The trail mostly follows low traffic asphalted public roads along the old Iron Curtain, passing the Austrian-Hungarian borders several times. The development of the Iron Curtain Trail trip is sponsored by the South East Europe Program within the ICT-project and the opening trip is supported by the local railway company GYSEV Zrt. The trip will start from two destinations on the morning of 19th August 2014: Sopron, Hungary, and Letenye, Hungary, near the Croation-Slovenian-Hungarian border meeting point. The two groups will cycle two days on the new EuroVelo trail, and meet in Szentgotthárd on the 20th August, where they celebrate the opening of the trail with a party.
Attendance for the 2-days trips to Szentgotthárd costs 95 euros, which includes guidance, accomodation, hot (once a day) and cold (twice a day) meal, luggage transportation, maintenance and insurance, as well as entrance fees. Participants receive free camping places for tents in Szentgotthárd, other needs should be filled by individual booking.Please bring your own sleeping-bag. We only accept participants over 18 years. Number of participants is limited.
f you would like to registrate for the trip or have any questions regarding it, please send an email to the following address: EV13HUAT@gmail.com
More info at the Facebook community page: http://EuroVelo13 AT/HU opening tour
Detailed description of the trips:
Sopron-Szentgotthárd trip programme: Meeting on 18th August at Sopron Railway station between every 2 hours between 10 AM and 8 PM under the ICT poster; group leaders will take the participants to the camp. Dinner at 7 PM. 19th August: Start at 8 AM along the Iron Curtain Trail in the direction of Ágfalva, arrival to the Paneuropen Picninc Memorial Area. After the opening ceremony at 1.30 PM, we continue our trip in the direction of Möblisch (Meggyes), and have our first rest and lunch at Zsira. Arrival in Kõszeg at 7 PM, where we stay overnight. 20th August: Start at 9.30 AM, arrival at Vaskeresztes at 1 PM – lunch and greeting the group arriving from Szombathely. Arrival in Szentgotthárd from 6 PM, where have a dinner party. Daily distance: 80-100 km with slight gradients
Letenye-Szentgotthárd trip programme: Meeting point: camping of the Letenye thermal bath on 18th Augusut (whole day). Heading off to Lenti at 9.30 AM on 19th August, where we arrive around 6 PM with stops and lunch at a resting point. On 20th August, we start at 10.30 AM, and arrive in Szentgotthárd to meet the other groups at around 6 PM after cycling along the Slovenian-Hungarian border section of the Iron Curtain Trail. Daily distance: 70-80 km with slight gradients
Three Borders Festival: The Iron Curtain Trail-trip is followed by a three-days cycling festival in Szentgotthárd. One-day cycling trips are conducted to a different country every day, during which you will be guided to memorial places reminding the times of the Iron Curtain while you can admire the beautiful landscapes. Afternoons and evenings will host cultural events relating to the Iron Curtain: readings, history theatre, screenings, vehicles from the time, music, exhibitions, competitions for kids, wine cellars from the region, bands, and the introduction of different nations of the region. We are primarily waiting interested young people and families from the region and from the surrounding countries.
The festival is supported by: Gábor Huszár, mayor of Szentgotthárd // Opel // The Hungarian National Ministry of Administraion and Justice
Related Facebook page on the Iron Curtain Trail operated by MEP Michael Cramer covering both northern and southern sections of the ICT route