Reconciliation March - 23/7/2022

For the 17th time we will follow in the footsteps of more than 20,000 Brno people who were driven towards the border with Austria 77 years ago. While able-bodied men had to stay in the city to endure forced labour, women, children and old men were ordered to march. At least 1,700 of them perished along the way and in the following days and weeks.

Since 2015 we have been walking, symbolically, in the opposite direction to the historical march, that is, from the mass grave in Pohořelice back to the garden of the Augustinian abbey in Staré Brno.
Six years ago, Brno’s councillors adopted a Declaration of reconciliation and a shared future, which became a milestone in Czech society’s coming to terms with this chapter of its history.

This year’s march will be a remarkable experience and an opportunity for inspirational encounters. Dozens of witnesses and public figures from Czechia, Austria and Germany will take part in the event, and societies involved in relations with our German-speaking neighbours will present their activities at their stands and provide an accompanying programme.

Participants may join or leave the march at any point, thanks to special shuttle buses available throughout the day. During the event, special buses commute along the route, allowing to join or leave the March at several stations. You can see the timetable of the buses here. You can see the map of the march here.

Course of the event:

8:30 am Brno, Mendelovo náměstí | Departure of the first busses from the stop next to the Starobrno brewery

9 am | Departure of further buses to Pohořelice

9:30 am Pohořelice | Opening speech and prayer for the victims, setting off

noon Ledce (10 km)

2-2:30 pm Rajhrad (17 km) | Information and lunch at the crossroad Masarykova-Štefánikova in the town center

4:30 pm Modřice (24 km) | Information and food at City Hall

5 pm Brno, Gymnasium Vídeňská (30 km) | Information and food, music performance (the procession arrives at about 5:45 pm)

6 pm Garden of the Augustinian Abbey at Mendelovo náměstí (32 km) | Ceremonial Speeches, greetings from the ambassadors of both neighboring countries

Have a look at the photo gallery from our event in 2021.