Central Europe
Germany's geographic region
Central Europe is the region comprising the countries between Western and Eastern Europe, though its exact boundaries shift with politics and perspective.
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia are typically included.
The term gained renewed currency after the Cold War, when nations formerly grouped as "Eastern Bloc" reclaimed their Central European identity: Prague is the heart of Central Europe.
European imperial dynasty
- CharlemagneEarly medieval Western unifier
- Holy Roman EmpireMedieval Germanic political entity
- ReformationReligious movement splitting Christianity
- Thirty Years' War1618-1648 European religious conflict
Austro-Hungarian Empire · Iron Curtain · Prussia · Teutonic Knights · Magyars · Enlightenment · Napoleonic Wars · Versailles Treaty
European mountain system
- CarpathiansCentral European mountain range
- DanubeMajor Central European river
- VistulaChief Polish river
- RhineMajor Central European waterway
Bohemia · Moravia · Elbe · plateaus · basins · rivers · inland · continental
European political-economic bloc
- NATOWestern defense organization
- SchengenBorder-free European area
- enlargementIncrease in size
- diplomacyNegotiation between nations
borders · sovereignty · alliances · treaties · bloc · neutrality · integration · stability
Inherited cultural narratives
- cuisineCharacteristic cooking style
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- languagesSystems of human communication
- festivalsOrganized communal celebrations
heritage · customs · opera · classical · Baroque · Renaissance · waltz · coffeehouse
Knowing multiple languages
- cosmopolitanCulturally sophisticated, internationally fluent
- ethnicitiesGroups sharing cultural heritage
- coexistenceSimultaneous presence together
- crossroadsMeeting of routes
Germanic · Slavic · Magyar · minorities · diaspora · migration · borders · enclaves
Habsburg
European imperial dynasty
- CharlemagneEarly medieval Western unifier
- Holy Roman EmpireMedieval Germanic political entity
- ReformationReligious movement splitting Christianity
Thirty Years' War · Austro-Hungarian Empire · Iron Curtain · Prussia · Teutonic Knights · Magyars · Enlightenment · Napoleonic Wars · Versailles Treaty · Cold War
Alps
European mountain system
- CarpathiansCentral European mountain range
- DanubeMajor Central European river
- VistulaChief Polish river
Rhine · Bohemia · Moravia · Elbe · plateaus · basins · rivers · inland · continental · watershed
EU
European political-economic bloc
- NATOWestern defense organization
- SchengenBorder-free European area
- enlargementIncrease in size
diplomacy · borders · sovereignty · alliances · treaties · bloc · neutrality · integration · stability · buffer zone
folklore
Inherited cultural narratives
- cuisineCharacteristic cooking style
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- languagesSystems of human communication
festivals · heritage · customs · opera · classical · Baroque · Renaissance · waltz · coffeehouse · Christmas markets
multilingual
Knowing multiple languages
- cosmopolitanCulturally sophisticated, internationally fluent
- ethnicitiesGroups sharing cultural heritage
- coexistenceSimultaneous presence together
crossroads · Germanic · Slavic · Magyar · minorities · diaspora · migration · borders · enclaves · bilingual
- European geographyAustria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia
- European RegionsBavaria, Scandinavia, Balkans, Baltic States, Baltics
- Visegrád GroupPoland, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Warsaw
- German HistoryNazi, Prussia, Saxony, Reichstag, Napoleonic Wars
- Slavic peoplesPoles, Russians, Czechs, Ukrainians, Serbs
- EuropeAlbania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, France
Central EuropeSouthern Europe
Continent's warm coastal region
Northern Europe · Scandinavia · Iberian Peninsula · Western Europe · Eastern Europe
Central EuropeOceania
Pacific island collective
Australasia · East Asia · Southeast Asia · New Zealand · Australia
central, centre, centering, centerpiece, Europe, Eurocentrism, centralize, centres, centrality