Duration: 3 hours
Tour description:
On an excellent bicycle path from Sopron, we head to Sopronkőhida , famous for its penitentiary. Our road takes us by the lakes of the popular fishing and bathing water site of Tómalom. After having enjoyed the pleasant lake shore – or even having taken a bath! – we head towards Sopronkőhida, but instead of going to Fertőrákos, famous for its quarry near Golgota, we take a left along Pozsonyi road towards the border. The Pan-European Picnic, an important event in modern European history, took place here. At the meeting organized by Hungary and Austria, East German citizens crossed the border gate and left for Austria freely – despite the firing order in force at the Iron Curtain, the Hungarian border guards did not intervene. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the merging of the two Germany are also the result of the chain of events taking place at the picnic. The memory of the well-known event is preserved by the Pan-European Picnic Memorial. Afterwards, we head in a western direction parallel to the border, then we turn south and take the high quality cycle path to return to Sopron. From the Hubertus lookout, you will have a unique panoramic view of the Schneeberg, the Forchtenstein Castle and the Lake Fertő. After leaving the lookout tower, we return to Sopron via a signposted cycle path.
Sights
Tómalom:
The history of the baths of Tómalom dates back to 1500, although some authors say that the lakes were already formed in the age of the Romans. The building of the mill, which drew kinetic energy from the water of the stream, was first mentioned in 1550. In 1822, a public bath opened on the lakeshore. Between 1920 and 1922, a bathing beach, a 14-room hotel and a restaurant were built based on the plans of architect Ferenc Schneider. The lake bath is still very popular.
Pan-European Picnic Memorial Site:
This site is history itself: in the place where the border was crossed by refugees in 1991, a ‘kopjafa', a wooden memorial column was raised by the former organizers. The knell of the memorial was donated by the city of Debrecen, the pagoda-like building and well was built by the Hungary–Japan Friendship Society, and the artwork of an opening door was created by Ottó Ratatics stonemason and his team within the framework of the National Trade-corporation of Stonemasons. The informational guides in the park tell the story of the past through period photographs and descriptions. ‘The Breakthrough’, a sculpture composition by Miklós Melocco, a contemporary border guard tower, the Bell of Freedom, a piece of the Iron Curtain, the Academic Memorial Forest, a children's playground and a rest area await guests who wish to remember."