A Czechoslovak family's escape to Austria (188)

Jul 16, 2021

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We continue Drea Hahn’s story with her family’s escape to Austria and the realities of being a refugee.

In 1986, under the pretext of a “ski trip” to Yugoslavia Drea’s family escaped to Austria. We hear about the sadness of being unable to tell anyone they were leaving and how her relatives were summoned to the police station to be detained for questioning. They didn’t communicate with anyone at “home” until 1989 or 1990 because it was too dangerous.

Once, in Austria, there was no certainty that that Drea’s family wouldn’t be handed back to Czechoslovakia as Austria was neutral and the government was keen to stay on good terms with their neighbours.

Drea’s family were in Austria for about 2 years living in a single room with a shared bathroom. We hear from her about the challenges of life as a child refugee in rural Austria.

In 1988 permission was granted to emigrate to the US and we hear of their elation when they arrive.

Extra info, photos and videos are here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode188

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I am delighted to welcome Drea Hahn back to our Cold War conversation…

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0:00 Introduction to Drea Hahn's family's escape from Czechoslovakia

1:27 Listener support and testimonials

8:08 Comparison of individual and family escapes from the Eastern Bloc

12:04 Access to STB files and the decision to escape

19:20 Planning and executing the escape to Austria

27:36 The tense border crossing and seeking asylum in Austria

33:07 Adjusting to life as refugees in Austria

41:28 Visit from grandparents and the Czechoslovakian government's persuasion program

45:48 Journey to America and initial days in the new country

51:03 The fall of the Berlin Wall and the Velvet Revolution: Impact and decisions

57:50 The role of Cold War Conversations podcast in uncovering personal histories

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