"The Heart of Europe . . ." Gelnhausen by Nemorino

Gelnhausen Travel Guide: 53 reviews and 98 photos

. . . or at least the mid-point of the EU

At the beginning of the year 2007 Romania and Bulgaria became members of the European Union (EU).

This had the effect of shifting the geographical center of the European Union 110 miles (177 km) to the east. So now the geographical center is at 50° 10′ 21″ North, 9° 9′ 0″ East, which is a point in a wheat field in the Kinzig Valley, within the city limits of Gelnhausen, Land Hessen, Germany.

From May 2004 to December 2006 the mid-point of the EU was in the German village of Kleinmaischeid (population 1,300), about 25 miles southeast of Bonn. Before that it was in the Belgian town of Viroinval. There is an institute in Paris called the Institut Géographique National which keeps track of such things, for whatever reason.

Barbarossa

Gelnhausen was founded in the twelfth century by the Emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa, who built one of his many castles here.

Gelnhausen now advertises itself as "The Barbarossa City", and has restored the castle to the extent that you can visit without fearing that beams or rocks will fall on your head as you walk through.

Barbarossa himself, however, could not actually have spent much time in Gelnhausen. He reigned as Emperor of the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation" for thirty-five years, but he seems to have spent most of those years on horseback, trying to preserve order in Germany, maintain control over his rebellious provinces in Italy and negotiate with the Pope.

The Italians were the ones who gave him the nickname Barbarossa, meaning Red Beard.

In later centuries a bizarre controversy arose in Germany about whether Barbarossa’s beard was really red (did they think the Italians were colorblind, or what?) or about whether he actually had a beard at all. To this day there is a saying in German Um des Kaisers Bart streiten (= to quarrel about the emperor’s beard), which means to waste time arguing about unimportant things.

Grimmelshausen

The author Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen was born in this house in Gelnhausen sometime in the early 1620s -- five hundred years after the birth of Barbarossa.

A plaque on the house describes Grimmelshausen as "the greatest German writer of the 17th century", which he indisputably was, primarily because of his huge, brilliant and very graphic novel on the horrors of the Thirty Years' War, Simplicius Simplicissimus or The adventurous Simplicissimus.

The house is now a hotel, called the Grimmelshausen Hotel of course, and is next door to the Barbarossa Pharmacy in the Schmidtgasse.

Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen only lived in Gelnhausen as a child. After his father died, his mother re-married and moved to Frankfurt, but he stayed on in Gelnhausen with his grandfather until he was kidnapped by marauding soldiers at the age of twelve or so.

Last visit to Gelnhausen: Aug 2010
Intro Updated May 22, 2013
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Reviews (30)

1. Bicycle route R3 near Gelnhausen - Gelnhausen

Bicycle routes in the Kinzig Valley Transportation (3)

Photos: 1. Bicycle route R3 near Gelnhausen 2. The R3 in the woods upstream from Gelnhausen 3. ADFC hotline and... more travel advice

Actually playing on a play street - Gelnhausen

Actually playing on a play street Transportation (3)

This is the one place in Gelnhausen where I saw some people actually playing on a play street. Three children and... more travel advice

The Schmidtgasse as a Play Street - Gelnhausen

Play Streets and Traffic Calming Transportation (3)

Gelnhausen as I remember it from the 1970s was an automotive nightmare, with huge creeping traffic jams extending the... more travel advice

Cigarette machine in Gelnhausen - Gelnhausen

Indulge your addiction Local Customs (4)

Sorry to keep harping on this, but I am always outraged to see that every German city and town still has vending... more travel advice

Off The Beaten Path (6)
See All Coleman Housing Area

Things to Do (17)
See All One of the oldest restaurants in Germany

Comments (20)

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Aunt_Bertha 7 hours ago

I've been to Gelnhausen many times over the years, and just like the area around the Eiffel Tower, it has changed quite a bit - for the better I'd say. And now that Gelnhausen has acquired even more fame by being the center of the EU, this city leaves nothing to be desired. Everybody should visit Gelnhausen at least once. In their lifetime.
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  Nemorino 6 hours ago
  
  Thanks for your visit to my Gelnhausen page. I have only known Gelnhausen since the 1970s, but since then there have been changes both good and bad. The traffic situation has certainly improved, but I was sad to see that the Burckhardthaus seems to have lost its funding.
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ettiewyn Dec 22, 2012 at 12:53 AM

Hi Don, another very interesting page, I enjoyed reading about Gelnhausen very much! In fact I had never heard about it before, but it looks like a pleasant place to visit with its nice streets and squares, and historical links.
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Regina1965 Aug 20, 2012 at 6:06 PM

A very good page on the geographic mid-point of the EU. Thanks for the history lessons - and what lovely photos of the Fachwerkhausen.
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deecat Jan 9, 2012 at 1:39 PM

Enjoyed the history and architecture. Of course, you didn't miss tips about bike transportation and the opera...thank goodness! I loved and agree with your tip on addictions.
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Bwana_Brown May 14, 2011 at 3:13 AM

Don, a very interesting page on German history over the centuries in this area. Your various insights made for enjoyable reading. But, what is the world coming to when church bells only last 70 years!?
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Martinewezel Mar 16, 2011 at 8:33 AM

Hats off for reading the book about S. Teutsch. Nowadays it requires a great deal of effort to make students read a 17th century satiric novel in a foreign language. Even a juicy story like this one.
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cachaseiro Dec 31, 2010 at 6:25 AM

Very nice page. And with excellent bicycle tips as usual.
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nicolaitan Dec 27, 2010 at 2:41 PM

perfect page, really -and i knew there would be an opera in there somewhere. listened to the bells too. like every village in germany, an impressive history, great reading.
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yumyum Dec 27, 2010 at 1:25 PM

Great new page, Don! Full of history :)
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Lhenne1 Dec 22, 2010 at 4:28 AM

Thanks for sharing a great page! I love the history that lives in even the smallest European towns. Great tips and information :)