In order to emphasise the cultural connection between art and sport, 15 towns and cities that are anchored in the “Purple Path” art project will be visited along the route. For the tour, the organisers are still looking for ambitious recreational cyclists with great physical condition and endurance, as well as helpers.

The International Peace Tour, also known as the Course de la Paix, was the most respected amateur cycling event behind the Iron Curtain. At its peak, it was even compared to the famous Tour de France. The route of the Peace Tour usually led through the three capitals of Warsaw, Prague and East Berlin and often also through Chemnitz, or Ka-Marx-Stadt at the time, as a stage stop. Originally initiated by two journalists from Poland and the then Czechoslovakia, it also led through the former GDR every year in May from 1952. The aim was to set a peaceful example against the tensions of the Cold War by means of sport that would bring people together.

In 2025, when Chemnitz is European Capital of Culture, the International Peace Tour is to experience a new edition and thus send a sporting and cultural signal to Europe. The focus will not only be on cycling itself. Rather, the Peace Tour 2025 is to be a celebration of cycling culture, which has deep roots in the Capital of Culture region around Chemnitz, as the BID Book describes.

This year’s European Peace Ride is all about the International Peace Ride and its cultural impact in the region. On 11 and 12 September 2021, 78 ambitious recreational cyclists will set out on the 413-kilometre route to Prague and back, covering an altitude difference of around 5500 metres. In order to demonstrate the close connection between art and sport culture in the Capital of Culture process, 15 cities and municipalities of the Purple Path Capital of Culture project will be visited on both stages. The tour also follows on from the successful handover of the Bid Book in Berlin last year.

Riders are still being sought for the European Peace Ride: Are you keen and able to ride at an average speed of 26 to 30 kilometres per hour over the approx. 200 kilometres and around 2500 metres in altitude of one stage? Or do you just want to help along the route and become part of this unique project? Get in touch at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..