Pulling Back The Curtain – Visiting Communist Cluj (Lost Lands #216)
On the shelf - A Guide To Central Europe ready and waiting

Pulling Back The Curtain – Visiting Communist Cluj (Lost Lands #216)

I found myself repeatedly staring up at the bookshelf in front of me as I worked on my itinerary for the lost lands beyond Hungary’s borders. My eye would scan one of the upper shelves where it then settled on a well-worn, sky-blue spine. This is the paperback version of A Guide To Central Europe by Richard Bassett. The book is both a guide and travelogue. A rare synthesis of information, interpretation and narrative that has everything a traveler needs to hit many of the high points of Austria, Croatia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, and Transylvania, and Trieste (northeastern Italy). Best of all, Bassett’s prose makes it a good read. Unlike other travel guides, it does break down the details into separate sections. Instead, all the information is woven into the text. The book’s title is something of a misnomer. Bassett lists the countries covered as part of Central Europe. A map of Europe shows he is technically correct. The geographical midpoint of Europe is further east than many imagine.

Under Suspicion - Troubling Times

My view of what constitutes Central Europe is different from Bassett’s. Most of what he covers in the book can subjectively be called Eastern Europe because all the countries except for Austria and the sliver of Italy with Trieste were behind the Iron Curtain. Which brings me to the most unique aspect of the book. It was published in 1987. Bassett did the groundwork for it in the mid-1980’s at a time of great tension in several of the countries he covers. That included Romania, which was led by Nicolae Ceausescu, whose paranoia increased as the decade went on. Foreigners were viewed with intense suspicion. Bassett was the rare foreigner traveling around Transylvania during the worst years of the regime. He could not help but notice the state of depravity in the region at the time. While Bassett was there as an author and tourist, he also made observations that provide insight into Transylvania during the Ceausescu era.

By the time Bassett began to work on his book, Transylvania was more than just a lost land to Hungarians. That extended to English-speaking foreigners and travelers except for government officials from abroad who were generally confined to Bucharest. Ceausescu’s regime persecuted anyone they viewed with suspicion. In effect, that meant everyone. They were equal opportunity offenders. This was well known at the time. Tourists from western countries generally avoided Romania. Traveling in a totalitarian dictatorship is not something that most people look forward to for a vacation. The Securitate, Romania’s secret police, made sure to roll up the welcome mat and put a frown on the face of visitors. Even worldly travelers had difficulties when entering the country. The political scientist, grand strategist and author Robert Kaplan mentioned in his famous book, Balkan Ghosts, how extremely difficult it could be to enter Romania. Kaplan is an expert at traveling in underdeveloped countries with unkind governments, particularly in the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. Romania’s border left him with a lasting impression.

Private conversation- People conversing in Ceausescu era Cluj (Credit: Fortepan/Adomanyozo)

Turning Away - Hardening The Border

When a man with Robert Kaplan’s travel resume says crossing the border into communist era Romania was bad, you know it must have been bad. I once had the opportunity to ask a well-traveled Hungarian pensioner their experience.  Due to her professional status during the communist era she and her husband could travel abroad much more freely than others. They visited Transylvania during this time. She mentioned that they always brought plenty of gifts – specifically fresh food – for Romanian border personnel. This was a nominal cost that they willingly paid. Those who lived under the communist system knew how to work the system for ease of access. In general, the border personnel were more than glad to accept whatever they could get or take from those entering the country. During the 1980’s, everything in Romania was in short supply. Anyone in a position of power could use it for their benefit. Those crossing the border were in no position to protest.

Most westerners did not have the knowledge or contacts to hopscotch across the border for a trip into Transylvania. Due to its geography, the region has a reputation for being difficult to access. The deliberate menace of the Ceausescu regime made it more so. This kept tourists away. For those who did get in, the problems were just beginning. The Securitate’s domestic spy network was among the most extensive in Eastern Europe. To be turned away at the border was one thing, to run afoul of the authorities inside the country was to be avoided at all costs. The problem was that the Securitate lurked in every corner of the country. Falling into their hands was a distinct possibility no matter how much a tourist tried to avoid it. All this is to say that travel in Transylvania during the Cold War was either discouraged, rarely recommended, or off-limits. The travel situation deteriorated right along with the country as the Ceausescu regime grew more totalitarian the longer it ruled.

Red flag days - Communist Cluj during the Ceausescu era (Credit:

Dire Situation – No Country For Tourists

By the mid-1980’s when Bassett was preparing to visit Transylvania for field research the situation in Romania had grown dire. Ethnic Hungarians were an increasing target for persecution by Ceausescu. The ethnic composition of Transylvania’s cities was diluted by flooding them with Romanians who had previously lived in the countryside. They were now expected to dedicate their lives and labor to heavy industry while living in concrete apartment blocks. This did not bode well for quality of life. It was not as though the Romanians were any better off than Hungarians.

Everyone was hurting as Ceausescu demanded the country pay off all its external debt in a mad scheme. This meant starving the populace of resources such as heat in the winter. Food staples were rationed and long lines extended outside shops conspicuous by their bare shelves. This was the world Bassett visited as a tourist. His journalistic skills from his day job of being The Times (London) correspondent in Vienna would prove useful. The Iron Curtain was about to be pulled back and Transylvania revealed.

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