MASSIVE ESCAPE
The first great exodus took place 19 of August, When is it 700 Germans from East Germany, not arrested at all by the Hungarian border guards, stormed into Austria. It took place near the town of Sopron, where a peaceful party organized on the border served as a pretext. Border manifestation, which contributed so emphatically to the friendship between nations, was organized by the conservative Paneuropa-Union grouping, with the participation of the Hungarian party reformer Imre Pozsgay. 24 On August, another group of refugees could leave Hungary with the “Permit de Voyage” The Red Cross. number of people, who managed to get across the border to Austria was already 6000 and was an increasing incentive for others to flee. In early September it passed 20 thousand. refugees filled Hungarian resorts and the bursting German embassy.
Considering the reactions of East and West Germany, the Hungarian government has decided, that he will please the latter and announced (7 September), that in the next few days' steps will be taken to humanely resolve the problem”. In the language of diplomacy, it meant the same as opening the border and allowing East German citizens to leave. When was it implemented? 10 September, East German refugees heard Fr. 19:00 from the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, that "any citizen of the GDR residing in the territory of this country can leave it with a GDR passport and go to any country, who agrees to receive them” The border was opened at midnight, and in fifteen minutes it surpassed her 300 cars. A few hours later, the first East German car crossed the Austro-German border at Passau. For these, who did not have any means of transport, special buses and trains were provided. The reaction of the GDR government was, of course, to condemn "organized human trafficking."”, while the West German government - on whose investments the Hungarians were counting on - promised, that “he will not forget this independent decision of Hungary”.
During this time, many other East Germans ended up in Prague and Warsaw, where they took refuge in the buildings of the embassies of the Federal Republic of Germany. At the end of September, the Prague embassy was crowded 3.5 thousand. people. while the Czechoslovak militia and Stasi agents did their best, to keep thousands of others from getting inside. However, no deterrents helped - successive daredevils replant the fence, to increase the number of refugees. Living conditions in the embassy became more and more unbearable day by day. The solution to this situation has come at last 30 September, kiedy to Hans Dietrich Genscher. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany. who also escaped from the GDR in the 1950s. appeared on the balcony of the Prague embassy and announced, that the refugees will be granted permission to leave. Trains specially placed by the GDR government were to take them to West Germany 17 thousand. refugees through the territory of East Germany. When freedom trains travel through cities like Dresden. Karl-Marx-Stadt and Plauen, people hoping to get there, stormed train stations, dozens of people were injured in clashes with the police, which was supposed to prevent crowds from entering the railway tracks.