The Iron Curtain Trail
Trans European practices on memorial heritage
Michael Cramer Member of European Parliament( Greens / EFA)
Member of European Parliament, Michael Cramer,( Greens / EFA Parliamentary Group), presented the project of The Iron Curtain Trail, a 6.800 kilometer cycle route running from the Barents Sea to the Black Sea along and across the former division of the continent. Initiated by Cramer in 2005, its motto is“ experiencing the history of Europe’ s division”, and the frequent crosses the route makes over the border has a clear performative character. Cramer described the project as exemplifying sustainable mobility and as a European‘ peace’ project and as a“ tourist trail that would preserve the memory of the division of the continent, show how it has been overcome through peaceful European reunification, and promote a European identity’’.
Through his keynote, the multitude of dimensions surrounding the Iron Curtain Trail became clear. Cramer for example pointed to the‘ Green Belt’ of flora and fauna that has flourished on the former‘ Death Strip’, while simultaneously pointing to an array of monuments and memorials along the route that had been marginalized and were in desperate need of upkeep. He also pointed to contemporary borders in Hungary and
Turkey that stood mere meters away from the former borders of the Iron Curtain. These examples, while eerie, show how such routes can be instrumentalized to enable discussions on contemporary border practices and migration routes.
The keynote further raised questions regarding the promotion of such routes and the various memorials, monuments, and structures it passes. While Cramer showed examples of signposts highlighting the route, he also made clear that these were not visible along the entire route. Similarly the keynote raised the question of how European citizens could become more involved and aware of the trail.
Cramer’ s keynote also stressed the local and national differences in experiences and meanings pertaining to the history of the Iron Curtain, and even in the dates it was torn down. Still the Iron Curtain Trail seems to offer a quite productive framework to engage with these local and national differences, while simultaneously describing a larger formative European history.