On August 19, 1989, Hungarians organised a symbolic opening of the border between Hungary and Austria near the Hungarian village of Sopronpuszta. During the ?picnic?, more than 600 citizens of the former East Germany passed unheeded across the border into Austria.
Attending the celebration to mark the event was Katharina Landgraf, a member of the German Bundestag, who praised the will of those Hungarians who seventeen years earlier took the first steps toward a peaceful revolution.
László Magas, who heads Pan-European Picnic ?89 Foundation, said an exhibition of the event had toured Germany, Austria and even Japan.
Among the original ?picnickers? attending the event was Gábor Turi, the current deputy-mayor of Debrecen.
Commemorating the anniversary, an exhibition of photographs of the picnic by the late Tamás Lobenwein opened in Sopron?s Pannónia Gallery, and a concert was given by musicians of the Sopron Symphonic Orchestra and the Győr Philharmonic.
Earlier in the day, German MEP Michael Cramer and Hungarian MEP József Szájer opened the first stretch of a tourist trail that will run along the route of the former Iron Curtain. The stretch lies between Lake Fertő and Felsőszölnök, an area that is also a UNESCO world heritage sight. Altogether, almost 300 kilometres of the trail will run in Hungary.
The Iron Curtain Trail project, which has the support of the European Union, will run for 6,800 kilometres. It is intended to preserve the memory of the period when the continent was divided.
To see the planned route of the Iron Curtain Trail visit
http://www.michael-cramer.eu/english/ict/93704.htm?pic=0
Source: Múlt-kor / Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
