Peace Monuments on Borders

N.B.: The USA & Canada have the longest common border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including small portions of maritime boundaries on the Atlantic, Pacific & Arctic coasts, as well as the Great Lakes) is 8,891 kilometres (5,522 miles) long. The border has been unmilitarized (unfortified) since 1814. Click here for a website about boundary markers on the US-Canada border (49th parallel). See special section below about SunSweep by sculptor David Barr.

Click here for peace monuments on the US-Canadian border. | Click here for peace monuments on the US-Mexican border.

Click here for peace parks (some of which are "transborder" parks). | Click here for peace & friendship bridges (come of which cross political boundaries).

Right click image to enlarge.

Ancient - Friendship Gate, Pingxiang (China) & Langson (Vietnam). Ancient gate on border between China & Vietnam. ."On February 23, 2009, a ceremony marking the completion of land border demarcation between China & Vietnam was held at the Youyiguan border gate in Pingxiang City in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region."

1851 - Boundary Monument, Friendship Park, on international border between Border Field State Park, San Diego, California (USA), & Tijuana (Mexico). Monument of Italian marble made in New York, shipped around Cape Horn, and erected in 1851 (soon after the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848). When this area started being called a Friendship Park has not been determined. Fence now separates the two countries and the monument. US side is open country. Mexican side is urban with a lighthouse & bull ring very close to the monument. Base & shadow of lighthouse visible in right image.

1901, 1921 & 1914 - Obilisks in Puerto Iguazú, Misiones (Argentina), Alto Paraná (Paraguay) & Foz do Iguacu, Paraná (Brazil) on their respectives sides of the confluence of the Paraná & Iguazú Rivers. Each obilisk is painted in its national colors & is visible from the other two obilisks. The new monument in Puerto Iguazú (qv) was constructed in 2015 alongside the Argentine obilisk. Dates courtesy of guide Marcela A. Elia.

1911 - China-Korea Friendship Bridge, Yalu River, between Dandong, Liaoning (China) & Sinuiju (North Korea). Left image from China. Right image from North Korea. Second bridge built in 1943. Korean end of the original (1911) bridge destroyed by Americans during the Korean War.

August 16, 1914 - Fredsmonument / Peace Monument, Morokulien, between Magnor (Norway) and Eda (Sweden). Morokulien is a tiny international territory commemorating the 1905 negotiations which created peace between Norway & Sweden and led to Norwegian independence ("dissolution of the union"). Both images show the 18-meter Fredsmonument. The name Morokulien combines the Norwegian & Swedish words for "fun."

September 6, 1921 - International Peace Arch, Peace Arch Park, US/Canadian Border, Blaine, Washington (USA), & Douglas, British Columbia (Canada). Commemorates the centennial of the Treaty of Ghent which ended the War of 1812 between the US & Great Britain. Click here for the Wikipedia article. Entry #1211 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

Date? - Peace Arch, Peace Arch Park, US/Canadian border. What is this? Added to the park after 2000?

August 7, 1927 - Peace Bridge, Niagara River, US/Canadian Border between Buffalo, New York (USA), & Fort Erie, Ontario (Canada). A "dramatic state-of-the-art, $1.2 million LED lighting system replaced the current avian unfriendly up-lighting" at the end of 2008. Entry #1208 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

June 18, 1932 - Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, Alberta (Canada) & Montana (USA). Oldest international peace park. Established on the initiative of Rotary International. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. Left image is cover of Saturday Evening Post for August 5, 1961, showing a happy family on the international border. Click here for Glacier Waterton National Parks Visitors Association. Click here for Wikipedia article. Entry #1210 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

July 14, 1932 - International Peace Garden, Dunseith, North Dakota (USA) and Boissevain, Manitoba (Canada). "2,339 acre botanical garden on the world’s longest unfortified border." Various monuments built over the years, including Peace Cairn, Peace Carillon (qv), Peace Chapel, two 20-story concrete Peace Towers & 9/11 Memorial. Click here for Wikipedia article. Entry #1209 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

1932 - Cairn, International Peace Garden, Dunseith, North Dakota (USA) and Boissevain, Manitoba (Canada). Text of plaque: "To God in His Glory we two nations dedicate this garden and pledge to ourselves that as long as men live we will not take up arms agtins one another."

