This memorial site made history in 1989. The Pan-European Picnic was a peace demonstration at the Austrian-Hungarian border near the city of Sopron (Ödenburg). With the consent of both countries, a border gate on the old Pressburg road between St. Margarethen in Burgenland and Sopronköhida (Steinambrückl) in Hungary was symbolically opened for three hours.
On August 19, 1989, refugees from the GDR appeared at the event site before the official program, scheduled to start at 3 PM, and broke through the border in several waves. The Hungarian border police did not prevent this escape, which became the first truly spectacular action of German reunification.
The memorial site is a worthwhile destination with a beautiful park area, a walking path featuring informative displays, the peace bell, and remnants of the Iron Curtain.
