Trip Ideas
Change Forum
My friend knows that we're in the process of planning a trip to Germany, so she cut out the following article from our local paper... Could this be a new tourist distination? Peace, Robyn 
Center of Europe on the Move
GELNHAUSEN, Germany (AP) - Some think the center of Europe is in Brussels. Others, more financially inclined, say London.
But according to meticulous calculations by French experts, geographically speaking the European Union's center has shifted - with Romania and Bulgaria joining the bloc this week - to a wintry wheat field outside a small town in Germany.
Is there money in it for the townsfolk of Gelnhausen? They're determined to find out.
In joining the EU on Jan. 1, Romania and Bulgaria - former communist nations on the southeast fringe of Europe - moved the EU's geographc center 110 miles east, says the French National Geographic Institute.
Book Your Next Trip
Check hotel rates and airfares around the world.
Find a great deal?
Tell us about it.
Hotels
Flights
Packages
Cars
Cruises
Each website you select will open a new window in your browser.
Gelnhausen, Germany...The center of Europe
4 Replies | Jump to last reply
|4 Replies |Back to top
|Sign in to comment.
Recent Activity
View all Europe activity »
- 1 Franco's favourite ... Venetian food & restaurants
- 2 Granada Hotel
- 3 Would You Pay $7 for a Blanket and Pill When Flying?
- 4 Staying in Mayfair, good choice?
- 5 Which Cycladic Islands for Family in June
- 6 Random Paris w/ Kids Input: Places Vosges, Hotel de Ville, etc
- 7 Munich to Berlin - Train or Plane?
- 8 Genoa and surrounding cities or Venice
- 9 Hotels are booked, I'm so excited!
- 10 Ireland guide book
- 11 late night Athens transport info needed
- 12 The Pain in Spain Is Mainly in the...
- 13 What, exactly, is a bidet for, anyway?
- 14 Tiber River in Rome
- 15 London apartment feedback needed
- 16
Traveling in Italy
- 17 Check in times at Venice Marco Polo airport
- 18 DOVER TO CALAIS FERRY WITHOUT A CAR
- 19 Italy itinerary critique wanted
- 20 Hotels in Arrondisements 5 and 6
- 21 Need advice about my 12-night Italian trip from Modena towards the Amalfi
- 22 How not to appear too much like a tourist in a Paris restaurant . . .
- 23 Eurail Passes, reservations and booking fees
- 24 UK Itinerary (ist draft)
- 25 Barcelona Day Trips
It could. Gelnhausen is one of those many hidden gems hardly anyone knows about. A small town East of Frankfurt, easy to reach by local trains on the route Frankfurt - Fulda. Remnants from the proud past of this former imperial city (Reichsstadt) are the ruins of the 12th century palace of Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa, a wonderful gothic church, several medieval houses and, all in all, a pretty little historical town centre. So, for those who like places off the beaten track, Gelnhausen is worth a closer look.
Website: http://www.gelnhausen.de/WelcomeBack/index.htm
Amazing..
..the actual spot is on a meadow (and probably not even marked), but the town with its former residence of one of Europe's most distinguished emperors appears to be a worthy representative of Europe.
The train trip from Frankfurt Airport is about 1 hr. Many people on this forum ask you to spend a couple of hours when they wait for their connection at the airport. Visiting Gelnhausen might be destination.
The centre of the EU is NOT the centre of Europe. Nearly two hundred million Europeans still have nothing to do with this racket for lining French farmers' pockets
And since Cyprus (which, though news might not have got to France's meticulous geographers, has been in the EU for nearly three years) is hundreds of miles south and east of Sofia, what difference does Bulgaria's membership make anyway?
Hello quokka! Thanks for the link. Gelnhausen sounds like a neat little town to explore, unfortunately, it won't be on this next trip. Too many places to see...not enough time. Peace, Robyn