This map shows some of the locations of claimants to the title of Centre of Europe

An ongoing debate concerns where the geographical centre of Europe is to be found. Different opinions are based on differing measurements, on the definition of the boundaries and extreme points of Europe, and on different ways of calculating the final result. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (4040x3592, 1167 KB) Summary The changing geographic centre of Europe (see article). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (4040x3592, 1167 KB) Summary The changing geographic centre of Europe (see article). ... This is a list of the extreme points of Europe, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location on the continent. ...

Locations currently vying for the distinction of being the centre of Europe include: This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ...

• Bernotai, or Purnuškės near Vilnius in Lithuania;
• a point on the island of Saaremaa in Estonia;
• the village of Krahule, near Kremnica in central Slovakia;
• the small town of Rakhiv, or the village of Dilove near Rakhiv, in western Ukraine;
• Suchowola, north of Białystok, in north-eastern Poland; and Toruń in the northern part of central Poland;
• Babruysk or Vitebsk in Belarus;
• and a few others which seem nevertheless less justified.

Location Ethnographic region AukÅ¡taitija County Vilnius County Municipality Vilnius city municipality Coordinates Number of elderates 20 General Information Capital of Lithuania Vilnius County Vilnius city municipality Vilnius district municipality Population About 600,000 in 2006 (1st) First mentioned 1323 Granted city rights 1387 Not to be confused with Vilnius... This article is about the island. ... Žiar nad Hronom District in the Banská Bystrica Region of Slovakia Krahule is a village and municipality in Žiar nad Hronom District in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. ... Kremnica (German: Kremnitz, Hungarian: Körmöcbánya) is a town in central Slovakia. ... Rakhiv (Ukrainian: , Hungarian: Rahó, Romanian: Rahău, Russian: , translit. ... Suchowola is a town in north-eastern Poland in the Sokółka county, on both sides of Olszanka river. ... BiaÅ‚ystok (pronounced: , Belarusian: , Lithuanian: , Yiddish ביאַליסטאָק) is the largest city (pop. ... ToruÅ„ (?· i; German: ; Kashubian: , see also other names) is a city in northern Poland, on the Vistula river. ... The city of Babruysk (Belarusian: Бабру́йск; Russian: Бобру́йск, Bobruisk) is located in Mahilyow voblast of Belarus on the Berezina river. ... Coat of arms of Vitebsk. ...

Historical measurements

Early measurements

Poland

In 1775 the Polish Astronomer Royal Szymon Antoni Sobiekrajski published a report in which he stated that the geographic centre of Europe was located at the town of Suchowola (now in the county (Polish: powiat) of Sokółka). The methodology he used was to calculate the four furthest points (the corners) of the continent and to ascertain where the lines crossed. The town of Suchowola, situated at 53°35′N, 23°06′E, has a monument erected declaring this spot to be the geometrical centre of Europe. Year 1775 (MDCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Suchowola is a town in north-eastern Poland in the Sokółka county, on both sides of Olszanka river. ... Sokółka is a town in north-eastern Poland. ...

Slovakia

No one knows when or by whom St. John's Church in the village of Krahule, on the road to Kremnicke Bane, was declared to be the centre of Europe, but that tradition goes back to the late 18th century. The local legend says there was an angel's intervention which persuaded the local astronomers to make up their decision. It is probable however that a method of the centre of the smallest bounding circle embracing the whole of Europe was used to determine this point. Krahule is located in central Slovakia, near the mining town of Kremnica, now a famous centre for winter sports. There is now a stone commemorating the point at 48°45′N, 18°55′E and a Hotel "Centre of Europe". Žiar nad Hronom District in the Banská Bystrica Region of Slovakia Krahule is a village and municipality in Žiar nad Hronom District in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. ... Žiar nad Hronom District in the Banská Bystrica Region of Slovakia Kremnické Bane is a village and municipality in Žiar nad Hronom District in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. ... In mathematics, given a non-empty set of objects of finite extension in n-dimensional space, for example a set of points, a bounding sphere for that set is an n-dimensional solid sphere containing each of these objects. ... Kremnica (German: Kremnitz, Hungarian: Körmöcbánya) is a town in central Slovakia. ...

