Educational bike tour 2026
Pedalling East Prussian History. Educational cycling tour from Sudovia through Masuria
04–12 July 2026
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We invite young people to explore the history and cultural heritage of the former East Prussian borderlands between Lithuania and Poland together by bicycle from 4–12 July 2026.
Who we are looking for:
We are looking for young people who are interested in history, culture and European border regions and who would like to discover the diverse heritage of southern East Prussia in a shared educational cycling tour.
What do we offer?
- A linear cycling route from Kybartai (Lithuania) to Olsztyn (Poland) (approx. 450 kilometres in total), with daily stages of up to 85 km. Please note: parts of the route include gravel roads and uneven surfaces.
- Dates: 04 July 2026 – 12 July 2026
- An extensive educational and cultural programme with a focus on the history, cultural heritage and borderland experiences of the former East Prussian region.
- Participants prepare and present short thematic inputs related to places, biographies and historical contexts along the route.
- Working language: English
- A support vehicle for luggage transport and technical assistance.
- Participation fees: 175 euros for students (for Lithuanian and Polish students: 145 euro); 215 euros for civic education multipliers (for Lithuanian/Polish: 185 euro).
- The participation fee includes accommodation, full board, bicycle rental, luggage transport and entrance fees.
- Arrival in Kybartai and departure from Olsztyn are organised individually by participants.
- Age: 18–45 (young people aged 18–35; multipliers from the field of civic and historical education up to the age of 45, e.g. teachers)
- Registration deadline is 19 February 2026. You will receive an answer within one week.
The preliminary programme can be downloaded as a PDF here.
How to apply?
The deadline for applications is 19 February 2026. Please apply via our GoogleForms (contact details, biographical information, a short letter of motivation, and a preliminary idea for a short participant presentation).
The selection of participants is made by an independent committee, separate from the project’s implementing facilitators. The letter of motivation and the aim of creating a diverse and well-balanced group are key criteria in the selection process.
By submitting an application, you agree to the conditions of participation.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!
You will be notified of the outcome of your application by 26 February 2026.
Project Idea
 Photo of Marek und Ewa Wojciechowscy / Trips over Poland: Moränenlandschaft bei Góra Cisowa / Ciso kalnas (CC-BY-SA-3.0)
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The former region of East Prussia represents one of the most complex historical landscapes of Central and Eastern Europe. Located at the intersection of German, Polish, Lithuanian and Jewish histories, it was shaped for centuries by cultural diversity, shifting borders and intense exchange across linguistic, religious and political lines. Today, its historical core lies within Poland and Lithuania, where traces of this shared past remain visible in landscapes, towns, architecture and memories.
The educational cycling tour “Pedalling East Prussian History” explores the historical south-eastern parts of East Prussia and their present-day realities. The route follows former borderlands and contact zones, connecting places that once belonged to a common historical space but are now part of different national contexts. Rather than focusing solely on borders as lines of division, the project highlights East Prussia as a region of coexistence, mobility and overlapping identities.
The twentieth century profoundly altered this landscape. The First World War, National Socialist occupation, the Holocaust, the Second World War and its aftermath led to destruction, displacement and radical demographic change. Jewish communities were annihilated, the German population largely fled or was expelled, and new inhabitants arrived under Polish and Soviet rule. These ruptures continue to shape collective memory, local identities and political debates to this day.
Since 1989/91, new opportunities have emerged for an open, transnational engagement with this difficult heritage. In Poland and Lithuania, local initiatives, historians and civil society actors increasingly address the region’s multi-layered past and its relevance for contemporary Europe. The cycling tour builds on these developments by combining historical learning with personal encounters and shared experience.
The project brings together young adults from Germany, Poland and Lithuania to explore East Prussia as a European cultural landscape in motion. Through visits to historical sites, memorials and museums, encounters with local actors, and short participant-led input sessions along the route, the tour encourages a multiperspective understanding of history. Cycling as a form of slow travel allows for close engagement with the landscape and creates space for reflection, dialogue and exchange.
By linking movement, place-based learning and international dialogue, the educational cycling tour seeks to foster historical awareness, mutual understanding and a shared responsibility for Europe’s cultural heritage.
Contact person:
Dr. Vincent Regente
Head of Department EU & Europe
Tel.: +49 30 88412 288
» E-Mail
Educational leave / Bildungsurlaub / Bildungszeit
Please let us know if you need to apply for educational leave/education time for the project in your federal state.
Press
Press photos will be soon available here.
Funding and Partners:
The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of the Interior (Bundesministerium des Innern) on the basis of a resolution passed by the German Bundestag.
Further support is requested from Cultural Department for East Prussia and the Baltic States (Kulturreferat für Ostpreußen und das Baltikum) and the Zentrum gegen Vertreibungen.
Further cooperation partners are the International Students of History Association.
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Kulturreferat für Ostpreußen
und das Baltikum
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