ORF (online), July 11, 2022
German original: https://vorarlberg.orf.at/stories/3163621/
Along the international border between Vorarlberg and Switzerland, 52 border stones have been set up on the bike route from Lake Constance to the Silvretta [Alps], marked with the names of refugees and escape helpers from the time of the Second World War. These border stones are also listening stations where the escape stories are told in many variations.
Thousands of refugees tried to reach the safety of Switzerland via Vorarlberg between March 1938 and May 1945: as early as the summer of 1938 Switzerland began sealing off the border. Escape helpers on both sides of the border could still assist some in escaping, but by that time there were only illegal routes to freedom.
Along bike route number one, from Bregenz to Partenen, and at selected locations in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, symbolic border stones mark 52 listening stations about these refugees' fates and invite passersby to engage with the history of the respective place via QR code, and to pause and take note of the surroundings.
The audio path project "Over the Border" by the Jewish Museum in Hohenems tells of odysseys across Europe and of local smugglers who become escape helpers, of lovers who break out of prison, of prisoners of war who get lost, of protesting schoolgirls and interrogations by the Gestapo, of adventures on birthdays, of dangerous routes across the Rhine and of the mountains-of human courage, persecution, arbitrary authority, and resistance.
The experiences of the refugees are reflected in personal letters, documents from the German and Swiss authorities, memories of contemporary witnesses and photographs of the scenes. From them, a picture of the contemporary events emerges from many perspectives that can now be heard, read, and seen. [This history can be experienced] along the route by bike between lake and mountains, on both sides of the Rhine, on both sides of a border that still today divides and connects simultaneously.