Ukraine

Marker in Ukraine.

The village of Dilove located on the Tisza river, close to the Romanian border, in the county of Rakhiv in the Transcarpathian region contains a historical marker and a large stone believed to mark the geographic centre of Europe as measured in 1887 by geographers from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The township today is a part of Ukraine. The interpretation of the worn Latin inscription on the monument is debated, with some claiming that the marker is merely one of a number of fixed triangulation points for surveying purposes established around the territory of the former Empire. The external borders of Europe taken into account during the calculations are not known. According to the description, the methodology used for the calculation is that of the geometrical middle point of the extreme latitudes and longitudes of Europe, so the stone was located at 48°30′N, 23°23′E. However, the actual location of the monument seems rather 47°57,5′N, 24°11′E and not the coordinates to which they relate (see: Discussion). Image File history File links Download high resolution version (606x1040, 67 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Geographical centre of Europe ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (606x1040, 67 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Geographical centre of Europe ... The Tisza or Tisa is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. ... Rakhiv (Ukrainian: , Hungarian: Rahó, Romanian: Rahău, Russian: , translit. ... Zakarpattya or Transcarpathia (Закарпатська область, Zakarpats’ka oblast’ in Ukrainian) is an oblast (region) of Ukraine. ... 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. ... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... Inscriptions are words or letters written, engraved, painted, or otherwise traced on a surface and can appear in contexts both small and monumental. ... The Taj Mahal, commissioned by the Muslim Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, as a mausoleum for his wife, Arjumand Banu Begum. ... Triangulation can be used to find the distance from the shore to the ship. ... Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi, , gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the equator. ... Longitude, sometimes denoted by the Greek letter λ (lambda),[1][2] describes the location of a place on Earth east or west of a north-south line called the Prime Meridian. ...

German measurements

The Germans, not to be outdone, did their own geographic analysis at the beginning of the 1900s and concluded that the Austrian measurements were incorrect. The German scientists stated that the "true" geographic centre of Europe was in the Saxon capital city of Dresden, near the "Frauenkirche" church. The Nazis capitalised on this claim by proclaiming that Germany was the "heart of Europe". They claimed that as the centre of Europe they were also the centre of European culture, and thus had a predestined right to rule. // First flight by the Wright brothers, December 17, 1903. ... The Free State of Saxony (German: Freistaat Sachsen; Sorbian: Swobodny Stat Sakska) is the easternmost federal state of Germany. ... For other uses, see Dresden (disambiguation). ... Frauenkirche, German for Church of Our Lady, in reference to the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the name of various churches throughout the German-speaking regions of Europe. ... The Nazi party used a right-facing swastika as their symbol and the red and black colors were said to represent Blut und Boden (blood and soil). ...

Measurements done after World War II by Soviet scientists contradicted the German claim, however, and again proclaimed Rakhiv and Dilove (in Russian: Rakhov and Dyelovoye) to be the geographical centre of Europe. The old marker in the small town was renewed, and a major campaign to convince everyone of its validity was undertaken. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Soviet redirects here. ...

