Bernhardsthal

The Bernhardsthal region is located in the Vienna Basin, which stretches from south-west to north-east. Looking to the south-west, one can see the foothills of the Alps, whose geological belt reaches up to Vienna. When turning south-east, the silhouette of the Lower Carpathians comes into view. It is noteworthy that the two mountain ranges are geologically connected under the surface.

The Alps and the Carpathians were formed due to shifting tectonic plates 25 to 30 million years ago. Between these two ranges, only moderate heights are reached by the Weinviertel cliff rocks of Falkenstein and Staatz as well as by the Leise and Pollau hills (near Mikulov). In the border triangle, however, two rivers provide clear contours. The Thaya merges with the Morava at Lanžhot/Hohenau, and the two then continue in unified advance to the Danube.

Since the early Middle Ages, many claims to power have been made in the vicinity of the Morava; kingdoms were formed, and new states came into being. After multiple border changes throughout the years, the border triangle was once again abolished following World War II.

But on the first of January 1993, a new border triangle was created, connecting Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.