Austrians , pop = 8–8.5 million , regions = 7,427,759 , region1 = , pop1 = 684,184 , ref1 = , region2 = , pop2 = 345,620 , ref2 = , region3 = , pop3 = 197,990 , ref3 ...

of Croatia are officially recognized as a minority in the Republic of

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, and therefore have their own permanent seat in the

Croatian Parliament The Croatian Parliament ( hr, Hrvatski sabor) or the Sabor is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Croatia. Under the terms of the Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the people and is vested with legislative power. The Sab ...

History

Austrians first began settling in Croatia as military personnel after the Croatian nobles met in Cetin to elect

Ferdinand I, Archduke of Austria Ferdinand I ( es, Fernando I; 10 March 1503 – 25 July 1564) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1556, King of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia from 1526, and Archduke of Austria from 1521 until his death in 1564.Milan Kruhek: Cetin, grad izbornog sabo ...

as their king,R. W. SETON -WATSON:The southern Slav question and the Habsburg Monarchy page 18
/ref> and in return the Habsburgs would defend

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

from the Ottoman invasion.Milan Kruhek: Cetin, grad izbornog sabora Kraljevine Hrvatske 1527, Karlovačka Županija, 1997, Karlovac This led to the creation of the

Military Frontier The Military Frontier (german: Militärgrenze, sh-Latn, Vojna krajina/Vojna granica, Војна крајина/Војна граница; hu, Katonai határőrvidék; ro, Graniță militară) was a borderland of the Habsburg monarchy and ...

(''Vojna Krajina'', ''German'' Militaergrenze) within Croatian territory which would be ruled directly from Vienna's military headquarters. This led to an increase of Austrian and other settlers and military elite within the Military Frontier. In 1815, the Habsburgs finally secured possession of Dalmatia and Istria after the fall of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

. In time the Austrian elite began flocking to the Adriatic for holiday and sunbathing. Towns such as

Opatija Opatija (; it, Abbazia; german: Sankt Jakobi) is a List of cities and towns in Croatia, town and a municipality in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia. The traditional seaside resort on the Kvarner Gulf is known for its Mediterranean ...

gained reputations as health resorts and became populated by mainly Austrian season-goers.

Geographic representation

According to the 2011 census, there are 297 people who consider themselves Austrians, with the largest group (35% of Croatia's ethnic Austrians) residing in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

.Croatia Census 2011
/ref>

Notable individuals

Gordon Schildenfeld Gordon Schildenfeld (born 18 March 1985) is a Croatian retired Association football, footballer who played as a centre-back. He was capped 29 times for the Croatia national football team, Croatia national team. Club career Šibenik Schildenfel ...

, Croatian football player

External links

Republic of Croatia Ministry of Culture
h1>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Austrians of Croatia Austrian diaspora in Europe Ethnic groups in Croatia