Current measurements

Poland

It is frequently quoted on the Internet that current analysis, using a combination of latitude and longitude measurements from the "geographic extremes" of Europe, places the centre in the northern part of central Poland. This is supported by calculations based on the Centre of mass method, which uses a combination of population and area analysis, placing the geographic centre of Europe near the city of Toruń, about 350 km east of the border with Germany, 150 km south of Gdańsk and 200 km north-west of the Polish capital, Warsaw. Unfortunately the author of this claim, as well as the date it was made is unknown. Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi, , gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the equator. ... Longitude, sometimes denoted by the Greek letter λ (lambda),[1][2] describes the location of a place on Earth east or west of a north-south line called the Prime Meridian. ... In physics, the center of mass of a system of particles is a specific point at which, for many purposes, the systems mass behaves as if it were concentrated. ... ToruÅ„ (?· i; German: ; Kashubian: , see also other names) is a city in northern Poland, on the Vistula river. ... GdaÅ„sk (IPA: ; German: , Kashubian: , Late Latin: ; older English Dantzig; also other languages) is Polands sixth-largest city, and also her principal seaport and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. ... Motto: Contemnit procellas (It defies the storms) Semper invicta (Always invincible) Coordinates: Country Poland Voivodeship Masovian Voivodeship Powiat (County) Gmina (Commune) Warszawa Districts 18 boroughs City Rights turn of the 13th century Government  - Mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz Area  - City 516. ...

Lithuania

Geographical Centre of Europe monument in Lithuania.

After a re-estimation of the boundaries of the continent of Europe in 1989, Jean-George Affholder, a scientist at the Institut Géographique National (French National Geographic Institute) determined that the Geographic Centre of Europe is located at 54°54′N, 25°19′E. ^[1] The method used for calculating this point was that of the centre of gravity of the geometrical figure of Europe. This point is located in Lithuania, specifically 26 kilometres (16 miles) north of its capital city, Vilnius, near the village of Purnuškės. A monument, composed by the sculptor Gediminas Jokūbonis and consisting of a column of white granite surmounted by a crown of stars, was erected at the location in 2004. An area of woods and fields surrounding the geographic centre point and including Lake Girija, Bernotai Hill, and an old burial ground, was set aside as a reserve in 1992. The State Tourism Department at the Ministry of Economy of Lithuania has classified the Geographic Centre monument and its reserve as a tourist attraction. 17 km away lies Europos Parkas, Open Air Museum of the Centre of Europe, a sculpture park containing the world's largest sculpture made of TV sets, now partially collapsed. ^[2] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 696 KB) Summary Author: Wojsyl, 2005 Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Geographical centre of Europe ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 696 KB) Summary Author: Wojsyl, 2005 Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Geographical centre of Europe ... Color-coded regions of the world based on the seven commonly reckoned continents Dymaxion map by Buckminster Fuller shows land masses with minimal distortion as nearly one continuous continent A continent is one of several large landmasses on Earth. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Institut géographique national (English: National geographic institute) or IGN is a French public state administrative establishment, whose task is to produce and maintain geographical information for France and its overseas departments and territories. ... In physics, the center of gravity (CoG) of an object is the average location of its weight. ... Table of Geometry, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ... Location Ethnographic region AukÅ¡taitija County Vilnius County Municipality Vilnius city municipality Coordinates Number of elderates 20 General Information Capital of Lithuania Vilnius County Vilnius city municipality Vilnius district municipality Population About 600,000 in 2006 (1st) First mentioned 1323 Granted city rights 1387 Not to be confused with Vilnius... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Europos Parkas is an open air museum located 17 km away from Vilnius. ...

Estonia

If all the islands of Europe - from Azores to the Franz Joseph Land and from Crete to Iceland are taken into consideration, it is claimed that the centre of Europe lies on the island of Saaremaa in western Estonia, on its southernmost peninsular of Sõrve, north of the town of Torgu at 58°18′14″N, 22°16′44″E. Again, no author and no method of calculation was disclosed. Motto: Antes morrer livres que em paz sujeitos Rather die free than in peace subjugated Anthem: A Portuguesa (national) Hino dos Açores (local) Capital Ponta Delgada1 Angra do Heroísmo2 Horta3 Largest city Ponta Delgada Official languages Portuguese Government Autonomous region  -  President Carlos César Establishment  -  Settled 1439   -  Autonomy... Franz Josef Land (russ. ... For the famous World War II battle, see: Battle of Crete For other uses, see Crete (disambiguation). ... This article is about the island. ... The village is located in Harku Commune in the Harju County of northern Estonia Sõrve is a village in Harku Commune in Harju County in northern Estonia. ...

