OPENING THE FRONTIER - RECENT SPATIAL IMPACTS IN THE FORMER INNER-GERMAN BORDER ZONE

The superimposition of the inner-German frontier caused severe economi c difficulties for localities along the eastern boundary of the Federa l Republic. Their peripherality was fundamental in the granting of ass isted area status to the linear Zonenrandgebiet. The removal of this i mpenetrable frontier after November 1989 has created an unparalleled e conomic situation. The paper examines the socio-economic impacts on th e North Bavarian section of the Zonenrandgebiet which is characterized by its dispersed industrial base and lack of higher-order urban centr es. Evidence is presented of rapid upturns in population growth and ec onomic activity, together with a large inflow of commuters from the fo rmer East Germany and Czechoslovakia, following frontier opening. Traf fic, environmental pressures and living costs have also increased. Bot h positive and negative impacts are strongest in districts contiguous with the former frontier. Long-term development prospects hinge on its newly-gained centrality within Germany. Substantial local benefits ar e anticipated from transport investments associated with the Deutsche Einheit programme, but they are unlikely to induce a major reshaping o f the German space-economy; this will be dominated by the rivalry betw een the largest metropolitan centres. A more modest role as a 'bridgeh ead' for the re-integration of the new Lander is the probable outcome.