes. A look back at the past makes apparent just how much has changed. Austrians and Hungarians were either rivals or enemies for a millennium. The onset of modernity did not seem to make the?situation much better, The Austrians crushed Hungary’s hopes of independence multiple times. The most recent occurred in 1848-49, which resulted in thousands of Hungarians killed, imprisoned, or fleeing into exile. When Hungarians gained an equal role in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the tensions with the Austrians continued to simmer. The aftermath of World War I finally led to a parting of the ways.

Hungarians and Slovaks had their own conflicted history. Following the First World War, the short-lived communist government in Hungary attacked Czechoslovakia. They ended up retreating. Hungarians took back southern Slovakia from 1938 – 44 with the help of Nazi Germany. That would not last either. The Czechoslovak government then carried out a series of anti-Hungarian measures after the war. In 1968, Hungary sent troops into Czechoslovakia along with other Eastern Bloc nations to help crush the Prague Spring. After Slovakia gained its independence in 1994, the government propagated toxic nationalism with malign intent under the fervent anti-Hungarian Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar. The above examples are enough to make anyone believe that Hungarians, Slovaks, and Austrians would always be at each other’s throats. There was very little historical basis for more positive outcomes. Then a funny thing happened on the way to further problems. A sense of unity was achieved within the European Union.

Making Progress - From War To Peace

The physical and psychological barriers between Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia have eroded to a considerable degree. Dividing lines are much less visible. While hard borders between the three peoples were non-existent during the Habsburg and Austro-Hungarian Empires, they were not equals by any stretch of the imagination. Now they have been brought closer together than ever before. This just goes to show that geopolitical miracles are still possible when based upon trust, the rule of law, and shared interest in prosperity. ?This makes the tripoint a symbol of each nation’s progress from war to peace.?