During state socialism, the "Hungarian Sea" was a popular meeting place for German families separated by the Iron Curtain. But not everyone came to meet long-lost relatives next to a flame: the GDR secret service, the Stasi, also sent its agents to the Balaton shore
From the 1960s onwards, the GDR state security servicea, the Stasi feared that Hungary, which is considered a "friendly" country but has a more relaxed socialist morality and regulation compared to East German conditions, would be harmful can affect the citizens of the GDR. The abundance of westernized goods (compared to what, of course) and the ideological laxity provided the East German authorities, who were trying to regulate their citizens, a good reason to keep compatriots coming to our country on vacation under surveillance.
The Balaton Brigade
The professional Stasi agents stayed on the shores of Lake Balaton throughout the season. Young married couples (or at least pretending to be young) were often hired for the job, arriving with camping gear and then trying to blend in with East German families on holiday or trying to defect, with the aim of disseminating their intentions. The Balaton brigade, as these agents were called, consisted of 20-50 people, and their task was primarily preventing escapes. Their fears were not unfounded, the East Germans did not have to be convinced that there are better places in the world than the German Democratic Republic. It happened, for example, that their relatives tried to get them to East Germany by handing them their own West German passports on the shores of Lake Balaton, with which, if there was sufficient similarity, they could go to West Germany. But it also happened that East Germans were tried to be smuggled out in the trunk of the car. As more than 300,000 East Germans arrived in Hungary by the 1970s, the GDR state security service had to act. An undercover agent was recruited into almost every tourist group, but tour guides and attendants were also called upon to report "suspicious activities". For example, it was considered suspicious if someone lagged behind the tourist group and wanted to walk alone on the Balaton shore; or if you spent too much money. But if someone took a lot of photos of the landscape, they suspected military reconnaissance.
Camera in the tie
In addition to observing the East Germans staying in Hungary from so-called conspiratorial apartments, the Stasi also wanted to use houseboats for surveillance purposes on Lake Balaton. However, the Hungarian side rejected this: instead, they made the floor of the police station available to them in Siófok, so that they could direct their actions from there. And the East German secret service did not hesitate to use the available tools: they had a camera disguised as a cigarette box, a mini camera built into a tie, a voice recorder (bug) mounted in a wristwatch or a fountain pen, a mini pistol mounted in a lipstick or an umbrella, even a submachine gun disguised as a briefcase too. They also recruited Hungarian maids, porters, and innkeepers, who, however, only reported to them. But the flamethrower and German language teacher also spied for the Stasi. Stasi agents were found to be active mainly in Balatonfüred, Keszthely, Balatonszemes, Balatonboglár, Zamárdi and Balatonakali, these settlements were the priority locations for surveillance.
Put a sweater, a blender, a camping gas stove
It's no wonder then that Zimmer Frei was more popular among East Germans who already had little money - the point was that they didn't go to a pre-booked accommodation, since the Stasi there was most likely already prepared for their arrival. Although, in theory, Hungarian citizens renting out a room to a Western guest had to report the name of the guest to the police station, but in practice this was not done very often. Since they could only bring 30 East German brands with them a day, they often arrived with items intended for sale: blenders, camping equipment, sweaters, which were then sold in the Hungarian markets. Those caught planning to escape or engaging in other suspicious activities were deported home, where prison awaited them.
However, Balaton, regardless of the intention to defect, was for a long time a very attractive destination for those coming from both West and East Germany. For the East Germans, compared to the strictness and tightly controlled everyday life at home, Hungary was freedom itself, and for those coming from East Germany, the low prices, the pleasant temperature, and the well-equipped hotels proved to be attractive. As a contemporary advertisement popularized in the FRG: "Balaton is like first love. One can leave it, but one can never forget it.”
