Winter Schengen 2009

Twenty-eight winter swimmers from the Czech Republic and abroad got together at noon of 19 Dec 2009 by the River Dyje at the Czech-Austrian border. On the second anniversary of the Czech Republic's entry into the Schengen Area, the swimmers decided to pay tribute in some dignified way to all those daring individuals who, during the Communist era, decided to make the journey to freedom using the river Dyje. The most hardened ones managed to swim the 900m track across the border in 15 minutes in the 1.5 degree Celsius Dyje with the air temperature of minus 9 degree Celsius.

The participants enjoyed truly Christmas atmosphere also thanks to the fact it started snowing shortly after they immersed in the river Dyje. Such extraordinary moments were even intensified by the spirit of surrounding nature of the border line, completely untouched from the times of the Communist era.