Belarus

Recently a new claim has been made that Vitebsk 55°11′″N, 30°10′″E in the north-east of Belarus, or alternatively Babruysk 53°34′01″N, 29°23′52″E in the western part of the province of Mahilyow of the eastern Belarus, is the centre of Europe. No specific information concerning the method(s) of calculation employed or the author(s) of these claims is available. Coat of arms of Vitebsk. ... The city of Babruysk (Belarusian: Бабру́йск; Russian: Бобру́йск, Bobruisk) is located in Mahilyow voblast of Belarus on the Berezina river. ... Mahilyow, or MahiloÅ­ (Belarusian Магілёў (MahiloÅ­), Russian Могилёв (Mogilyov), Polish Mohylew or Mogilew) is a city in eastern Belarus, close to the border to Russia with about 300,000 inhabitants. ...

Possibly mistaken claims

Certain people mistakenly take two notions: "geographical centre of Europe" and "geographical centre of a country lying (approximatively) in the centre of Europe" to be synonymous. Such seems the genesis of the claims that the centre of Europe lies in: This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

• Číhošť near Ledec nad Sazavou, Czech Republic - place of the geometrical centre of the Czech Republic; ^[3]. Nothing more specific is known about this claim.
• Piątek in the centre of Poland ^[4].
• Maybe the genesis of Babruysk's claim is also similar - it is located close to the geographical centre of Belarus.
• That of Krahule might also seem similar (near the geographical centre of Slovakia) but one has to remember that at the time when it was made, country of Slovakia didn't exist yet.

Braunau am Inn in Austria, in the province of Upper Austria (Oberösterreich), on the border with Germany - was declared the centre of Europe supposedly by Napoleon Bonaparte himself - certainly not for purely geographical but for political reasons. Ledeč nad Sázavou is a town in Vysočina Region, Czech Republic. ... The Piatek exists in Armenian folklore as a large mammal from very ancient times. ... The city of Babruysk (Belarusian: Бабру́йск; Russian: Бобру́йск, Bobruisk) is located in Mahilyow voblast of Belarus on the Berezina river. ... Žiar nad Hronom District in the Banská Bystrica Region of Slovakia Krahule is a village and municipality in Žiar nad Hronom District in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. ... Braunau am Inn is a city in the Innviertel (River Inn area) of Upper Austria (Ober sterreich), the north-western province of Austria. ... Upper Austria (Ober sterreich) is one of the nine federal states or Bundesl nder of Austria. ... Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des...

Other calculations

Based on distance calculations to the extreme points of Europe (Franz Josef Land in the Northeast, the border between the Russian Federation and the states of Georgia and Azerbaijan at the Caspian Sea in the Southeast, Crete in the South and the Azores in the Southwest) the centre of Europe will surprisingly be found in Southern Norway near 7° 30’ East and 60° 00’ North in the Telemark region.

If only continental Europe is of interest and outlying islands like Iceland, Franz Josef Land and the Azores are being disregarded, thus having the extreme points in Northern Norway, Gibraltar and again in Crete and the Caucasus region, and again based on distances, the centre of Europe would actually be in Poland, somewhere near 16° 45’ East and 53° 00’ N, somewhat North of the city of Poznań.

(Note: Though further East by longitude than the Caucasus region the Ural mountains can be disregarded as an extreme point since they are actually closer to the centre of Europe.)

Geographic centre of the European Union

Other locations have claimed the title of geographic centre of Europe on the basis of calculations taking into account only the territory of those states which are members of the European Union (or formerly - European Community). The European Community (EC), most important of two European Communities, was originally founded on March 25, 1957 by the signing of the Treaty of Rome under the name of European Economic Community. ...

