Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have today marked the 30th anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic in Sopron, western Hungary, one of a series of events that led to the dismantling of the Iron Curtain and the fall of communism.
PM Orbán and Chancellor Merkel took part in an ecumenical service in the city’s Lutheran Church. Afterward, they held bilateral talks during lunch.
The Pan-European Picnic was held on August 19th, 1989, on the Austrian-Hungarian border, near Sopron, as a demonstration of peaceful coexistence between Austria and Hungary. The border crossing was opened for three hours, allowing nearly 1,000 East Germans to flee to the West. The picnic was one of the events that contributed to the opening of the borders and the reunification of Germany.
Photo credit: PM Press Office