The European Peace Ride, a project of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025, starts on 13 September at 9.45 am in the Kurpark Bad Ischl. More than 200 cycling enthusiasts will connect this year's European Capital of Culture with the future European Capital of Culture. Why? Because the European Capitals of Culture Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024 and Chemnitz 2025 stand for a united, borderless Europe that celebrates culture as a unifying element - across generations, gender identities and nationalities. An ability that sport, which is part of culture, regularly demonstrates worldwide.
As part of this joint project between the current and future European Capital of Culture, a discussion will take place between the Artistic Director of Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024, Elisabeth Schweeger, and Stefan Schmidtke, the Programme Director of Chemnitz 2025. Representatives from tourism, business and culture will also meet for a German-Austrian business dialogue.
The European Peace Ride - a project of Chemnitz 2025
The European Peace Ride follows in the tradition of the International Peace Ride, an amateur cycling event that was founded in 1948 by two journalists in Poland and the former Czechoslovakia. Until the last edition in 2006, it was regarded as the most important cycling event in Europe behind the Iron Curtain. first held in 1952, the European Peace Ride travelled across Eastern Europe every year, using Chemnitz - formerly Karl-Marx-Stadt - as a stage location several times. The foundations for its resumption were laid during the bidding phase for Chemnitz as European Capital of Culture 2025. the first edition of the European Peace Ride took place in 2021 as a project of Chemnitz 2025. The European Peace Ride sees itself as a transnational cultural and sporting social project that is historically anchored and at the same time aims to provide new impetus. This year's start in the European Capital of Culture Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024 emphasises this mission.
Over 200 participants from six nations will ride from Austria via the Czech Republic in three one-day stages covering 580 kilometres and 6100 metres of altitude from Bad Ischl to Chemnitz. Among the cyclists are Jens Voigt, winner of the 1994 International Peace Ride, eight-time cycling world champion Hanka Kupfernagel and Austrian cyclist Lukas Kaufmann.
European Capitals of Culture: How do they contribute to the promotion and protection of democracy?
A new parliament was elected on 1 September in the eastern German state of Saxony with the industrial city of Chemnitz. In Austria, the national elections are due to take place on 29 September. Throughout Europe, the proportion of votes in favour of right-wing parties is growing. What role does the great unifying European Capital of Culture project play in this political mix? In a moderated discussion with Julia Kospach, Elisabeth Schweeger, Artistic Director, European Capital of Culture Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024 and Stefan Schmidtke, Programme Director of Chemnitz 2025, discuss the importance of culture, participation and European exchange in our society.
German-Austrian economic dialogue
The launch of the European Peace Ride in Bad Ischl will be accompanied by a German-Austrian business dialogue organised by the Institut für Mittelstandskooperation Mittweida (MIKOMI) from the Capital of Culture Region Chemnitz together with the Bad Ischl Tourist Board. The event will take place on Friday, 13 September from 13: 00 to 15:30 with free admission in the Trinkhalle in Bad Ischl. Representatives from business and tourism from both Capital of Culture regions will discuss topics such as the challenges of knowledge transfer between generations and the possibilities of using technology to make skilled trades more attractive and retain young people in structurally poorer regions.
The MIKOMI | Institut für Mittelstandskooperation Mittweida connects companies and puts scientific solutions into practice. As a close partner of the European Peace Ride, the institute focuses on parallels between sport and business, such as participation, inclusion, integration, but also cohesion and perseverance in difficult situations.
