Border run in Boizenburg: Remembrance, community and joy on November 9th!

Border run in Boizenburg: Remembrance, community and joy on November 9th!

The 22nd edition of the traditional Boizenburg border run will take place on November 9th, and the anticipation is palpable. The idea was born 36 years ago after the fall of the Berlin Wall to remember the division of Germany. With a route of around 12 kilometers along the former inner-German border, the focus this year is once again on community and remembrance, not on competition. The starting signal is fired at 2 p.m. on the Amtplatz in Lauenburg, the destination is the Boizenburg market square or, in bad weather, the gym at the Quöbbe. The organizers, Boizenburger and TuS Hohnstorf, hope for active participation.

A highlight of the border run will be the ceremony at 4:30 p.m. in St. Mary's Church, at which, among others, Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig and her counterpart Daniel Günther will speak. The crowning finale will be the celebration of 35 years of twinning between cities from 6 p.m. Last year, the border run had a record number of 170 participants; this year the organizers are expecting around 70 to 100 participants, who can also take a bus shuttle to the start line at 1:15 p.m.

A sign of peace and cohesion

Already in its first edition on December 23, 1989, just a few weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the border run was a symbol of the newly won peace and cohesion between the formerly separated parts of Germany. The participants not only encounter a sporting event, but also an important symbol of encounter and remembrance. Since its construction in 1961, the Wall has awakened a dark memory for many. Around 155 kilometers of border fortifications were built between East and West Berlin and led to countless tragedies.

The stories about the building of the wall and the escape attempts are cruel and fascinating at the same time. In the first years after the fall of the Wall, there were efforts to preserve parts of the Wall as a memorial because it was seen as a symbol of lack of freedom. This preservation took place in many cities that today play a central role in commemorating the construction and consequences of the Wall. November 9th has established itself as a particularly significant day. The day the Wall fell is all too often associated with the commemoration of the many victims who tried to overcome the Wall.

Making memory work sustainable

The culture of remembrance has changed over the years. While initially it was primarily victims' associations and private initiatives that remembered the shared past, today the focus is on November 9th as a day of remembrance. In 1996, Rainer Eppelmann spoke of the need to view the building of the Wall not just as a historical fact, but as a central element of public discussion.

The walls that once served to divide should now serve as memorials of peaceful change and freedom. The hope remains that events like the border run will raise awareness of the past and the importance of solidarity. This type of commemoration can help to transform the memory of lack of freedom and dictatorship into a space of understanding and peace.

In this sense, the Boizenburg Border Run attracts both runners and onlookers who can look forward to a moving event that provides a living memory of the events of 1989 and creates a place for conversations and memories.