The region Central Europe extends between the Baltic Sea, the German North Sea coast and the Alps as well as the northern edge of the Balkan Peninsula.
countries
Germany
Liechtenstein
Austria
Poland
Switzerland
Slovakia
Slovenia
Czech Republic
Hungary
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Regions
Large cross-border regions:
- Alps
- Carpathians
- Sudeten
- Great Hungarian Plain
- Baltic Sea with coastal landscapes
- European region Centrope, Greater area around the economically strong twin city region Vienna-Bratislava
Cross-border panorama routes / themed routes:
- Amber Road
- Iron Curtain Trail Cycle along the former Iron Curtain and pass the border every few kilometers. (Affects all countries except Lichtenstein and Switzerland)
- Rhine, Danube, Elbe, Or and Vistula with tributaries and landscapes
The Baltic states with the countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania is usually counted as part of Central Europe for historical reasons. Culturally and politically, however, the classification of the Baltic states into the greater regions of Northern Europe or Eastern Europe is common.
Cities
The most important metropolises and economic centers are:
- Berlin
- Budapest
- Vienna / Bratislava
- Prague
- Warsaw
- Hamburg
- Munich
- Riga
- Cologne
- Zurich
- Frankfurt am Main
- Ruhr area
- Upper Silesian agglomeration (Ostrava-Katowice)
- Tri-city area around Gdansk
- Krakow
background
Central Europe is not a uniformly defined entity:
- Historically and culturally, those areas are usually referred to as Central Europe, which before 1918 became part of the German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire as well as the Austro-Hungarian Empire Congress Poland belonged to.
- From 1945 to 1989, Central Europe was politically separated by the Iron Curtain, so the Central European states east of it were often included in Eastern Europe. Even 30 years after the fall of the curtain and the Berlin Wall, the separation is still there in the minds of many people.
- In the British-American perspective of Europe, Central Europe is further west than in the definition in the German-speaking area: Central Europe begins at the English Channel and also includes France and the Benelux countries. Everything east of the former Iron Curtain, however, is counted as Eastern Europe.
- Despite the ethnic diversity, a common culture and history of the greater region have built up over the centuries. Also due to the long membership in the two great empires, cultural similarities prevail over dividing ethnic and linguistic barriers. For example, you can find the typical "Viennese coffee house" not only in Vienna, but in the entire former Danube Monarchy from Bregenz to Lemberg and from Prague to Transylvania. Similarities can also be found in the area of national kitchens, which have influenced and complemented each other due to the strong labor migration since the beginning of industrialization.
language
- The languages of the Czechs, Slovenes, Poland and Slovaks belong to the Slavic language area, while in Germany, Austria and a large part of Switzerland different dialects of the German language are spoken. Hungarian and Estonian belong to the Finno-Ugric language group.
- The following languages are spoken:
- German (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein)
- Estonian (Estonia)
- French (Switzerland)
- Italian (Switzerland)
- Latvian (Latvia)
- Lithuanian (Lithuania)
- Polish (Poland, regional Slovakia and Lithuania)
- Romansh (Switzerland)
- Russian (Kaliningrad Oblast and as an important minority language in Estonia and Latvia)
- Slovak (Slovakia)
- Slovenian (Slovenia, Carinthia)
- Czech (Czech Republic)
- Hungarian (Hungary, Southern Slovakia, Eastern Slovenia)
- Major minority languages:
- Croatian (Slovenia, West Hungary, Burgenland)
- Sorbian (Lausitz)
- Ruthenian (Carpathian region of Poland and Slovakia)
- The following are also common educational languages:
- English - is considered the most important language of education in most Central European countries
- German - in most Central European countries second language after English
- Russian - especially in the countries of the former Eastern Bloc, older people have learned Russian at school, but the younger population is more likely to learn English and / or German.
getting there
- Major airports are at Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, Prague, Warsaw
- Central Europe reaches the coasts of the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, of Adriatic sea
mobility
- The travel time by rail between the major cities of Central Europe is in most cases less than 20 hours.
- Many of the metropolises in Central Europe are connected to one another by direct flight connections; the flight time is then up to three hours. If you are staying in Prague or Munich, for example, you can visit many cities on a day trip.
- The navigable rivers are supplemented by inland canals. You can also travel on inland waterways within Central Europe.
