Hungary opens border, allowing East German refugees to travel to the West

In a historic move, Hungary announced that East German refugees residing in temporary camps would be permitted to travel to West Germany without restriction. This decision built on earlier actions, including the removal of barbed wire on the Hungarian-Austrian border and a short-lived opening of the crossing for a pan-European gathering, which saw hundreds of East Germans cross. After the proclamation, a large number of refugees moved through Hungary into Austria and then on to West Germany, effectively ending their stay in the so-called "camp of victorious socialism." The event signaled a weakening of the Iron Curtain, preceding the fall of the Berlin Wall two months later.