Dacheröden on Tour: Zu Fuß auf dem Weg der Freundschaft

Heike John's travelogue about the EB with music by Anger 77

The EB - the international mountain hiking trail of friendship Eisenach-Budapest, is cult - this is what you hear again and again in connection with this long-distance hiking trail. It crosses five countries and is 2700 km long.

It is particularly well known in East Germany - a little more so after Rebecca Salentin's book. Founded in 1983, the trail is a relic of a bygone era. And yet it is still being walked, even now that the world of travel has become much bigger.

What makes the trail, which begins in Thuringia, so appealing? Or perhaps its origins lie somewhere else entirely? In 2024, Heike John took on the adventure and walked the Path of Friendship from Budapest to her home. How is this cult trail lived today? How do you manage to complete 2700 kilometers in one go? And why do most long-distance hikers choose to walk alone?

The talk will be accompanied by songs from the Erfurt band Anger 77, whose annual Christmas concerts are legendary. Less well known is probably their appearance in a film by Wim Wenders. In 2023, the longest-serving school band, as they call themselves, released a new album after a long time with "Weites Land".

The idea for this evening's collaboration arose from the shared joy of Heike John's happy arrival at Wartburg Castle.

Heike John, born and raised in Erfurt in 1973, did not initially have hiking in her blood. But little by little she took up this hobby - starting in Thuringia and ending in the high mountains of Switzerland, where she lived for several years. On her hikes, a growing community followed her travel reports on Instagram. This also gave rise to the desire for a lecture.

As part of the Dacheröden on Tour series, Kultur: Haus Dacheröden regularly invites people to talk about their very different travels and experiences in faraway places. Whether it's daring adventures, profound encounters or inspiring experiences - the talks bring the world to Erfurt and awaken the desire to explore.