The opening of the border between Poland and the GDR in the seventies was to be proof of the strengthening of "fraternal relations". For Poles, it was an opportunity to travel freely without the need for a passport. All that was needed for the trip was an ID card and gold marks were exchanged in the bank.
The first trips could come as a shock, because the market in the GDR was much better stocked than in Poland. However, the situation in Poland also improved quickly, and the differences in this respect were diminishing. The GDR was now becoming a country to which Poles traveled for tourism. No wonder the scale of the trips grew rapidly.
They'll buy us out
The situation got complicated in the second half of the seventies. The economic crisis in Poland meant that a serious problem was the realization of purchases, including basic necessities . The trips to East Germany were now almost exclusively of a commercial nature. For the capitalist system, increased demand for commodities would be an opportunity to increase production and for traders an opportunity to earn extra income. However, the centrally planned economy did not anticipate increased demand, purchases made by Poles in the GDR, especially in the border area, were therefore a serious problem.
Problems with supplies resulted in a growing aversion towards the "brotherly Polish nation", which was expressed especially by shop assistants in East German stores. It became obvious to the communist authorities of the GDR that there was only one way to solve the problem - by closing the border with Poland . Preparations were made for this as early as 1979 and the restrictions were to be introduced in early 1981
Solidarity plague
However, the situation changed radically after August 1980 and the rise of Solidarity. The union was considered by the authorities of the socialist camp as "counter-revolutionary", and its suppression was to be a priority for the GDR authorities as well. At the same time, the state had to be protected against the libertarian infection from Poland. Therefore, in October 1980, new rules for crossing the border were introduced, terminating the previously concluded agreement. As a result, the movement of people crossing the border practically died out.
Poles were attracted to East Germany, among others, by better-stocked shops
The official goal was to protect the internal market, "stripped" by millions of Poles who shop in the GDR. In fact, the matter was not as simple as propaganda in the GDR presented it. Both sides benefited from the exchange. The inhabitants of the GDR could also shop in Poland. They enjoyed certain privileges, as there were no restrictions on the amount of money exchanged. Thus, they could not only buy souvenirs in Poland or spend a cheap holiday, but also purchase electronic equipment, clothes and materials, as well as car parts.
They also used the services of Polish craftsmen, for example car and tailor workshops, etc. In the new situation, however, these issues were relegated to the background. It was of key importance for the authorities of the GDR to block the border with Poland for political reasons, to prevent the transfer of the "Polish bug" to the territory of the GDR.
Political motivation
The introduction of the new rules was a surprise also for the Polish authorities. In addition, even the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs was surprised by the strict and sometimes even brutal treatment of the new regulations. They introduced many limitations. It was all the more strange that, as stated in the reports of Polish diplomats, the practically complete closure of the border did not lead to an improvement in the market situation in the GDR. It was obvious then that there was a purely political motive at work.
The best proof of this was the treatment of Poles in the GDR by the local authorities. Even Polish consular offices noted the fact that the tightening or easing of the attitude of the police or offices towards Polish citizens was a simple consequence of the current situation in Poland. The police used various types of harassment, e.g. Poles living permanently in the GDR were made difficult or even prevented from leaving for Poland.
Poles intending to travel to West Germany were treated even more rigorously. The most common practice was to refuse an exit-return visa, even if they already had a visa to enter Germany. It also happened that GDR offices canceled already issued visas.
Poles in mixed marriages were in the worst situation, as their efforts to obtain permission to leave for Germany had a negative impact on the authorities' behavior towards their German spouses. For example, permission was refused to travel with the family to visit Poland, or to enjoy certain privileges in the GDR, such as sailing in international waters.
How the GDR system of repression operated is best evidenced by the fact that Poles living in the GDR reported cases of harassment, who reported to the embassy or Polish consulates, but were so intimidated that they asked not to disclose their names and not to use them in any possible intervention. specific cases. Of course, the state's policy also translated into human relations.
