Each May, more than 40,000 people walk, run or cycle along Ljubljana’s 32.5 km Trail of Remembrance and Comradeship (Pot spominov in tovarištva in Slovenian). Originally a wartime barrier, it has become one of Central Europe’s largest recreational traditions, combining remembrance, health and community. The event takes its name from the barbed-wire fence that once encircled the city during the Second World War.
According to a 2023 report by WHO/Europe and the OECD, 45% of people in Europe say they never exercise or play any sport, while around one in three adults does not get enough physical activity. Against this backdrop, Walk Along the Wire demonstrates how history and cultural heritage can be turned into an effective means of encouraging healthier lifestyles and community connection.
Building a tradition of remembrance
The Walk Along the Wire has been organised since 1946, with its current format established in 1957 on the weekend closest to 9 May, Ljubljana’s Liberation Day. The event is non-competitive and inclusive, welcoming families, schools, older adults and recreational athletes.
In 2025, its 67th edition took place from 8 to 10 May, drawing more than 40,000 participants, including 3,699 kindergarten children and 17,601 primary school students. A distinctive feature is the Three-Member Team Run, where groups of three complete the course together, others join the Triple Hike, with distances of 28 km, 12 km and 3 km for children, making the event accessible to all ages and abilities.
To support this tradition, the trail was formally developed between 1974 and 1985, largely through the efforts of youth brigades and volunteers, and has been recognised as a protected cultural monument since 1988. Along its route, 102 memorial stones mark former bunkers, while 7,400 trees of nearly 50 species create a green ring around the city. Today it is used daily for recreation and physical activity, and in winter is adapted for cross-country skiing.
Expanding access to activity and health
This year, the Walk also involved patients from the Ljubljana Community Health Centre (CHC). For the last 15 years, participants who complete the centre’s weight-loss program have celebrated their success by walking the full trail with their mentors from the Health Promotion Centre (HPC). They usually finish the route in six to twelve hours, showing how structured health programmes can be linked with community participation.
As part of CityMove, researchers from the Ljubljana CHC joined this year’s edition to observe participants, conduct surveys and promote active lifestyles. Together with young HPC staff, physiotherapists, psychologists, dietitians and kinesiologists, they combined fieldwork on the trail with activities at a CityMove stall in central Ljubljana.
In total, 158 survey responses were collected, providing evidence on how different groups engaged with the event. The results highlight the Walk’s role in encouraging activity across generations, strengthening social ties, embedding physical activity into everyday traditions, and reaching the least active. For most residents, Walk Along the Wire is not something they discover through advertising, as one participant responded: “Everyone knows it, it’s tradition.”
Looking ahead, the Ljubljana CHC aims to expand the practice of involving successful HPC patients in the Walk to all six Health Promotion Centres in the city. CityMove will continue working with HPC staff in the next two editions, combining community participation with data collection to generate further evidence on how large-scale events can support health and wellbeing.
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