bee free e.V.

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The objective of the bee free project is to permanently transform the former Iron Curtain death zone into a connected landscape corridor that is unique, and provides ecological and sociocultural benefits on a regional scale.

Twentieth-century Europe was characterized by a divided continent, east and west. The nearly 12,500-kilometer demarcation line curtailed the freedom of movement and exchanges between Eastern and Western European countries. Today its resultant Green Belt provides diverse regional landscapes and unique natural spaces for the once-constrained populations.

The year 2014 will mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain. Despite the nearly quarter century of its absence, the wall’s former border is still solidly anchored in many people’s minds. This lingering mental division inhibits the region’s ability to multilaterally address the challenges facing contemporary Europe: ageing population, youth unemployment, lack of direct experiences due to the virtualisation of communication.

bee free bridges these complexities using the very simple idea that free-swarming bee colonies, operating as cross-border super-organisms, can serve as examples for multicultural cooperation. The cultivated product, honey, becomes the essence of the integrating landscape and the cultural exchange program.