September 2, 1940 - Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), North Carolina & Tennssee (USA). 814 square miles (2,108 square kilometers) divided almost equally between the two states. Only US national park created entirely from privately owned land. Dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage area in 1983. Never called a "peace park" but meets all of the criteria of a "transfrontier conservation area" (TFCA) as defined by the Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) or of a "transboundary protected area" (TBPA) as defined by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

	G A T E	1949-1967 - Mandelbaum Gate, Jerusalem (Israel). On the Green Line. "Next to Tourjeman Post... The gate was established [in 1949] at the intersection directly to the north at the building as [the only] border crossing between Israel & Jordan. Every two weeks the convoy that constituted the only contact with the Israeli enclave on Mount Scopus passed through Mandelbaum Gate." The first checkpoint for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan/Israel Mixed Armistice Commission at the Mandelbaum Gate, from the close of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War in 1949 until August 1952, was moved from the Israeli side of the Gate to the Demilitarised Zone after the 'Barrel Incident.' The second checkpoint existed until the 1967 Six-Day War." Right image shows the gate before July 1967. Left image shows monument erected since 1967.
	1953 - Bridge of Europe, across Rhine River between Strasbourg (France) & Kehl (Germany). "Permanent artistic installation, a bond between two countries for which the border formerly seemed & wanted to be insuperable. According to Roland Ries, then mayor of Strasbourg, 'Here, it is indeed Europe, because this bridge connects two countries that have been torn apart for a long time; the reconciliation of these two countries is today one of the surest supports of the European construction.'"

August 4, 1957 - "Unfortified Bountry" Monument, Mile 1223, International Border, (US & Canada). One of about 30 such monuments placed by Kiwanis International over a number of years. Inscription: "This unfortified boundary line between the Dominion of Canada and the United States of America should quicken the remembrance of the more than a century old friendship between these countries, a lesson of peace to all nations. Erected August 4 1957, Kiwanis International." Where is this monument?

July 17, 1958 - Peace Monument, Robert Moses-Robert H. Saunders Power House & Dam, St. Lawrence-Franklin Deleno Roosevelt Power Project, St. Lawrence River between Massena, New York (USA), & Cornwall, Ontario (Canada). The dam's 32 turbine-generators are divided equally by the international border, with the two sections operated independently by the New York Power Authorty (NYPA) & Ontario Power Generation (OPG). Queen Elizabeth II dedicated the peace monument on the international border inside the power house.

August 20, 1964 - Roosevelt Campobello International Park, Campobello Island, New Brunswick (Canada). Left image shows the 34-room Roosevelt Cottage in what is now the international park. The l,l58 hectare (2,800 acre) park also contains "Sunsweep," stone monument by sculptor David Barr (right image). NB: Only bridge to Campobello Island is from Maine (USA). Entry #1264 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

1969 - Amistad Dam, between Del Rio, Texas (USA). & Cuidad Acuna (Mexico). Image shows both national emblems on the border in the middle of the dam.

February 4, 1974 - Chamizal National Memorial, El Paso, Texas (USA), & Parque Público Federal "El Chamizal," Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua (Mexico). Corresponding parks in the US & Mexico. Both commemorate the peaceful settlement of the century-long Chamizal boundary dispute [1852-1963] and are located in the formerly disputed area.

1977 - 13-cent stamp commemorating "Peace Bridge 1927-77." Fiftieth anniversary of the Peace Bridge between Buffalo, New York (USA), and Port Erie, Ontario (Canada).

1977 - 12-cent stamp commemorating "Peace Bridge 1927-77." Fiftieth anniversary of the Peace Bridge between Buffalo, New York (USA), and Port Erie, Ontario (Canada).

1979 - Kluane-Wrangell-St. Elias-Glacier Bay-Tatshenshini-Alsek. This is a "transfrontalier park system" located at the borders of Yukon Territory (Canada), Alaska (USA) & British Columbia (Canada). It is declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the spectacular glacier and icefield landscapes as well as for the importance of grizzly bears, caribou and Dall sheep habitat. The total area of the site is over 32,000,000 acres (130,000 km²). Entry #1212 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

July 14, 1982 - 20-cent postage stamp commemorating the 50th anniversary of the International Peace Garden, Dunseith, North Dakota (USA) and Boissevain, Manitoba (Canada).

