 The Peace March was announced early in 1987 in Neues Deutschland, the national mass-circulation newspaper of East Germany's ruling SED (party).Its timing coincided with a scheduled visit by East German leader Erich Honecker to meet with his West German counterparts in Bonn between 7 and 11 September 1987.The Peace March started on 1 September 1987 at the (recently renamed) in Stralsund, and traveled (predominantly) south, passing through places such as Burow, Potsdam, Wittenberg und Meißen before reaching Dresden.