Crossing the border became the test of courage

Helmut Haselberger grew up in the immediate vicinity of the Iron Curtain. As a schoolboy, he experienced many adventures and daring undertakings with his friends. They would also set out on journeys into the forests immediately surrounding the border crossing Finsterau/Bučina. In elementary school, daring one another to cross the “Green Line” became a sort of a test of courage. However, the boys didn’t dare to travel for more than a few meters into Czechoslovak territory. Helmut recalls that the area surrounding the border “was completely depopulated.”