Orbán, Merkel to mark Pan-European Picnic anniversary

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will mark the 30th anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic, one of a series of events that led to the dismantling of the Iron Curtain and the fall of communism, in Sopron, in western Hungary, on Monday.

Orbán and Merkel will participate at an ecumenical service in the city’s Lutheran Church. Afterward, they will hold bilateral talks during lunch.

Counter-terrorism force TEK issued a statement on Sunday advising motorists on road closures and restrictions in the historical centre of Sopron as well as on routes in and out of the city between 7 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon on Monday.

The Pan-European Picnic was held on August 19, 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.

Source: MTI