Three million celebrate “Still life” along Germanys highway

An estimated three million people turned up on Sunday - one million of them with their bicycles - at a celebration on a highway between Dortmund and Bochum, in western Germany, a festival spokesman said. Germany's autobahns, renowned for average speeds well in excess of 80 miles (130 kilometres) an hour, dropped to an average of near zero as tens of thousands of people sat at a 37-mile table for a cultural celebration titled, "Still Life." Cars were strictly forbidden. Event spokesman Oliver Haenig said tens of thousands sat at the table, which was made up of 20-thousand individual tables. The highway, which crosses North Rhine-Westphalia state, is normally one of Europe's busiest. The event was part of a wider cultural festival celebrating the Ruhr region.
It was chosen by the European Union this year as a European Capital of Culture 2010 - the first time the distinction went to an area rather than a city. Germany has no general speed limit for its famous autobahns. Cars often speed up to 125 miles per hour (200 kilometres) or more.