PanEuropean Picnic

1
Pan-European Picnic

• Twentieth Anniversary Celebrations of the 19th
  August 1989 Pan-European Picnic and Border
  Breakthrough
• Sopron, Hungary,
• August 19, 2009
• Photo Story by Pavol Demes

2
At this site near the Hungarian city of Sopron
hundreds of East Germans crossed the borders
with Austria and left communist Eastern Europe on
August 19, 1989. This event called the Pan-
European Picnic paved the way to the fall of the
Berlin Wall few months later.
3
The monument Breakthrough was unveiled by the
President of Hungary Laszlo Solyom at the
Pan-European Picnic Memorial Park
4
Pan-European Memorial Picnic Park main podium
5
The guest of honor the chancellor Angela
Merkel, who grew up in East Germany, thanked
Hungarians for their courage.
6
Foreign Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt represented
EU in Sopron.He urged participants to think
about Europe with open borders for the new members
7
Angela Merkel greeted participants of the
Pan-European Picnic,To the left is Hungarian
President Laszlo Solyom
8
Danke to Hungary from Mrs. Angela Merkel