1983 - Peace Tower, International Peace Garden, Dunseith, North Dakota (USA) and Boissevain, Manitoba (Canada). Actually two 120 foot (36.6 meter) towers with four columns representing people from the four corners of the world coming together to form two similar but distinct nations with a common base of democracy & beliefs. /// Determined in 2015 to be unsafe & in need of demolition (or replacement at great cost).

SunSweep by sculptor David Barr. Three stone monuments spanning 2,778 miles of the international border between the USA & Canada.

1985 - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts, Washington (USA). In US but accessible by road only from Canada. Entry #1049 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

1985 - American Point Island, Lake-of-the-Woods, Minnesota (USA). In lake between the two nations and acessible only by water. Entry #512 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

1985 - Roosevelt Campobello International Park, Weshpool, New Brunswick (Canada). In Canada but accesible only by road from the US. Entry #1265 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

1986-1991 - Arctic Arc, Cape Dezhnev, Naukan (Russia) & Cape Prince of Wales, Wales, Alaska (USA). A joint project by Michigan sculptor David Barr and Alaskan artist Joe Senungetuk. Two "sculpture installations" evoking a bird, a boat, and a hand extended in friendship. About 60 miles (97 km) apart on each side of the Bering Sea at sites of the first human migrations into North America. According to Barr, "the two sculptures are a peaceful symbol for a border of international tension."

September 1988 - Parque Internacional La Amistad (PILA) / La Amistad International Peace Park (Costa Rica & Panama). "Lies along the Talamanca mountain range. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990. ...a little less than half of it is in Costa Rica. That leaves 207,000 hectares on the Panama side. Nearly all of this land is in the province of Bocas del Toro, but the 3 percent of it that pokes into Chiriquí province is far more accessible."

About 1991 - Monuments celebrating the Pan-European Picnic, Sopron (Austria/Hungary). "The Pan-European Picnic / Paneuropäisches Picknick / páneurópai piknik was a peace demonstration held on the Austrian-Hungarian border near the town of Sopron on 19 August 1989, an important event during the Revolutions of 1989 that led to the fall of the Iron Curtain & the reunification of Germany... The place of the picnic is marked by a monument of Miklós Melocco [left image], by a bell presented from the city of Debrecen (Hungary) from where the idea of the Picnic emerged, a pagoda presented by the Association of the Japanese–Hungarian Friendship and by a wooden monument unveiled by the organisors [sic] in 1991. A large artwork made by Gabriela von Habsburg, a daughter of Otto von Habsburg, & symbolizing a Cross & a barbed wire [right image] can be found at the Cave Theatre of Fertorakos (Hungary), a few kilometres from the site. Hungarian President László Sólyom unveiled a white marble monument in memory of those who had risked their life to cross the Iron Curtain."

April 1, 1999 - George Mitchell Bridge, between Cavan (Republic of Ireland) & Enniskillin (Northern Ireland). Aghalane Bridge rebuilt & newly named for US Senator George J. Mitchell. "Forms the border between North & South of Ireland. For 150 years this bridge served as a liaison to businesses and municipalities, which were located in the hinterland, as well as the main transport route between Donegal & Dublin and the shortest connection between the provincial towns of Enniskillen & Cavan."

April 1, 1999 - Peace Monument, between Cavan (Republic of Ireland) & Enniskillin (Northern Ireland). "After the ribbons were cut at the opening of the bridge, Lord Dubs, Minister Dempsey unveiled a sculpture with the name 'PEACE FOR ALL' by the sculptor Derek A. Fitz Simons from Newbridge, County Kildare. [It] represents a life-size warrior who is both tired of war, and the futility of further slaughter of conscious and is gently embraced by his partner, who is the mother of Ireland and has the strength to catch him and to comfort... The sculpture is to send out this statement: "Do we want to continue the way we are going or look at ourselves and try to resolve the situation?"The female figure represents peace, the male figure is naked to highlight the equality of all people, Protestants and Catholics, blacks and whites."

April 15, 2000 - World Trade Bridge, between Laredo, Texas (USA), & Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas (Mexico).

October 20, 2001 - Gateway to Freedom, Hart Plaza, Detroit, Michigan (USA). Depicts a group of slaves on US soil looking towards Canada and freedom. Detroit was on the central route to freedom, the "underground railroad." Sculpted by Ed Dwight. A collaboration of "Detroit 300" & the International Underground Railroad Monument Collaborative.

