From Iron Curtain to Green Belt: A Berlin Wall Talk

What to Expect

Castlebar Library hosts a free talk titled “From Iron Curtain to Green Belt: Biodiversity at its Best”, given by Dagmar Wennacher, former chairwoman of the Höchstadt-Castlebar Friendship Association. The talk looks at how the former Iron Curtain and Berlin Wall route, once a heavily militarised border running for thousands of kilometres, has been redeveloped over nearly four decades into Europe’s longest green network. Wennacher covers how more than 12,000 kilometres of greenways, biodiversity hubs and nature trails have grown up along the old border line, turning a symbol of division into a corridor for wildlife.

It is a talk that sits at the crossroads of recent European history and environmental conservation, and the speaker’s own background gives it a local angle too, since Castlebar has long been twinned with the German town of Höchstadt through the Friendship Association she once chaired. Library talks of this kind are a regular, if occasional, part of Castlebar Library’s community programme, offering a free evening out for anyone curious about a subject outside their usual reading.

Good to Know

The talk is organised jointly by Mayo PPN and Castlebar Library and takes place on Thursday 13 August 2026 at 7:00pm in the library. The date was deliberately chosen to mark the 65th anniversary of the start of the Berlin Wall’s construction. Admission is free and open to the public, with no booking mentioned as necessary. It is a good fit for anyone with an interest in twentieth-century European history, environmental restoration, or the twin themes of conflict and reconciliation, and ties into Castlebar’s long-standing twinning link with Höchstadt in Germany through the Friendship Association. As with other library events, seating is likely to be limited, so arriving a few minutes early is a sensible precaution for anyone keen on a seat close to the speaker.

Getting There

Castlebar Library is in the town centre, within walking distance of the main shopping streets and several public car parks, making it an easy evening event for anyone already in town. As the county town, Castlebar is also well connected by bus and rail, so the talk is a realistic evening trip for people travelling in from elsewhere in Mayo.