Sultans Trail

The Sultans Trail is a long-distance footpath from Vienna to Istanbul. It is long. The path passes through Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, East Macedonia and Thrace in northern Greece, and Turkey.

History

Sultans Trail (''recte'' Sultan's) takes its name from sultan Süleyman Kanuni, Suleiman the Magnificent, of the Ottoman Empire who led Ottoman armies to conquer Belgrade and most of Hungary before his invasion was checked at the Siege of Vienna. The main path follows the route of sultan Suleiman the Magnificent on his way to Vienna. He started on 10 May 1529 from Istanbul and arrived 23 September 1529 in Vienna (141 days). It was to be the Ottoman Empire's most ambitious expedition to the west, but the Austrian garrison inflicted upon Suleiman his first defeat. A second attempt to conquer Vienna failed in 1532. In 1566, at the age of 60, the sultan led his army for the last time; he died close to Szigetvár in Hungary.

In contrast to its past the Sultan's Trail nowadays forms a path of peace, a meeting place for people of all faiths and cultures. The trail starts at St. Stephen's Cathedral in the centre of Vienna; the bells of this church are made from the melted iron of Ottoman cannons. It ends at the tomb of the Sultan in Istanbul. The Sultan’s Trail was developed by volunteers from the Netherlands-based NGO Sultans Trail – A European Cultural Route.

Apart from the Romanian and Bulgarian mountains, the trail can be walked all year round. Most parts of the route have ample accommodation such as hotels, pensions or private rooms. In parts of Hungary and Bulgaria a tent is necessary.

In popular culture

In 2020, BBC
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