The scholars continue to argue. However, in Thuringia minds are long made up: the centre of Germany lies in the Vogtei, a small parish near the Hainich National Park, which offers a wealth of attractions.

Draw two lines on a map of Germany - one from the northernmost point to the southernmost, another from the easternmost to the westernmost. These will cross relatively precisely in Niederdorla, where an old lime tree marks the geographical centre of Germany. The Mittelpunktfest is celebrated here each year. Just a few kilometres distant all modern measurement technology becomes redundant. In the famous Opfermoor, a sacrificial marsh, an old Germanic settlement bears witness to life way before our times.