Hungary opens its border to Austria

May 2, 1989

The barbwire fence separating Austria and Hungary is cut down to reopen the border between the two countries. Signalling the Iron Curtain's dismantling, Alois Mock, the Austrian Foreign Minister, and Gyula Horn, the Hungarian Foreign Minister, together cut through the barbwire. Consequently, GDR citizens, by the thousands, flee from East Germany, increasing political pressure on the Communist bloc.