The Iron Curtain Trail (EuroVélo 13)

Winston Churchill coined the term "Iron Curtain" to describe the political, ideological and physical divide that scarred Europe for nearly half a century. The West meant freedom and opportunity, the East stood for censorship and oppression.

Iron Curtain Trail EV13

The former border now hosts the 10,550 km #EuroVelo13 trail, the longest cycling path in Europe, stretching from the Barents Sea in Norway to the borders of Turkey on the Black Sea.

Cycling the Iron Curtain trail is a journey in time, reminding us of the fragility of peace and democracy. It celebrates the enduring spirit of those who fought for freedom, starting with the strikes of Gdansk shipyard workers and Lech Walesa, the Human Chain in the Baltic States, and the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia (now Czechia and Slovakia).

Turning the Iron Curtain into a cycling trail is the brainchild of Michael Cramer, a Green MEP who had already created the "Berlin Wall Trail" in the German capital. Michael garnered support from all political groups in the EU and got endorsements from the likes of Walesa, Havel, and Gorbachev.

With Michael Cramer, founding father for the Iron Curtain Trail

When the Cold War ended, many wanted to wipe-out the remains of the Wall and iron curtain to erase all signs of this painful past from our collective memories. It is thanks to citizen movements across Europe that some of these landmarks have been preserved. They make riding the Iron Curtain Trail such a unique experience and serve to prevent this history from being forgotten.

This page documents this journey to Berlin and along the Iron Curtain for the Nov 9, 2024 celebrations of the End of the Cold War in Berlin that started in Geneva and included a tour of Malta because of the role thee two cities played in ending the Cold War. Find out more in the upcoming stories here!