Hungarians like to say that they are the only nation which borders itself. This is in reference to the Treaty of Trianon leaving millions of ethnic Hungarians outside the country’s current borders. Never has this oft repeated saying seemed so true then a story I discovered while researching the divided village of Velke Slemence. On one side of the border were ethnic Hungarians, and on the other side of the border were ethnic Hungarians. One very unlucky Hungarian girl had been visiting her grandmother on the Soviet side when the border was sealed in 1946. She was unable to get back home and ended up staying with her grandmother. When she was about to get married, the girl had to stand in her wedding dress in Mali Selmentsi (the part of Veľké Slemence in the Soviet Union) where her family on the Czechoslovakia side of the border could see her. This tragic absurdity gave new meaning to the term long-distance relationship.
For almost sixty years, those who lived in Veľké Slemence and Mali Sementsi were separated by an impenetrable barrier. This barrier was the Czechoslovakia-Soviet Union border, then the Czechoslovakia-Ukraine border, and finally the Slovakia-Ukraine border. Those who lived in the two villages endured bizarre bureaucratic hurdles to cross from one side to the other. This required over 300 kilometers of travel to cover a distance of only 500 meters. Geographical proximity made the division of family and friends excruciating. Because of geopolitics, the villages and their inhabitants were separated by a great deal of time, distance, and effort. They were close and yet so far away as they suffered from a unique form of separation anxiety induced by totalitarianism and paranoia. The upshot was an unsatisfactory situation defined by tragedy and bureaucratic artifice.
The other side – Church in the village of Mali Selmentsi (Credit: Kamil Czainski)
Netherworld – The Hybrid Country
Border control is another country. It is neither the country a traveler is leaving, nor is it the country a traveler is about to enter. Border control is complex and contradictory. Consider that a traveler is not allowed to enter a country until they have shown the proper documentation, but they are already in that country or at least in that country’s jurisdiction. Officials at border control can detain the traveler and transport them to a holding cell until further notice. If that happens, the traveler is in the country they were trying to enter no matter whether they have a stamp in their passport book or not. How can a traveler not be in a country when they are already there? The answer should be self-evident. It is not. Anyone who has ever had to spend time being questioned by border control officers gets the distinct feeling that they are in a netherworld. This is not the country from which they came, and it is not quite the country they are trying to enter. It is a hybrid country unto itself. A pseudo-police state that controls the flow of people from one country to another. While this is necessary, it is also unlike anything a traveler is likely to encounter anywhere else.
If border control is another country, then what existed between Veľké Slemence and Mali Selmentsi throughout the Cold War and beyond was another planet. Travel back and forth between the two villages was possible, but for those trying to do so it must have seemed like an impossible task. The bureaucracy was considerable and filled with absurdities. The process for getting from one side to the other led those who wanted to cross into a bureaucratic maze. For instance, a resident of Mali Selmentsi would first have to travel to the nearby city of Uzhhorod where they would apply for a visa. If their application was successful, they would then have to travel 80 kilometers to the nearest border crossing between the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia. Once allowed to cross the border, it would be followed by another 80-kilometer journey to Veľké Slemence. After visiting, they would turn around and do the same trip in reverse.
Watching and waiting – Guard tower near Veľké Slemence (Credit: barrysborderpoints)
Keeping Quiet – The Great Divide
Bizarre bureaucratic procedures created hardship for family members on opposite sides of the border. Homes were broken and the community was divided. Though only a five-minute walk away from loved ones, residents of Veľké Slemence and Mali Selmentsi were separated by what amounted to a lifetime. Children grew up, people grew old, and familiar figures became strangers. The entire time, the border stood impenetrable. Some people lived and died without ever knowing those who lived a stone’s throw from their homes. The officials administering the border could have cared less. Rules were rules. Disobeying them had extremely serious consequences. It could cost the offender their lives. Even so much as speaking to those on the other side could lead to arrest. Being within shouting distance did nothing to help. All forms of cross border communication were discouraged.
The locals developed unique forms of cross border communication. Singing songs was used to send messages. Notes were tucked beneath the wings of chickens who were then sent fluttering across the border. These ingenious forms of communication provided a brief respite from the loneliness and loss caused by division. If some of the methods used to circumvent border control sound ridiculous, they were no less ridiculous than the border’s construction in 1946. A house that bisected it was deemed in the way of regress and demolished. As for the homeowners, they had no say in the matter. Neither did anyone else in the villages. They were forced to take one side or the other. Not that the locals had any choice in the matter. Those building the wall were not going to listen and those who valued their lives knew better than to speak up. Keep quiet and carry on for decades on end was a survival strategy.
Exit strategy – Leaving Veľké Slemence (Credit: barrysborderpoints)
Breaking Through – Beyond The Barriers
Difficulties still arose after the Iron Curtain collapsed and Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The border between Veľké Slemence and Mali Selmentsi continued to be an impenetrable barrier until 2005 when a checkpoint allowing pedestrians and cyclists to cross was installed. This lasted only three years for the residents of Mali Selmentsi since they were in Ukraine and Veľké Slemence was in Slovakia which had joined the Schengen Zone as a member of the European Union. Ukrainian citizens needed visas to enter Slovakia, Slovakian citizens could enter Ukraine without one. Nine years later, Ukrainian citizens with biometric passports were allowed visa free entry for up to 90 days. That continues today, but for how long nobody knows. Division has proven more lasting than unity on this small stretch of the Slovakia-Ukraine border.
Click here for: Bargains On The Border – A Small Fortune In Mali Selmentsi (The Lost Lands #22)
Europe Between East And West 