Geography, Economy and
Culture in the Centre of the New European Union
|
 Map 1: Kleinmaischeid and neighbouring villages with administrative borders and settlement areas. Map from www.bund.de, type ´Kleinmaischeid´ for Gemeinde.) |
 County of Neuwied with administrative borders of all its towns Map from www.bund.de, click on ´Neuwied´.) |
Some indicators for the region Koblenz
are given in the table below. Since this region includes towns along the Rhine
valley, population density is higher than it would be for its hilly areas of
Westerwald part alone, though there was a marked increase of inhabitants in
many of these little towns over the
past decades. In Kleinmaischeid e.g. the number of inhabitants grew from 930 in
1989 to 1300 at present. The gross
domestic product (GDP) per head is not too far below EU average. The percentage
of population younger than 15 years exactly equals the EU15 figure, and is thus
considerably higher than in Germany alone. Unemployment is strikingly lower
than in Germany or on the European level. Although the region Koblenz has in
large parts still a pretty rural settlement structure, the index for patent
applications (per million inhabitants) indicates the existence of a relatively
innovative industrial structure. Educational attainment (of the population
aged between 15 and 64) of the region shows the structure typical for Germany
in extreme. A very large percentage of medium qualified people dominates and is
much higher than in European average.
Selected Indicators for Kleinmaischeids region Koblenz, Germany and the EU (2000-2002)
|
|
Region Koblenz |
Germany |
EU 15 |
EU 25 |
|
Population Density |
188,5 |
230,6 |
117,0 |
114,2 |
|
GDP/Head (EU15=100) |
84,0 |
100,4 |
100,0 |
91,1 |
|
GDP/Head (EU 25=100) |
92,1 |
110,2 |
109,7 |
100,0 |
|
% Pop. < 15 Years |
16,8 |
15,7 |
16,8 |
17,1 |
|
Unemployment Rate |
3,2 |
9,4 |
7,8 |
9,0 |
|
Patent Applications |
189,2 |
296,2 |
153,6 |
128,6 |
|
Low educat. attainm. |
18,0 |
17,0 |
35,4 |
32,6 |
|
Med. educat. attainm. |
62,7 |
60,7 |
42,9 |
46,7 |
|
High educat. attainm. |
19,3 |
22,3 |
21,8 |
20,6 |
Source: Third Report on Economic and Social Cohesion, Commission of the EU, 2004.
Only one or two generation ago, many people in the hilly areas of the region were still rather poor part time farmers, combining employment in the usually quite remote factories with small scale farming. Meanwhile many small scale firms have settled in the area and employment in services has risen, though in general requiring commuting to the cities. In industry a broad mix of branches exists, with some firms in advanced technology sectors (e.g. Kern Gmbh). In the neighbouring county Westerwaldkreis many firms are specialized in ceramics and glass production, making the area famous as Kannebäcker Land (´pot bakers country´). All in all Kleinmaischeid belongs to a rather well to do region with a comparatively young and well qualified population, living in a society that is subject only to minor social cleavages and can enjoy a quite undamaged natural environment. A sustainable region?
 Alan und the old beech wood tree |
 Toni’s fantastic beech wood - for his stove! |
With Kleinmaischeid now being the geographic centre of the EU a symbolic shift has occurred. While the former centre in Belgium was situated about 200 km West of Rhine valley, the new centre lies East of river Rhine, if only about 10 km (as the crow flies). Also, this new centre is located a little East of the ancient Roman wall, Limes, that once separated the Roman world from the Germanic territories. From an elevated point in Kleinmaischeid it is well possible to see the woods - one or two kilometres West - where the Limes once cut through. In the middle ages Kleinmaischeid was under the rule of the formerly influential noblemen of Isenburg, today a little town a couple kilometres South on the main road. Following that road further, one reaches the Rhine valley not far from Koblenz where the Middle Rhine Valley starts, now declared as a world cultural heritage. The valley is surrounded by numerous castles and ancient monuments, numerous picturesque tows and still is an important vine growing region.
 Chapel und Ruins of the Isenburg |
 Chapel Hausenborn in Isenburg |
In the old German Reich the noble’s religion determined the religion of his people, so Kleinmaischeids population was roman-catholic as much of the surrounding eastern towns, but opposite to the adjacent areas West of Kleinmaischeid, that came to be protestant after the reformation. This divide existed for a very long time and caused animosities still couple decades ago but with modernization the importance of religions differences finally vanished.
Most towns possess strong local traditions and a vivid social life supported by many associations for cultural and other activities like e.g. choirs, football teams or environmental goups. Many locals still speak the regional dialect (Westerwälder Mundart), hard to understand for those who understand ´High-German´only. Kleinmaischeid, for instance, would be Kläänmääschd (needs German pronunciation) in that dialect.
Particularly remarkable is celebration of Carnival in Kleinmaischeid, where probably the little villages new celebrety will play a major role and has to compete for ironic attention with local and national politics.
To conclude, the honour of being the geographic centre of the EU will exist only temporarily. Already, some media report on other calculations maintaining that the centre of the EU is Golzow, a small town 70 kilometres southwest of Berlin. This, however, seems rather uncertain currently according to a report of AFP. But surely, there is no absolute correct way how to define the centre of a geographic space, it depends for example on the method of map projection. Anyway, after the accession of the new members Romania and Bulgaria, probably in 2007, the centre will shift further southeast. But for now Kleinmaischeid and its region can stand for some type of average European region in a positive sense: fairly prosperous and young, in touch with new technologies, a balanced social structure and a rich cultural heritage.
Further Links:
Hiking the Limes Trail: http://www.wwv-hg.de/limesweg1.htm
German Limes - Bike Path: http://www.limesstrasse.de/radweg_etappen.htm
Homepage Kleinmaischeid: http://www.kleinmaischeid.de/
© Gabriele Jäger, Rolf Stein (2005)