Which cities are Central European?

[Docere]

Yeah, I don't think Lithuania is central Europe just because a Lithuanian declares it to be true.

[10023]

Originally Posted by Docere

Yeah, I don't think Lithuania is central Europe just because a Lithuanian declares it to be true.

Right. And then you get into the whole “is Russia in Europe?” question.

[Jonesy55]

Originally Posted by JManc

Are there any Europeans here? How about Europeans tell us what is or isn't in Central Europe?

Not that I know any more about it, but for what it's worth I'd say that for me 'Central Europe' might be the former Austro-Hungarian empire plus Bavaria.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Jonesy55

Not that I know any more about it, but for what it's worth I'd say that for me 'Central Europe' might be the former Austro-Hungarian empire plus Bavaria.

Out of curiosity, under your definition is Berlin in Western Europe or in Eastern Europe?

[lio45]

Originally Posted by 10023

A large part of Germany’s struggle historically is that it is the place where Europe’s region’s meet, for the most part (though Lombardy in Italy is where Northern Europe, or Central Europe if you’d rather, meets Southern Europe).

Historically it's undeniable that for the longest time (many centuries) you absolutely couldn't fit Germany into a single subregion of Europe. You can't put the East Frisian Islands, Aachen, Luxembourg and Strasbourg in the same subregion as Königsberg in East Prussia.

Now, Germany is geographically smaller, so it's already less impossible for someone to try to build an argument that the entirety of Germany is in Central Europe nowadays, while "Western" would be reserved for France/Britain/Benelux/Ireland.

Thinking about it, maybe I'd put Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, and the part of Germany that used to be the DDR, in "Central Europe". But Poland and the Baltic States are Eastern, to me.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by lio45

Thinking about it, maybe I'd put Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, and the part of Germany that used to be the DDR, in "Central Europe". But Poland and the Baltic States are Eastern, to me.

If we have to designate a "Central Europe", I would do the exact same. Former DDR is still quite different from rest of Germany, and probably will be so for generations. But it would feel weird including places far to the west of Vienna as "Central" while calling Vienna "Western".

Though I still think there is no real Central Europe in 2018.