Published
Video length: 6 min
Valentine’s Day: the unusual story of a love that clandestinely crossed the borders of the GDR
As Valentine’s Day approaches, February 14, we meet a couple with an extraordinary love story. Marion clandestinely crossed the German border with her companion, hidden in the trunk of her car. – (France 2)
As Valentine’s Day approaches, February 14, we meet a couple with an extraordinary love story. Marion clandestinely crossed the German border with her companion, hidden in the trunk of her car.
When they trace the thread of their love born 53 years ago, they rediscover a powerful feeling that inhabited them: freedom. At twenty years old, they were finally free to marry in 1972. “We breathe happiness”, observes Marion while looking at a photo of their wedding. The Frenchman and the East German were able to seal their union, which was forbidden to them in the GDR. Their romance was born in a padlocked country, with a wall separating the communist GDR and West Germany.
An incredible escape
Marion, born in the GDR, was a young girl deprived of her liberty and Louis a student curious to discover the world. In love, they were forbidden to marry. She decided to flee her country. Louis picked up his father’s car in France in order to join her in Hungary and cross the border with his partner hidden between the back seat and the trunk. On August 10, 1971, they escaped from Budapest, crossed Yugoslavia, Austria and reached West Germany four days later to avoid crossing the wall separating the FRG and the GDR. Today, the couple lives peacefully in Calvados.
