Dismantle the Iron curtain!

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The Pan-European Picnic was a peace demonstration at the Austrian-Hungarian border near Sopron on 19 August 1989. This is an important antecedent was cutting through the iron curtain, Germany unification. This picnic was a big protest against the Socialist government, which was called the Pan-European Picnic. While this was happening more than 700 people who lived in East Germany (which was Socialist) escaped to the West. The picnic organizers expected one and a half thousand to come. There are more people attended the picnic. According to police estimates there were twenty-five thousand of them. „Half of Sopron city was there. And lots of Austrians as well. At least a minimum of five thousand people came from Austria. It didn't even cross our minds that this would turn out such a great success. Its mysticism had an appeal to anyone, this one being a kaffkaesque world where you couln't ever touch the Iron Curtain, only see it from the train at the very best. People simply wanted to take a look. It was a Saturday. A nice day. – said László Nagy, organizer. "Let's go out!" There was no way to keep people from going. Some of them rolled up the Iron Curtain as the soldiers did. Half of the Sopron gardens are enclosed with the Iron Curtain. They put the rolls on top of cars. They dismantled quite a few kilometres. Some of them only cut a piece off. I should also have brought a roll! Folks did take them.”

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László Nagy

László Nagy was born to conservative, religious parents in 1957. His father was a forest engineer, while his mother took care of their three children. The family moved to Sopron in 1960. They lived in Nigeria between 1970 and 1977. László did his secondary school leaving exam in Germany and then continued his studies at the Technical University of Budapest. He is a founder of the 405 circle, which invited politicians and public figures (several representatives of the opposition among them) to the university. He got his degree in chemical engineering in 1982. Subsequently, he and his family moved back to Sopron. They had three children. László worked in the Sopron Carpet Factory and earned a degree in textile engineering. At the end of the 1980s he joined the local opposition group in Sopron and became one of the organisers of the Pan-European Picnic (19 August, 1989). Up until 1996 he had been politically active and a member of the Hungarian Democratic Forum's executive committee. Since 1990 onwards he has been the Hungarian representative of various foreign companies and the managing director of the Viva la Musica Art Agency. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic in 1999. He is a curator of Pan-European Picnic '89 Foundation.

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Sopron

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Sopron – "The Most Loyal Town" Sopron is a city of Hungary, near the Western border of Hungary with Austria, at the foot of the Alps, 60 km from Vienna and 220 km from Budapest. About sixty thousand inhabitants of the city to the bed of the stream Ikva. Sopron is a wine producing region, that is one of the few in Hungary to make both red and white wines. The grapes grown here include Kékfrankos for red wine and Traminer (Gewürztraminer) for white wine. At the time of the Roman Empire, there was a city here called Scarbantia. In 1921, after the Treaty of Trianon decided by referendum to Sopron and the surrounding eight villages (Ágfalva, Balf, Fertőboz Fertõrákos Harka, Kópháza, Nagycenk and Sopronbánfalva) which country (Austria and Hungary) fall. The majority of people decided to Hungary. Since that the city has been called "The Most Loyal City " (Civitas fidelissima ). The offices remained bilingual until 1946 until the expulsion of German mother tongue . In World War II Sopron suffered badly. It was bombed several times. There were many Jewish people living in Sopron before the war. The Nazis and their Hungarian allies sent the Jews of Sopron to death camps and killed nearly all of them, as well as other people who disagreed with Nazi ideas. Sopron, as part of Hungary, was ruled by a Socialist government. At this time many factories were built around Sopron. The Socialist government took away a lot of the freedom that people had. The city of Sopron shows signs of its long history in its buildings. There is also a very old Jewish synagogue. Many old buildings whose architecture are from the 1600s and 1700s and are in the Baroque style which often has a lot of decoration. Stornó House is one of the most well-known buildings, because of its elegant Baroque architecture, its connection with King Matthias and its interesting collection. 1989th August 19, in Sopron there was a big protest against the Socialist government, which was called the Pan-European Picnic. While this was happening more than 800 people who lived in East Germany (which was Socialist) escaped to the West. People who had not been allowed to travel or live in other countries were finally allowed to be free. Hungary is now part of the European Union. Sopron now has trade with other countries, most importantly Austria. There are many German-speaking people who live in Sopron so most street signs are written in both Hungarian and German. Sopron is popular as a holiday place because it is set in beautiful countryside where people like to walk in the hills, enjoying the pure air, the forests and mountain springs. There are many hiking paths and look-out towers. Near to Sopron is Lake Fertő. The Löverek, is a beautiful hilly area south of the city, with forests of spruce, oaks and chestnut trees.