IGN calculations

As the European Union has been growing the last 50 years, the geographical centre shifted with each expansion.

The calculations of a geographical centre were made by the French Institut Géographique National (IGN) since at least 1987. The Institut Géographique National (English: National geographic institute) or IGN is a French public state administrative establishment, whose task is to produce and maintain geographical information for France and its overseas departments and territories. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• 12 members: In 1987 the centre of the European Community of the 12 members was declared to be in the middle of France, in the village of Saint-André-le-Coq (63310), département of Puy-de-Dôme (63), région of Auvergne, and next was shifted after the reunification of Germany in 1990 some 25 km north-eastward, to the place called Noireterre in the village of Saint-Clément (03250), département of Allier (03), the same région of Auvergne. A small monument commemorating the latter discovery is still existing in Saint Clément.
• 15 members: Using the same techniques, the IGN had earlier identified the geographic centre of the 15-member Union (1995-2004) to be in Viroinval, Belgium, at coordinates 50°00′33″N, 4°39′59″E, and a monument there is recording that finding.
• 25 members: The 25-member Union (2004-2007), has a centre calculated by the IGN to be situated at 50°31′31″N, 7°35′50″E, in the village of Kleinmaischeid, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.
• 27 members: On January 1, 2007, with the inclusion of Romania and Bulgaria in the European Union, the geographic center of the European Union changed, to a wheat field outside of the German town Gelnhausen, 115 km east of the previous marker, at 50°10′21″N, 9°9′0″E^[5].

1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties. ... Building of the Conseil Général of the Puy-de-Dôme département, in Clermont-Ferrand Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme is a département. ... France is divided into 26 régions: 21 of these are in the continental part of metropolitan France, one is Corse on the island of Corsica (although strictly speaking Corse is in fact a territorial collectivity, not a région, but is referred to as a région in common... (Region flag) (Region logo) Location Administration Capital Clermont-Ferrand Regional President René Souchon (PS) (since 2006) Departments Allier Cantal Haute-Loire Puy-de-Dôme Arrondissements 14 Cantons 158 Communes 1,310 Statistics Land area1 26,013 km² Population (Ranked 19th)  - January 1, 2006 est. ... MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ... Allier is a département in south-central France named after the Allier River. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Viroinval is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Namur. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... Rhineland-Palatinate (German Rheinland-Pfalz) is one of 16 Bundesländer of Germany. ... Gelnhausen is a city in the German state of Hesse. ...

Other calculations

The geographical point of the European Union is not free from disputes, either. If some different extreme points of the European Union, like some Atlantic Ocean islands, are taken into consideration this point is calculated in different locations. Most of them are located now in Germany.

See also

• Geography of Europe
• Extreme points of Europe
• Extreme points of the European Union
• Geographical centre of USA

Europe is traditionally reckoned as one of seven continents. ... This is a list of the extreme points of Europe, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location on the continent. ...  Member states  Candidates Austria Poland Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Rep. ...

Further reading

• Gardner, N (November 2005). "Pivotal points: defining Europe's centre". Hidden Europe (5): 20-21. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.  Useful short English language article that considers the claims of various localities to be the geographical centre of Europe.

2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... January 11 is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

A film about the "Centre of Europe"

The Polish-German documentary production of 2004, "Die Mitte" ("Środek Europy", "The Centre"), screenplay written and directed by Stanisław Mucha, has shown more than a dozen of different locations. ^[6]

References

1. ^ http://geosite.jankrogh.com/other.htm
2. ^ http://www.europosparkas.lt/
3. ^ http://www.geoportal.kvalitne.cz
4. ^ http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi%C4%85tek_%28wojew%C3%B3dztwo_%C5%82%C3%B3dzkie%29
5. ^ http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070105-1040-centerofeurope.html 5 January 2007
6. ^ http://www.strandfilm.com/Projekte/Die%20Mitte/sf_Mitte_engl.htm