Pausa-Mühltroff — The Center Of The Earth

By all accounts, the official town of Pausa-Mühltroff didn’t actually exist until recently — January 1, 2013 to give it an exact date — when the two towns merged. However, if you’re thinking you’re only getting two places for the price of one, you’re mistaken; turns out, Pausa-Mühltroff is a bunch of smaller villages thrown in, too.

Trust me, I’m not complaining about some geographical/political reorganization, since Pausa-Mühltroff, located in western Saxony, fall right on the Thuringian border, and just 17 km from the Bavarian one. Some exceptional looking real estate, yes? :-)

Many of Pausa-Mühltroff’s smaller villages, once belonging to East Germany, were used for the Soviet’s idea of farming. Agriculture is still vital to the economy, and the rolling fields of crops are quite pleasing to the eyes (or a harried soul).

And if you think Pausa-Mühltroff is pretty above the surface of the earth, you’ll be excited to know it’s just as pretty below. Get out into the Vogtland countryside to see the Drachenhöhle Syrau, a stalagmite cave thousands of years old — but found only in 1928. Visits might be limited, but that doesn’t stop the laser light shows that run from May to August.

You really can’t make a cave a landmark, could you? I guess not, which might explain why that honor falls to Schloss Mühltroff. Oh, I’m not complaining, why not let the 10th century grande dame have her due? Yes, I’m fully aware the castle you’re staring at wasn’t built until the 16th/17th centuries, but it’s history still precedes it by 600-plus years.

Did you also know Pausa-Mühltroff is known by another name? Right, they call it the Mittelpunkt der Erde, or the “Center of the Earth.” Honestly I don’t know the real reason (hell, I’m a writer, not a scientist), but it has something to do with the Earth’s axis. If I’m standing by the brass ball making the spot, does that mean the Earth revolves around me?

Wait, it already does.

Yes, yes, I make bad jokes, but they make me chuckle — putting me in a jovial mood for a fine German festival. Thankfully Pausa-Mühltroff has a Wine Festival (mid-October), and the town even holds its own Christmas Market, an Herbstmarkt (late September), and July’s quite busy with its Gemeindefest, Sommerfest, and Badfest.

Sounds tiring, so good thing you’ll find restful (and clean!) accommodations where you can lay your head after a day of sightseeing around town.

Hey, is it the Earth’s axis making the room spin? No, it’s just the wine. ;-)

 

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