hidden europe 20

The heart of nations

by hidden europe

Summary

"We may no longer be officially the centre of England" says a lady in Meriden in the English Midlands. "But we are undoubtedly at the heart of the country." Join us as we ponder on the heart of nations.

Geographical centre points often command a certain fascination. Way back in hidden europe 5 (November 2005) we had an article on quite where is the very centre of Europe, concluding that it possibly lies in western Ukraine or in Lithuania - all depending on which Arctic islands you include in the calculation. On our travels, we have run across quite a number of communities that claim to be the central point of the countries in which they are located. The middle of Switzerland, for example, is marked by a stone on a suitably scenic mountainside called Älggi-Alp in the Canton of Obwalden. Switzerland has it easy - no offshore islands to complicate the calculation.

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