Iron Curtain Bike Trail through Central Europe

A new bicycle trail that will run through 20 different European countries was announced on 21st July 2014. The German Green MEP Michael Cramer and the Austrian EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn presented the plans for the Iron Curtain Trail project at a press conference at the EU House in Vienna. The EU is completely supportive of the project, which is hoped to further develop cycling tourism in Europe.

The Iron Curtain Trail, or the EuroVelo 13 as it is also being called, is being praised as a boon for the local economies. The Austrian EU Commissioner for Regional Policy and the German MEP also explained that they are hopeful that the trail will strengthen political and economic ties in the region, as well as act as a form of environmental protection for the area.

The trail will be developed primarily through funding from the European Union which has already put forth € 1.2 million for the project. This money is coming from the South East Europe Interreg programme, which aims to improve integration and cooperation in the region through balanced development. The funding will be used to develop the trail from the Austrian-Slovakian border to the Black Sea. Further funding will come under the preparatory action “Sustainability Tourism”. This €332,000 project will allow for the development of the Northern section of the trail stretching from the Czech-Austrian border to the Barents Sea.

Cyclists will be able to follow the EuroVel 13 – Iron Curtain Trail from the Barents Sea to the Black Sea coast. The route will take tourists from the Norwegian-Russian Border to the border of Turkey and Bulgaria, across 20 countries, a total of 10,400 km. Iron Curtain Trail will be the longest EuroVelo route to date.

The trail will also be of significance to people with an interest in the recent history of Europe as it will run along the historical divide of the Cold War period. The trail area will become a protected greenbelt, preserving the landscape for future generations. There will be many important historical sites along the route including the Solidarnosc Center in Gdansk (Poland) and the victims of the Iron Curtain monument in Cheb (Czech Republic). Flanking the trail along various parts of the route can also be found the remains of watchtowers and fortifications.

Image provided by © Bruder | Dreamstime.com - Czechoslowak Iron Curtain Photo