33 years ago today, Hungary tore the first hole in the Iron Curtain – PHOTOS

Today marks the 33rd anniversary of opening the Hungarian borders which meant the beginning of an end for communist governments all over central and eastern Europe. By this act, the country lifted the 40-year-long travel restrictions, enabling tens of thousands of people to reunite with their families, flee to the country for a better life abroad or just simply explore the world. The September ‘89 events are often considered the first cracks in the Iron Curtain.

The Iron Curtain was the symbol of dividing Europe into two separate areas after the end of WW2. The political, military and ideological barrier, erected by the Soviet Union, served the purpose of sealing off the USSR and its European allies – Hungary, Poland, East Germany, Romania, Albania and Czechoslovakia – from open contact with the West and other non-communist regions. Apart from violating human rights and freedom of movement, it also tore millions away from their friends and relatives who were living on the other side of the border. For instance, between the ’60s and ’80s, summer holidays at Lake Balaton meant the only way for western and eastern Germans to reunite with their families.

From the beginning of the ’60s until ’89, most recorded attempts to illegally cross the borders involved eastern Germans who aimed to reach West Germany through Hungary. Those who had been caught were arrested and handed over to the Ministry for State Security, the feared Stasi, and faced decades of imprisonment. Hungarians who tried to flee the country risked similarly harsh punishments.

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The demolition of the border fortification began in May 1989 at Hegyeshalom where border guards first switched off the 16-volt electric power and later started dismantling the entire stretch. Back then, the construction of these fences cost around 11,500 euros per mile, nevertheless, the guards were more than happy to get rid of them over the course of the following 18 months. In August, the Hungarian government decided to relax policies on illegal border crossing.

Even though they initially feared that the country would become the ultimate transit route for Eastern Europeans to the West, at the end of summer, Károly Nagy, head of the ministry’s refugee department, announced that first-time offenders would only receive a police warning while repeated offenders would have their passports stamped. It was a bold move since back in ’69, Hungary signed an agreement with East Germany, obliging it to pass on information about every border offender. Nevertheless, the borders remained heavily guarded even if fences and alarms were removed. Border guards were instructed to use their guns only in the case of self-defence.