Iron Curtain Trail Maker

Born in 1949 in western Germany, Michael Cramer moved to Berlin in 1974, where he worked as a high school teacher for more than 20 years. In 1989, he was elected to the Berlin city parliament as a member of the Green party and became spokesperson for transportation issues. In 2001, he published "The Berlin Wall Trail." Some 1,000 people participate in his yearly bike tours along the former path of the Wall. In 2004, he was elected to the European Parliament. He has not owned a car for 25 years.

DW-WORLD.DE: What inspired the Iron Curtain Trail?

Michael Cramer: The Berlin Wall bike trail and the Boston Freedom Trail, where a red band connects important locations in America's struggle for independence.

How did the idea for the Iron Curtain Trail come about?


Everyone's trying to figure out how European identity can be promoted. During the last election campaign, I organized seven bike tours from Lübeck (in northern Germany) to Slovenia. When the EU commission submitted its first tourism report, I submitted an amendment to include the Iron Curtain Trail.

What does that mean for the project?

It's the only tourism project that's mentioned by name in the 2006 EU budget and it's also included in the 2007 budget. It means that member states can get quite a lot of money if they want to participate. The EU co-finances the projects.

What's the reaction been like?


Within Germany, Thuringia's doing the most. They have some 700 kilometers (435 miles) of former border. Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania could do more. The Czechs are also moving ahead.

Who chooses the route of the trail?

I biked the German part myself and set the route. I've asked others to cover the rest.

How will people find it?

A brochure with maps in German and English covering the entire route will be ready by 2009, the 20th anniversary of the eastern European revolution and the 5th anniversary of the EU enlargement by the central and eastern European countries. My wish is that the Iron Curtain Trail -- like the Berlin Wall trail -- will eventually be marked by a single type of sign. Multilingual information posts along the way are also a possibility.