In my view, Slovakia doesn’t have the centre of Europe all to itself, even though that’s what we learnt at school. Kremnické Bane is just one of several places that count as the centre of the continent. Lithuania, Estonia, Belarus, Hungary and the Czech Republic, among others, make a similar claim. It all depends on how you calculate the centre.
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Is the centre of Europe in Slovakia? Supposedly, yes. At least that’s what they told me at school. My parents said so too, and I’d read it online. But I’ve always been the type to dig a little deeper and never settle for a simple ‘that’s how it is, full stop’.
So I typed where is the geographical centre of Europe into Google. To my surprise, I found seven other countries that claim the geographical centre of Europe lies on their own soil. So which is it? It’s not that simple.
- Tip from Milan This article is part of my Milan Busts Myths series, where I regularly debunk travel myths that Slovaks believe.
Where is the geographical centre of Europe?
There’s more than one way to think about the centre of a continent, and several places count as a possible centre of Europe. One place that people often call the centre of Europe is the village of Kremnické Bane in central Slovakia.
Other contenders include a spot near the small Hungarian town of Tállya and the area around Vilnius in Lithuania. I’ve also written about what to see in Vilnius. In the end, though, it all depends on how you define the centre of a continent and how you calculate it. Europe has an irregular shape, so pinning down that one spot isn’t easy.
Why do Slovaks think the geographical centre of Europe is in Kremnické Bane?
In the past, several things led people to call Kremnické Bane the geographical centre of Europe. There are various methods and calculations for finding the midpoint of a continent, which is why opinions differ on which place is the true centre of Europe.
One reason Kremnické Bane was considered the geographical centre of Europe is that the calculation used what’s known as the geometric centre of the continent. This method rested on a simple assumption: that the continent’s mass is spread evenly. Bear in mind, though, that there are several competing arguments and calculations for the midpoint of our continent, which leads to differing opinions and debates about which place should be the real centre of Europe. Then again, does it really matter?
Every official centre of Europe: the full list
- The village of Kremnické Bane in central Slovakia
- The small town of Rakhiv in western Ukraine
- The village of Girija near Vilnius in Lithuania
- A point on the island of Saaremaa in Estonia
- A point near Polotsk by Lake Sho in Belarus
- A point near the town of Tállya in north-eastern Hungary
- The small historic town of Kouřim in the Czech Republic
- The village of Suchowola near Białystok in Poland
Still, you have to admit it’s interesting how many European countries think they’re the navel of the continent. Here’s a detailed rundown of the individual centre-of-Europe points.
I’ve tackled another travel myth in my article Mount Everest isn’t the highest mountain in the world. Milan Busts Myths.
Happy travels!
A Slovak travel blogger who has been getting Slovaks out of their office chairs since 2013. Author of the book Influencer and founder of the Bez Mapy blog. "Bez Mapy" is Slovak for "without a map".
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