Berlin Wall Talk - Castlebar Library

What to Expect

Castlebar Library hosts a free talk on Thursday 13 August 2026 titled “From Iron Curtain to Green Belt: Biodiversity at its Best,” given by Dagmar Wennacher, former chairwoman of the Hochstadt-Castlebar Friendship Association. The talk explores how the former Iron Curtain and Berlin Wall corridor, once a heavily fortified death strip, has developed over nearly four decades into what is now described as Europe’s longest green network, running almost 12,000 kilometres through greenways, biodiversity hubs and nature trails. The date is deliberately chosen to mark the 65th anniversary of when construction of the Berlin Wall began in August 1961, giving the talk a specific historical hook alongside its environmental theme. It is a good example of the kind of specialist history and heritage talk that Mayo County Library programmes regularly at its Castlebar branch.

The Hochstadt-Castlebar Friendship Association links Castlebar with its twin town of Hochstadt an der Aisch in Germany, and talks connected to the partnership occasionally feature at the library as part of the association’s ongoing cultural exchange work. The “Iron Curtain Trail” theme of this particular talk taps into a wider European project that has repurposed the former Cold War border as a long-distance cycling and walking route, giving Castlebar audiences an unusual angle on a historical anniversary they might not otherwise connect to their own town’s twinning links.

Good to Know

• Date and time: Thursday 13 August 2026 at 7:00pm
• Venue: Castlebar Library, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
• Price: Free, all welcome
• Speaker: Dagmar Wennacher, former chairwoman of the Hochstadt-Castlebar Friendship Association
• Topic: the transformation of the former Berlin Wall and Iron Curtain corridor into a continent-spanning green network
• Marks the 65th anniversary of the start of Berlin Wall construction in August 1961

Getting There

Castlebar Library is in the county town centre, within easy walking distance of the bus station and main car parks. Castlebar is well connected by Bus Eireann services from Dublin, Galway and Westport, and by rail on the Western Rail Corridor line to Ballina.