reported<\/a>. The project is complemented by a 6+1-part short film series that approaches the region from the perspective of slow cycling tourism: it shows where it is worth stopping, veering off the route, or incorporating a local experience so that the tour is truly about exploring the region.<\/p>\nThe Iron Curtain once stretched across Hungary\u2019s westernmost corner\u2014one of the most heavily guarded borders in a Europe divided during the Cold War. In place of the barbed wire, minefields, and watchtowers, EuroVelo 13\u2014the Iron Curtain Cycle Route\u2014now runs along approximately 10,000 kilometers of the former East-West border, stretching from the Barents Sea all the way to the Black Sea.<\/p>\n
Today, the former border zone functions as a \u201cgreen corridor\u201d\u2014rich in natural beauty, historical monuments, and cultural heritage\u2014where cyclists can experience the landscape, history, and local communities in a single journey.<\/p>\n
This is the world showcased by the Inclusive Border Cycling project and its accompanying 7-part video series, which focuses on the border towns of Southern Zala and the \u0150rs\u00e9g region.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cRediscovering and showcasing this landscape\u2014which was once accessible only with special permission\u2014is a unique experience. It is precisely this former isolation that has preserved numerous natural and cultural treasures in Southern Zala and the Lenti\u2013Letenye region, which today offer cyclists a true adventure.<\/p>\n
We are\u00a0 not just cycling through this region: we want to showcase the remnants of its oil-rich past, the wildlife, the historic sites, and the stories that make this landscape unique,\u201d<\/p>\n
said Bal\u00e1zs Szab\u00f3, head of the Zalai Tekerg\u0151k Cycling Sports and Touring Association.<\/p>\n
Inclusive Border Cycling is a large-scale European Union project initiated by Hungary, with 16 organizations from Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Romania participating.<\/p>\n
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Photo: Pexels<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal of this approximately two-and-a-half-year development project has been to treat cross-border cycling routes not merely as infrastructure, but as a comprehensive tool for social and economic development, a system that, by connecting local stories, products, and communities, is capable of giving new meaning to travel,\u201d said Tibor Polg\u00e1r, managing director of West-Pannon Nonprofit Kft.<\/p>\n
The initiative connects several cycling routes, including the Iron Curtain Cycle Route (EuroVelo 13) and the nature-oriented \u201cAmazon of Europe\u201d cycling network along the Drava and Mura rivers.<\/p>\n
As Tibor Polg\u00e1r explained, international experience shows that in rural areas, tourism can account for as much as 30 percent of local producers\u2019 revenue, ranging from the smallest to the largest players in the gastronomy sector. This raises the question of how local communities in border regions\u2014in the former Iron Curtain region\u2014can connect even more closely with tourism.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the program, we also paid special attention to ensuring that these producers\u2014who do not necessarily have experience in tourism or communications\u2014receive training. Building on Austrian best practices, knowledge transfer and the training of local stakeholders took place with the involvement of multiple partners.<\/p>\n
One of the highlights of this was the \u201cIron Curtain\u201d weekend tour organized as part of last year\u2019s \u201cOpen Farm Day,\u201d in which some 70 producers participated and more than 8,000 visitors attended the events over the course of a single weekend,\u201d<\/p>\n
said Tibor Polg\u00e1r.<\/p>\n
The initiative goes beyond storytelling by also encouraging community involvement in maintaining cycling routes. In less populated or resource-poor areas, by involving locals, the project is also exploring how communities can play an active role in the maintenance of cycling paths.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
One of the project\u2019s most important professional achievements was the development of a methodology that facilitated the authentic collection, organization, and concise, engaging presentation of local border histories for cycling tourists.<\/p>\n
The essence of the concept is what is known as \u201cexperience design\u201d: the region\u2019s stories are presented not as comprehensive historical accounts, but as carefully curated, dramaturgically structured travel experiences. The goal is for cyclists not merely to pass through the countryside, but to also learn about its past, its communities, and its cultural heritage.<\/p>\n
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Photo: Pexels<\/p>\n
The project also sought to determine how communities and local stakeholders living in the former Iron Curtain region could be involved in cycling tourism. The offerings include everything from honor-system kiosks and \u201cgrandma\u2019s jam\u201d to small-scale producers, wineries, and high-end gastronomic establishments. The goal was to develop a comprehensive, experience-based tourism offering that brings together the landscape, stories, local products, and human encounters.<\/p>\n
A key element of the project is the Danube Story Portal, which connects the region\u2019s major cycling routes\u2014including EuroVelo 13, the Amazon of Europe Bike Trail, and EuroVelo 6\u2014on a single digital platform.<\/p>\n
What makes the platform unique is that it showcases not only the routes but also the local stories and producers associated with them, thus functioning as a comprehensive database that European and domestic professional organizations\u2014including the European Cyclists\u2019 Federation and Active Hungary\u2014can utilize to develop cycling tourism.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Related article<\/p>\n
Hungary’s First Public Building Constructed Entirely of Wood Unveiled<\/a>![\"Hungary's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/RPT_0707-2048x1365-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nVia Turizmus.com; Featured photo: Pexels (Illustration)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The EuroVelo 13 Iron Curtain cycle route, along with its accompanying map and story portal, follows the path…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":771468,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,273865,273866,273867,273868,273869,273870,82,273871],"class_list":["post-771467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-eurovelo-13","tag-hetes","tag-inclusive-border-cycling","tag-iron-curtain-cycle-route","tag-orseg","tag-southern-zala","tag-sports","tag-vas-county"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/771467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=771467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/771467\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/771468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=771467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=771467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=771467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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