Territorial Changes Following the 1938 “Anschluss“ – “Ostmark“, “Alpine and Danubian Reichsgaue“

Following the “Anschluss” (“annexation”) in 1938, there were various plans to integrate Austria into the German Reich. The restructuring was a very complex process that took place on several levels.

Ultimately, Austria was divided into 7 Gaue (administrative districts) (Carinthia, “Lower Danube”, “Upper Danube”, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Vienna). The territorial changes were given legal force with the Law of Territorial Changes in the Country Austria on October 1, 1938, and went into effect on October 15: The Gau “Upper Danube” included the former province of Upper Austria and the judicial district of Bad Aussee; the Gau “Lower Danube”, the province Lower Austria and the Northern and Mid Burgenland; Vienna was extended to parts of Lower Austria; Styria to the Southern Burgenland; Carinthia obtained East Tyrol; only Salzburg remained unchanged. Vorarlberg was administered by Tyrol, but received its own status. Following the Munich Agreement on September 30, 1938, parts of the Sudetenland were divided into the “Upper Danube” and the “Lower Danube”.

The Law on the Structure of the Administration in the Ostmark (Ostmark Law) from April 14, 1939 went into effect on May 1, 1939 and regulated the administrative structure in the territory of former Austria (now “Ostmark”), which was now divided into “Reichsgaue”. “The Reichsgau was a state administrative district, a self-governing body and, at the same time, a Parteigau (party district). All three functions culminated at the top: in the figure of the Reich Deputy and Gauleiter (regional leader), who had command of all three areas” (E. Hanisch).  Thus, the funcions of the Reich Deputy in Austria as well as of the federal government ended; their agendas were taken over by Reich Commissioner Bürckel until the restructuring was completed: as of April 1, 1940, the majority of Gauleiters were at the same time Reich Deputies (they simultaneously held the highest state and political functions), ending the duty of the Reich Commissioner.

Henceforth, the formal name of  what had previously been Austria was: “Reichsgaue of the Ostmark.” This expression was however replaced with “Alpine and Danubian Gaue” in April 1942 in order to avoid any references to “Austria” and “Ostmark”.