Pan-European Picnic
E84535
The Pan-European Picnic was a 1989 peace demonstration on the Hungarian–Austrian border that became a pivotal moment in the fall of the Iron Curtain, as hundreds of East Germans used the briefly opened frontier to flee to the West.
Aliases (1)
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
historical event
→
peace demonstration → protest → |
| commemoratedBy |
annual commemorative events in Hungary and Germany
→
memorial park near Sopron → |
| country |
Hungary
→
|
| date |
1989-08-19
→
|
| followedBy |
further liberalization of travel for East Germans
→
mass exodus of East Germans via Hungary to Austria in late summer 1989 → |
| hasCause |
democratic opposition movements in Hungary
→
loosening of travel restrictions in Hungary in 1989 → |
| languageOfName |
English
→
|
| location |
Hungarian–Austrian border
→
near Sankt Margarethen im Burgenland → near Sopron → |
| numberOfParticipants |
several hundred East German refugees
→
thousands of Hungarian and Austrian demonstrators → |
| organizer |
Alliance of Free Democrats
→
Hungarian Democratic Forum → local opposition groups in Sopron → |
| originalLanguage |
German
→
|
| originalName |
Paneuropäisches Picknick
→
|
| partOf |
events leading to German reunification
→
events leading to the fall of the Iron Curtain → |
| politicalContext |
collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe
→
late Cold War → |
| precededBy |
Hungary’s decision to dismantle border fortifications with Austria in 1989
→
|
| purpose |
peaceful demonstration for European unity
→
promotion of freedom of movement → symbolic opening of the Iron Curtain → |
| relatedTo |
German reunification
→
Iron Curtain → fall of the Berlin Wall → opening of the Hungarian border for East Germans in 1989 → |
| result |
increased pressure on the East German government
→
international attention to the weakening of the Iron Curtain → mass escape of East German citizens to the West → strengthening of reform forces in Eastern Europe → temporary opening of the border between Hungary and Austria → |
| significance |
key step toward the end of the division of Europe
→
pivotal moment in the fall of the Iron Curtain → symbol of peaceful European integration → |
| supportedBy |
Austrian Pan-European Union
→
Ferenc Mészáros → Otto von Habsburg → |
| year |
1989
→
|
Referenced by (4)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Pan-European Picnic Memorial Park
→
|
commemorates |
|
Revolutions of 1989
→
|
hasPart |
|
Hungary–Austria border
→
|
notableEvent |
|
Pan-European Picnic
("Paneuropäisches Picknick")
→
|
originalName |