The Iron Curtain Trail (ICT), also known as
EuroVelo
''EuroVelo'' is a network of currently 17 long-distance cycling routes criss-crossing Europe, in various stages of completion. When completed, the EuroVelo network's total length will almost be . more than were in place. EuroVelo is a project of ...
13 (EV13), is a partially complete
long-distance cycling route
Long-distance cycling routes are designated cycling routes in various countries around the world for bicycle tourism. These routes include anything from longer rail trails, to national cycling route networks like the Dutch LF-routes,the French V ...
which will run along the entire length of the former
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...
. During the period of the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
(c. 1947-1991), the Iron Curtain delineated the border between the
Communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
East and the capitalist West, with the East being the
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republic ...
countries of the
Soviet bloc
The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...
and the West being the countries of
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
.
The ICT can also be walked as a
long-distance trail
A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents excep ...
.
Overview
, many parts of the ICT are already complete, particularly in the central section, such as most of the German part and along the Czech border. When complete, the Iron Curtain Trail will run for from the
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea ( , also ; no, Barentshavet, ; russian: Баренцево море, Barentsevo More) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territo ...
down to the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
.
The Iron Curtain Trail, which is closely related to the
European Green Belt
The European Green Belt initiative is a grassroots movement for nature conservation and sustainable development along the corridor of the former Iron Curtain. The term refers to both an environmental initiative as well as the area it concer ...
project, is being managed as three projects:
* The northern part is over in length from the Barents Sea, along the Finnish-Russian border, along the Baltic Coast, to the German-Polish border.
* The central section passes straight through Germany, following the old border between
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
and
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
. It then follows the current borders of the Czech Republic—Austria, Austria—Slovakia, Austria–Hungary and Slovenia for a distance of .
* The southern part travels along the borders of Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey to the Black Sea
Development
20 countries are part of the Iron Curtain Trail project, among them are 14 members of the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
.
The ICT was lobbied for by the efforts of
German Green Party
Alliance 90/The Greens (german: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, ), often simply referred to as the Greens ( ), is a green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 as the merger of The Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (fo ...
politician
Michael Cramer MEP. Trails have been created and made better suited to cycling with help and finance from the European Union, with historical signposts and markers erected.
See also
*
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...
*
European Green Belt
The European Green Belt initiative is a grassroots movement for nature conservation and sustainable development along the corridor of the former Iron Curtain. The term refers to both an environmental initiative as well as the area it concer ...
*
EuroVelo
''EuroVelo'' is a network of currently 17 long-distance cycling routes criss-crossing Europe, in various stages of completion. When completed, the EuroVelo network's total length will almost be . more than were in place. EuroVelo is a project of ...
*
German Cycling Network
The German Cycling Network (German: ''Radnetz Deutschland'') is the national cycling route network of Germany. There are currently 12 such long-distance cycling routes, called D-Routes (the "D" stands for "Deutschland’" i.e. Germany) criss-cross ...
References
External links
The Iron Curtain Trail - experiencing the history of Europe's division
{{Authority control
EuroVelo
Hiking trails in Europe
Cycleways in Norway
Cycleways in Finland
Cycleways in Russia
Cycleways in Estonia
Cycleways in Latvia
Cycleways in Lithuania
Cycleways in Poland
Cycleways in Germany
Cycleways in the Czech Republic
Cycleways in Austria
Cycleways in Slovakia
Cycleways in Hungary
Cycleways in Slovenia
Cycleways in Croatia
Cycleways in Serbia
Cycleways in Romania
Cycleways in Bulgaria
Cycleways in North Macedonia
Cycleways in Greece
Cycleways in Turkey