October 20, 2001 - Tower of Freedom, 100 Pitt Street East, Windsor, Ontario (Canada). "Faces the Gateway to Freedom monument across the Detroit River and together are called the International Memorial to the Underground Railroad. A 22 foot tower with a bronze Flame of Freedom created by Denver based sculptor Ed Dwight. The monument honours the harrowing journey made by thousands in search of freedom and pays tribute to Ontario’s role in the Underground Railroad."

Date? - Friendship Gate, Torugart Pass, Border between Naryn Province (Kyrgyzstan) & Xinjiang Autonomous Region (China). Gate demolished in 2002?

September 2002 - Friendship Gate, between Chaman (Pakistan) & Spin Boldak (Afghanistan). "Two large ochre arches covered in blue tiles, overlooking scores of ramshackle Afghan & Pakistani traders' stalls in a one-kilometer no-man's land....completed in September, but its official inauguration has been postponed back several times. Shah blames the Kabul administration. 'The local Afghan authorities want this,' he said, 'but it's the people in Kabul who are making problems.'" "One of nearly 1,000 posts on the Afghan-Pakistani border. At night, the border is largely unguarded, allowing Taliban fighters, weapons & drugs to pass through."

2006? - "Rock of Peace" & Cairn, Bumla Pass, Tawang Lhasa Highway, between Arunachal Pradesh (India) & Tibet (China). At remote outpost on the disputed border (McMahon Line) north of Tawang Monastery. "A tin board hung over the place aptly reads, 'Heap of stones for Sino-Indian friendship.' Another signpost nearby hails India & China as 'two old neighbouring civilisations.'" "In 2006 Bumla pass in Tawang was opened to traders for the first time in 44 years. Traders from both sides of the pass were permitted to enter each other's territories, in addition to postal workers from each country." "The jawans (soldiers of the Indian army) at the outpost treat everybody passing through with tea."

July 2015 - Hito Tres Fronteras / Three Frontiers Monument, Tres Fronteras Avenue, Puerto Iguazu, Misiones (Argentina). A shiny metal fountain surrounded by modern benches. Second image shows Schera Chadwick at one of several pillars which are inscribed "3 nations, 3 identities, 3 cultures, 3 frontiers" & speak about regional features in 3 languages (Spanish, Portuguese & English). Third image is view from the monument showing Brazil at right across the Iguazu River & Paraguay at left across the Paraná River. The Espaço das Américas / Space of the Americas conference center, is seen on the Brazilian bank in Foz do Iguacu, Parana State; it was constructed in 1997 & is now virtually abandoned. Iguazu Falls are just upstream to the right. /// Photos by EWL October 2015.

Future - US/Mexico International Park Project, (USA & Mexico). Under discussion since 1935. Supported by Rotary International. Would join Big Bend National Park in the US with Maderas del Carmen and Cañon de Santa Elena protected areas in Mexico.

Future - International Peace Park, (China/Pakistan). Park proposed for both sides of the border, including Khunjerab National Park in Pakistan which is one of the highest altitude parks in the world.

Future - Peace Park in the Demilitarized Zone, both sides of the DMZ (Korea). Click here for story about DaimlerChrysler pledge of $500,000 to help former President Bill Clinton & Ted Turner build the peace park.

Future - Balkans Peace Park Project (BPPP), three nation area (Albania, Kosovo/a & Montenegro). Includes Shala Valley. Chair of the project is Antonia Young, University of Bradford, Bradford (England). Support is provided by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) & the Austrian Development Corporation. Image shows first ascent of Maja Lagojvet in the park area on 31 August 2009; climbers display the flag of Poland.

Future - Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (Mozambique, South Africa & Zimbabwe). The three Ministers for the Environment signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to initiate the park on November 10, 2000. This is one of several projects of the Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) of Stellenbosch (South Africa).

Future - Great Limpopo & 13 Other Transfrontier Parks in Southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia & Zimbabwe). As envisioned by the Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) of Stellenbosch (South Africa).

Future - Intercontinental Peace Bridge, Bering Strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka (Russia) & Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska (USA). Also known as the Eurasia-America Transport Link. Proposal supported by the Schiller Institute, Sun Myung Moon & others.