From the Barents Sea to the Black Sea, from Kirkenes in Northern Norway to Rezovo on the Bulgarian-Turkish border: this is equal to 9000 km traveled via 18 countries. This is the route of the infamous Iron Curtain of the recent past that used to divide for almost five decades Eastern Europe from the continent's West.

On 27 June 25 years ago the Iron Curtain collapsed, as the foreign ministers of Austria and Hungary symbolically cut off the barbed wire on their common border.

On 27 June 2014, two Germans embarked on the route of the Iron Curtain to remind Europeans of the division of the continent in the past, and chose electric bikes to accentuate the challenges that today's united Europe is facing. Reporter Vessela Vladkova met with the two bikers at the end of their quite impressive expedition.

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The date was 27 July, past 4 pm. Joachim Franz and Christian Roth jump into the salty Black Sea waters off Rezovo. Their unshaven weathered faces betrayed some fatigue however they both beamed with happy smiles on.

"It's weightlessness”, this is the way Christian Roth described the sensation of being in the waters of the Black Sea after a 9000-km biking tour. “We were very excited that we had succeeded. The day was wonderful and jumping into the sea after four weeks of tiring biking was an incredible treat at a moment of genuine happiness.”

At the start of the grand biking tour in Norway, mercury stood at 3C and there was some snow too. At the final, on the Black Sea, temperatures were hot, as the summer peaked. „It is hard to believe that we have succeeded”, Joachim admitted. He has been on biking expeditions to some exotic points on the Earth. This time however, the physical challenge was not his most important motivation.

"We instantly liked the idea to cover the Iron Curtain route”, Joachim Franz said. “25 years have passed from the end of the division not only of Germany, but also of Europe and of the whole world. Unfortunately, this division is still in the heads of many people. So, with our long passage we wanted to make people remember the events of 25 years ago. The freedom of movement that we Europeans have reclaimed is a remarkable achievement. Before the start of the bicycle tour I thought I wouldbe proud of the physical achievement, and now I feel proud of being a European.”

The European idea has prompted Joachim Franz and Christian Roth to make a decision to travel the route of the Iron Curtain with electric bikes.

"Electric bicycles have already become part of our daily round”, Christian says. “But this should also happen to electromobiles. This issue is the talk of the day in Europe. Our mobility should be fully aligned with the protection of the environment and we believe that electricity is the major driving force of the future.”

The first step in trying to promote an important idea is always hard. Joachim and Christian have travelled all the way from that very first difficult step. Now they are looking forward to meeting with young people who have not lived through the years of the Cold War. The twosome will be telling them about their expedition and the division of Europe in the past.

"The idea of united Europe is very important for the two of us but all Europeans should be aware that we have a long way to go”, Joachim Franz says. “We have to take responsibility for our future, our nature and this is how electric mobility takes center stage. 25 years ago Europeans were able to rethink their future. Now we have to do this again with a focus on nature." 

English: Daniela Konstantinova