Iron Curtain Cut: Hungary-Austria Fence Incident In May 1989

The removal of Hungary's border fence with Austria in May 1989 was a significant event in European history, marking the first fissure in the Iron Curtain that had divided the continent since the end of World War II. On May 2, 1989, Hungarian border guards began removing sections of the electric fence along the 240-kilometre border with Austria. This act symbolised Hungary's departure from the camp of the Warsaw Pact states and set in motion a chain of events that would lead to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany.

The Pan-European Picnic

The idea of opening the border at a ceremony and testing the Soviet Union's response came from Ferenc Mészáros of the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF) and Otto von Habsburg, then the President of the Paneuropean Union. The idea was presented to Miklós Németh, the Hungarian Prime Minister, who also promoted it.

The picnic was planned as a symbolic meeting of Germans, Austrians, and Hungarians at the Austrian-Hungarian border, where a temporary gate had been opened in the barbed wire. The official emblem of the picnic was a pigeon breaking through the barbed wire.

On the day of the picnic, several hundred East German citizens overran the old wooden gate, reaching Austria unhindered by the border guards. It was the largest mass exodus since the Berlin Wall was built in 1961. The Hungarian borders were officially opened on 11 September, and the Berlin Wall fell on 9 November.

The opening of the border gate between Austria and Hungary at the Pan-European Picnic was an event in a chain reaction, at the end of which Germany reunified, the Iron Curtain fell apart, and the Eastern Bloc disintegrated. The communist governments and the Warsaw Pact subsequently dissolved, ending the Cold War.

The fall of the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall's fall came about due to a bureaucratic accident. During a press conference, the outgoing East Berlin party leader, Günter Schabowski, read aloud from notes announcing that East German citizens could apply for permission to travel abroad without meeting previous requirements. When asked when the changes would take effect, Schabowski assumed they were immediate. This response, though a mistake, caused East Germans to flock to the border in huge numbers.

The border guards, overwhelmed and without orders to use force, eventually yielded and opened the checkpoints. East Germans poured through, celebrating their newfound freedom and chipping away at the wall with hammers and pickaxes. The fall of the Berlin Wall was the culmination of a series of events, including Hungary's decision to open its border with Austria in May 1989, which allowed East Germans to escape to the West. This, along with growing reform movements across the communist bloc, put pressure on the East German regime and ultimately led to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The opening of the border between Hungary and Austria on June 27, 1989, was a highly symbolic act. The foreign ministers of Hungary and Austria, Gyula Horn and Alois Mock, cut through the barbed wire marking their countries' border. This act signalled the beginning of the end for communist governments in Central and Eastern Europe. Pictures of the event inspired thousands of East Germans to head to Hungary, hoping to cross into Austria and West Germany.

The Hungarian government had begun dismantling border fortifications with Austria in early May. On May 2, border guards started removing sections of the barrier, with Western TV crews filming the occasion. This was a significant moment, as it represented the first fissure in the Iron Curtain that had divided Europe since the end of World War II.

The end of the Cold War

In 1989, the Hungarian government ordered the electricity in the barbed-wire border fence along the Hungary-Austria border to be turned off. On May 2, 1989, border guards began removing sections of the barrier, marking the first fissure in the "Iron Curtain" that had divided Europe since the end of World War II. On June 27, 1989, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gyula Horn, and his Austrian counterpart, Alois Mock, held a symbolic fence-cutting ceremony at the Sopron border crossing. This act was highly symbolic, marking the beginning of the end for communist governments in central and eastern Europe.

The open border meant that Hungarians could more easily cross into Austria for goods and services, and many Hungarians took advantage of this to purchase consumer goods that had been unavailable or scarce in their own country. The open border also allowed tens of thousands of East Germans to flee to the West. On August 19, 1989, during the Pan-European Picnic between Austrians and Hungarians, over 900 East Germans on holiday in Hungary rushed the border and escaped into Austria, before travelling on to West Germany.

The fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, is often seen as the most visible symbol of the end of the Cold War. The wall had stood as a physical representation of the Iron Curtain, and its fall signalled the reunification of Germany. By 1991, the Soviet Union itself had collapsed, giving rise to 15 newly independent nations, including a Russia with an anticommunist leader.

The dismantling of the electric fence

Turning Off the Electricity:

In April 1989, the Hungarian government took the first step towards dismantling the fence by ordering the electricity to be turned off. This 240-kilometre-long electric fence, fortified with barbed wire, had divided Hungary and Austria for over four decades, symbolizing the Cold War division of Europe.

Removing Sections of the Fence:

On May 2, 1989, Hungarian border guards began the physical dismantling of the fence. Western TV crews were summoned to capture this momentous occasion. The Hungarian army also capitalized on the opportunity by selling the rusty sections of barbed wire fencing.

The Symbolic Fence-Cutting Ceremony:

On June 27, 1989, the process of dismantling the fence gained further momentum and symbolic significance. Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gyula Horn, and his Austrian counterpart, Alois Mock, participated in a fence-cutting ceremony at the Sopron border crossing. Using bolt cutters, they snipped through the barbed wire that had divided their nations for so long. This act signalled the end of the division of postwar Europe and the evolution of the region.

The Pan-European Picnic:

On August 19, 1989, the dismantling of the fence took on even greater significance. Hungarians and Austrians gathered at the border for a "Pan-European Picnic," a demonstration of solidarity and friendship. This event was organized by Hungarian opposition parties and supported by the Hungarian government. During the picnic, the border gate was opened, and hundreds of East Germans seized the opportunity to rush across the border into Austria and then to West Germany. Hungarian border guards declined to intervene, and this marked the largest mass exodus from East Germany since the Berlin Wall was built in 1961.

Official Opening of the Border:

The Hungarian government officially opened its borders on September 11, 1989. This decision was made after recognizing the urgent need to address the growing number of East German refugees in Hungary. Tens of thousands of East Germans crossed into Austria and West Germany, marking the biggest legal exodus from Eastern Europe since 1945.

The fence-cutting ceremony

The ceremony took place at the Sopron (Hungary) border crossing. Western TV crews were summoned to film the event, which followed the removal of the electric current in April and the start of dismantling the fence in May.

The Hungarian government had already been taking steps to dismantle the border fence and improve relations with Austria. The country's leaders wanted to assess the reaction of the Soviet Union and test the tolerance of the political changes taking place. The fence-cutting ceremony was a powerful symbol of the end of the Cold War and the reunification of Germany.

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