Upvote:9
The road in question, the Rennweg, begins at the Landstrasse in the south center of modern Vienna, at the southern edge of what was then Vienna.
When Metternich referred to the "Balkans," he was referring to the non-German speaking part of Austria, variously referred to as the "east" of even as "Asia." This was because it represented the "high water mark" of Ottoman (Turkish) expansion in 1683. After Austria began the "rollback" of Turkish power, to the south and east (in modern Hungary and the former Yugoslavia), it captured formerly Ottoman, ("Asian") lands that were treated in a "stepchild" fashion.
Metternich's great diplomatic achievement was to preserve Austria's position in the 1815 "Concert of Europe" of Britain, Russia, Prussia, and Austria. A companion to this was the formation of the German Confederation, initially under Austrian leadership. Prince Metternich's preference was for Austria to maintain this role, even if she had to divest some non-German parts of the empire (Hungary and territories in the former Yugoslavia) to preserve her "bona fides," while retaining Austria, the modern Czech Republic, Slovakia, and occupied Poland (all of which figured in the German balance of power). Other Austrian leaders disagreed, and thereby let Prussia become the de facto leader of the German Confederation.
Upvote:12
Prince Metternich is reputed to have said, "The Balkans begin at the Rennweg". The Rennweg is a street that led southwest out of the Austrian capital, Vienna. It runs through modern Vienna's third district, LandstraΓe.
Another variant of the supposed quote is, "Asia begins at the Landstrasse".