Measuring 811 kilometers in length, the border with the Czech Republic is Germany’s second-longest external border. For 40 years it separated the Federal Republic and the country formerly known as Czechoslovakia, not only in territorial terms, but also primarily with respect to politics, culture, the economy and ideology. The Czech Republic and Slovakia have since gone their separate ways. Meanwhile, the relations of both countries with Germany, have changed for the better, but there is room for improvement in several areas.