A few days ago, our researcher, Michal Korhel, published a commentary in the Slovak newspaper Denník N titled “Slovakia also has its Sudetenland.” In the article, Michal explains that although Slovakia did not have “Sudetenland” in the same historical sense as Czechia, there are regions that can be compared to it in a metaphorical way.
In Czechia, the Sudetenland is not only a geographical area, but also a symbol of historical trauma connected to the German minority, World War II, and the post-war expulsion of people. Today, the term is also used for peripheral and economically weaker regions.
In Slovakia, there was also a significant German minority, but compared to the German population in Czechia, it was less politically and territorially unified. Still, after 1945, expulsions and a break in historical continuity happened here as well, but this topic has received less attention in Slovak society.
Michal also points out that some Slovak regions, such as Gemer and Novohrad, show similar signs of being peripheral—like economic decline, people moving away, and distance from decision-making centers. At the same time, he criticizes simple stereotypes that describe these areas as having no identity, and he stresses that new forms of local life and connection to place are developing there.
The term “Slovak Sudetenland” is therefore used as a metaphor to highlight neglected historical memory, regional inequalities, and the way central areas view the periphery.