Although it's been in the making since the early 1990's, I just learned of the Iron Curtain Bike Trail, a trail that will soon stretch 4,250+ miles through 20 countries in Europe along the former path of the Iron Curtain. The first portion of the trail opened in August; here are more details.

After World War II, Stalin was concerned about masses of Eastern Europeans fleeing from the puppet "satellite" states he had carved out of Europe for the Soviet Union. To stem the human tide, he had troops erect a fence stretching from the Artic Circle to the Black Sea. Winston Churchill nicknamed this fence the Iron Curtain and the name stuck.

The Fall of the Wall: Sopronpuszta
By the end of the 80's, bankrupt by disastrous economic policies and military spending, the Soviet Union could no longer control Eastern Europe as it once did. On rumors that it was easier to cross into Western Europe via Hungary, 60,000+ East Germans had massed in Hungary on vacation visas with no intentions of returning.

By August of 1989, the visas of more East Germans were expiring and many began to face mass deportations. Meanwhile, opposition parties advocating democratic reforms, freedom to travel and a unified Europe had scheduled the Pan-European Picnic, a rally that would be held in a field near the Hungarian-Austrian border. The picnic drew 15,000-20,000 people. East Germans at the rally began massing at Sopronpuszta, an old border crossing. As the desperate crowd grew, the few border guards on hand could not contain them and the gates flew open.

Although only 600 East Germans escaped West at Sopronpuszta, it inspired several hundred small groups of East Germans to make their own freedom crossings over the following weeks. Within months, this led to Hungary opening its borders to the West. In turn, Hungary's actions sparked mass demonstrations in East Germany which led to the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 10, 1989.

With the demise of the Soviet's Eastern Bloc, the Iron Curtain became a painful reminder that many people wanted to bury; however, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev recognized the historic and economic value of memorializing the Wall. Early in the 1990's, Mr. Gorbachev proposed that a trail for walkers and cyclists be created along the path of the former Iron Curtain.

In 2001, a German Green Party activist and bicyclist named Michael Cramer organized several group bike rides along the former path of the Berlin Wall to commemorate the 40th anniversary of its construction. Berliners quickly realized that what remained of the wall should be preserved as a memorial against violence, tyranny and the abuse of power. The wall corridor was placed under historic preservation status and a series of 20 bike routes along the wall greenway were mapped out as the Mauerweg or Wall Trail.

Michael Cramer was elected to serve as a member of the European Parliament. In 2003, he proposed that the EU create a bicycling and hiking trail along the length of the former Iron Curtain to commemorate Europe's division and peaceful reunification. The idea was approved and the EU began funding trail construction in 2005.

15 km Now Open
On August 28th at Sopronpuszta, the first segment of the trail opened on the spot where the old Iron Curtain fell. Signs along the bicycle and foot path provide historical information. The 15 km stretch between Fels??szolnok and Fert??t?? will soon be joined by other trail segments along the Curtain.

Iron Curtain Trail Route
When complete, the Iron Curtain Trail will stretch from the coast of the Arctic Ocean, where Norway touches Russia, slip through the Arctic tundra of the Russian border with Finland, skip through the former tsarist capital of St Petersburg, skirt around the Baltic coast of the former Soviet republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, follow the Polish coast, plunge down the old border between eastern and western Germany, circle around the Austrian border with the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, follow the border between the former Yugoslavia and Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, along the banks of the Danube, continue along the border between Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey and end at the Black Sea. Cycling the entire route is expected to take most bicyclists over two months.

A brochure with maps in German and English covering the entire route is expected to be ready by 2009, the 20th anniversary of the eastern European revolution and the 5th anniversary of the EU enlargement by the central and eastern European countries.

More Information:
IronCurtainProject.com

Respectfully,
Larry Lagarde
RideTHISbike.com
Urging bicycling for recreation, commuting, health and a better future.