Reconciliation March

For the twentieth time, we will retrace the steps of more than twenty thousand Brno residents who were driven toward the Austrian border 80 years ago. While able-bodied men were forced to stay in the city for compulsory labor, the march included women, children, and the elderly. Along the way and in the following days and weeks, at least 1,700 of them perished due to hardship.

Ten years ago, Brno’s city representatives adopted the Declaration of Reconciliation and Shared Future in connection with this pilgrimage, marking a historic milestone in the Czech society’s reckoning with this chapter of history.

Since 2015, we have been symbolically walking against the direction of the historical march, from the mass grave in Pohořelice back to the Augustinian Garden in Old Brno. This year’s Pilgrimage of Reconciliation will once again offer a unique experience and a chance for meaningful encounters. The event will be attended by the families of survivors and public figures from the Czech Republic, Germany, and Austria. Various organizations active in Czech-German and Czech-Austrian relations will present themselves through information stands and an accompanying program.

Information for participants will be provided in Czech and German.

Free entry.

This event is financially supported by the Czech-German Fund for the Future.

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 by Dr. P. Martin Leitgöb, Provincial of the Redemptorists Vienna-Munich 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