Poles in the GDR were harassed by their neighbors or at work. To come to Poland, it was necessary to invite a Pole, which had to be certified by an office in the GDR. However, the procedure was becoming longer and longer, and the offices often refused to do so. Citizens of the GDR were issued the so-called a travel card for a trip to Poland. The waiting time for such a card grew quickly and it was often refused to issue.
Many Poles dreamed of going to the GDR
Employees of the security services, the police, the army, and even party officials were forbidden to leave for Poland. Prior to their departure to Poland, the rank and file of the party had to publicly explain the reasons for their departure during a party meeting. Of course, each such meeting began with information from the authorities about the current situation in Poland, seen through the eyes of the GDR party.
At the same time, the GDR authorities began to put pressure on Poles permanently residing in the GDR to accept German citizenship. As it was written in the report to the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "it is not done directly by VP (police), but by the closest GDR milieu inspired by it, in which a given Polish citizen lives, most often lonely, i.e. having no contact with other Polish citizens, most often also a simple, intimidated person. , unable to defend themselves ”. The pressure was often successful and the number of applications for change of nationality increased rapidly.
Border harassment
The most troublesome for travelers was the harassment at the border. GDR customs officers, depending on the political assessment of the situation in Poland, treated travelers, sometimes tightening controls, other times relaxing. Often the goods were confiscated, the quantity of which did not appeal to the official. "Improper" publications, money, food and goods bought in the GDR and banned for export were confiscated. It was a bizarre accident to seize a traveler over 31,000 Western marks, even though he had them legally. These were the savings of his mother, who lives permanently in West Germany. Despite the intervention of the Polish authorities, the money could not be recovered.
A former concentration camp prisoner was transporting books, which were also confiscated. It was considered that, as stated in the customs regulation, "they contain fascist or Nazi, neo-fascist or neo-Nazi ideology, directed against the maintenance of the peace, or containing other rants directed against the GDR and other socialist states, or supporting revanchist and militarist ideas or having a pornographic character". Meanwhile, the aforementioned books contained an account of the Pope's visit to West Germany, press clippings from this visit, and even photocopies from the press from 1932 and 1933 concerning an activist of the Communist Party of Germany, or a copy of an article about the life of another communist in the period 1933-1945, published in the journal Antifaschistischen Berichten. Even in this case, the interventions of the Polish office did not help.
The injured Poles protested, complaining about the East German Customs Office. The number of such complaints grew rapidly. In addition, this did not only apply to people traveling from Poland to the GDR or vice versa, but also to people transiting through the GDR. These harassments were of various kinds. For example, travelers traveling from Germany were asked to buy an East German seat on the train, but for West German marks, converted at the 1:1 rate. Interestingly, Polish offices intervened in cases where they considered the complaint justified (i.e. practically always), but the effectiveness of these interventions was negligible.
The most troublesome for travelers was the dragging of controls by German officials. Despite the fact that the passages were fully manned, only half of the crew was responsible for the control. In addition, the luggage was checked very carefully, often requiring it to be unpacked. Even the cars were disassembled. As the East German border guards stated:the agreement on joint border checks exists only on paper, and the common place is only the check-in place. Everything found illegal was confiscated, even if it was a chocolate bar.
Confiscations also concerned goods transported to the GDR from Poland. Of course, the publishers of Solidarity were the most "wanted", but even the press sold in Polish kiosks was confiscated. People with Solidarity badges were detained at the border and refused to enter the GDR. Even Polish transport vehicles passing through the GDR were inspected, often unsealing the cargo. The transport of flour from West Germany was stopped and it was kept until the flour was spoiled. The same was true for the transported livestock.
Broken personal contacts
The fact that the GDR authorities tried to limit their own citizens' contacts with Poles at all costs is best evidenced by the fact that even customs or border guard employees did not talk to each other, and the former private social contacts were broken by the Germans. In addition, the casts from border points with Poland were replaced.
The introduced border blockade brought about the results expected by the GDR authorities. Tourist traffic practically stopped. While in 1980, about 110 thousand people from East Germany came to Poland as part of organized trips. people, in 1981 only 7 thousand. The political goal has therefore been achieved.
Source:
Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, W -7, 10/87, Note on the implications of the movement of people between the PRL and the GDR in 1981