The bizarre picnic table where you can sit in three European countries at once

Users of this picnic table can have lunch in three different countries at the same time. (Image: Julieta39/ Wikimedia Commons)

In many cases across the world, international borders are defined by natural boundaries like rivers or mountain ranges, or man-made structures like fences or walls. However, in Europe, the meeting point of three countries is marked by something a little more unusual.

The Tripoint of Jahrndorf is the geographical point at which the countries of Austria, Hungary and Slovakia meet. It is located near the Austrian village of Deutsch Jahrndorf, the Slovak village of Čunovo, and the Hungarian village of Rajka, about 12 miles south of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. During the Cold War, the area was a "no-go zone" due to the borders between the three nations. However, it has since become a popular spot for cross-border picnics.

The tripoint between Austria, Hungary and Slovakia became a symbol of European peace. (Image: Getty)

The once fortified border between Eastern and Western Europe, known as the Iron Curtain, separated the almost two parallel worlds with strikingly different ideologies. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Iron Curtain in the 1990s, the impassable boundary became a peaceful and open border.

When Hungary and Slovakia were admitted to the European Union in May 2004, their tripoint with Austria - one of 176 located around the world - became a symbol of European peace.

To mark the occasion, several artists from across the globe were invited to erect a series of 12 sculptures at the border. All of them feature a triangular element to reflect the new friendship between the three nations.

Among the most impressive is the Szoborpark ("sculpture park" in Hungarian) - a triangular picnic table which spans across all three countries.

The exact point where the three countries meet is marked by a small obelisk. (Image: Krokodyl/ Wikimedia Commons)

Here, a Hungarian, an Austrian and a Slovak can all sit at the same table and share a meal, without ever leaving their home nation.

The exact point where the three countries meet is marked by a small obelisk. Each of whose three sides faces its respective country, bearing the first letter of the state's native name.

The sculpture park is located around 12 miles from the centre of Bratislava. It is in a rather remote location and it can be reached by a 20-minute taxi ride from the city centre, or via public bus, which drops passengers around 1.2 miles from the tripoint.