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Series "Secret Heroe"s - Part 2: The Baltic: The Baltic Way

July 15, 2014

The Baltic countries experienced an unforgettable day 25 years ago. People there formed a human chain 600 kilometers long, the longest in history. More than a million Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians took part.

https://p.dw.com/p/1CdC9
1989 Menschenkette durch Lettland, Litauen und Estland
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

The message of their effort was unmistakable – they wanted to follow their own route to freedom and no longer be part of the Soviet Union. The three countries had only their staunch commitment and thousands of walkie-talkies to pursue their goal. Back then, radio was the only way to announce and coordinate such an event. Cell phones and the internet had yet to become widely available. Documents relating to this unparalleled civil protest have been made part of the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

Sandra Kalniete Baltikum Flash-Galerie
Image: Sandra Kalniete