capital of Europa

 Which cities should be excluded, as possible capitals of a single state in Europe? With 5 suggestions for the location of the capital: transport nodes (or potential nodes), in central and south-central Europe.


not at.....

... the capital should not be at old imperial capitals, such as Wien (Vienna).

... the capital should not be a capital city of former colonial empire: London, Paris, Den Haag.

... the capital should not be a city associated with the slave trade, such as Bristol, Nancy, or Amsterdam.

... the capitals of classical Europe, Roma (Rome) and Athínai (Athens) should be excluded: it is not the purpose of Europe to resurrect classical glories.

... the capital should not be in an English-speaking region: that would be a political signal in favour of Atlanticism.

... the capital should not be a place specifically associated with fascism, such as Nürnberg or Latina.

... the capital should not be a sacred city, a traditional centre of religion, or a place of pilgrimage, such as Czestochowa, Lourdes, or Fatima.

... the capital should not be a sacred city outside Europe, such as Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) or Makkah (Mecca).


at.....

1. Vinkovci

This is a classic rail junction, on the main north-west to south-east route in Europe. Potential new infrastructure can run north to Pécs and Budapest; and north-east through Hungary to the Ukraine. Vinkovci (population 35 000 in 1991) is smaller than the regional capital Osijek, 30 km to the North (105 000 in 1991). The area was bitterly contested in the Croatian-Serbian war, and urban damage is heavy. Vukovar, 15 km to the north-east has become a symbol of Croatian nationalism.
Proposal:
New city of circa 500 000 at Vinkovci, and construction of a regional metro to integrate expanded Vukovar, Osijek (and other towns), into an urban region of circa 1 million.

2. Podkoren

This would require the largest investment of the 5 locations, in effect to move the Villach rail junction 15 km to the south-west. This is an Alpine valley location, at about 1000 m. altitude: all access would be by new tunnels. (At Villach the route from northern Italy to Wien (Vienna) crosses the München -Ljubljana -Zagreb route).
Proposal:
New city of circa 250 000, linked to expanded Villach, and to expanded Jesenice/Bled urban area.

3. Sátoraljaújhely / Slovenské Nové Mesto

The south-west to north-east route, from Hungary to Ukraine and Russia, crosses a potential new infrastructure from Kraków into Romania. The crossing would be located inside the quadrilateral Kosice - Mukaceve - Nyíregyháza - Miskolc. Sátoraljaújhely and Slovenské Nové Mesto are an existing rail junction, and the best crossing point inside the quadrilateral. They are the present rail border stations, a few kilometres apart, in Hungary and Slovakia.

Proposal:
New city of circa 500 000 in the valley north of Sátoraljaújhely / Slovenské Nové Mesto, linked by high-speed links to the four cities of the quadrilateral (and major population centres beyond). Expansion of smaller settlements in a 40-km radius integrated by regional metro into an urban area of circa 1 million.
 
view of the valley
Sátoraljaújhely website
images of Sátoraljaújhely

4. Brno

The capital of the region of Moravia: the only large city among the 5 locations (population 400 000). There are main rail routes to Praha (Prague); Wien (Vienna); Bratislava / Budapest; and to central Silesia and Warszawa (Warsaw).
Proposal:
Expansion to more than 800 000: new high-speed links (350 km/h) to Wien and Bratislava.
 
Brno municipal website
Brno summary information

5. Doberlug-Kirchhain

A rail crossing with no existing urban centre (commune population 10 742). Here the east-west Leipzig- Cottbus - Silesia line crosses the north-south line Berlin- Dresden - Praha (Prague).
Proposal:
New city of circa 500 000: linked by new high-speed lines (350 km/h) to Berlin and Dresden to allow some integration of urban functions (journey time of circa 30 minutes to central Berlin and Dresden).

Stadtverwaltung Doberlug - Kirchhain
Bier am Bahnhof: Doberlug-Kirchain: "Warnung: Ausser einem Supermarkt hinter den Gleisen gibt es hier weit und breit nichts!"

Eurotecture