Peter Mibus the WestGerman who Illegal swim in

Peter Mibus, the West-German • who Illegal swim in Danube illegally crossed the waters. The West-German Romanian Communist borders, to whohiscrossed save lover the Romanian communist borders, to save his lover: Peter Mibus

• In spite of the fact that Mibus could have used his passport and cross the border legally, he became a border jumper. For love. • Peter Mibus is a Berliner, who 47 years ago lived in West Berlin, hence he was on the „good” side of the border.

• 46 years later, Mibus decided to track back his steps, along his two daughters, and this brought him to Romania where the investigating team met him.

• The 69 -year old German came back to Romania prompted by his daughters, Sophie and Anna, who wanted him to show them where exactly did he cross the Danube swimming, on the night of 22 to 23 July 1970.

• At 22, Peter was a student, owned a car, and had a permit to visit East Berlin. This is how he met Ursula – Uschi, how he called her.

• After less then three months since their first meeting, Mibus was certain she was the one for him, and that they had to live together in West Germany. • “Our meetings had to end before midnight, because the law said I was due back to West Berlin by midnight. We could not go on like this. I decided to bring her to West Berlin. But the border was too well guarded and dangerous for us to risk jumping it. So, we thought we would do that from Romania, swimming over the Danube River, since we both were good swimmers”

• In few they have got the transit visas for Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Romania, since they gave Bulgaria as their final vacationing destination.

• Peter and Uschi chose to flee over the border during the night. • They left their Volkswagen car on a road in an open field, and crossed a wheat field to get to the Danube River. • They knew they had to get to the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Belgrade, and that there they had the obligation to issue West. German passports to them.

NIGHTMARE • They made it alright to West Germany, and in September they got married. In a few months she was pregnant. But the dream life which they turned to reality was to soon turn into a nightmare: Uschi was diagnosed with lung cancer and given six months to live. • Because of the radiation treatment she lost the pregnancy.

• She lived only 11 month and died of cancer. • Mibus was angered that the communist regime in East Germany and STASI did not allow Uschi to ever see her parents again, before dieing; neither did it allow her parents to attend her funeral. • This turned Mibus into a man on a revenge mission.

• He advised some of his friends in East Germany on how to flee the country using the same route he did, via Moldova Nouă, in Romania. • Between 1972 and 1974 he personally helped two East Germans to get to West Germany by driving them over the border, in his modified car trunk, which accommodated one person.

• After 1989 Mibus got access to his file with the STASI

• “STASI knew I was illegally helping people to flee the Democrat Republic, but were certain I was running a criminal ring, and so they waited for the right time to make their move on me. They were wrong: I was a sole operator; and I was right to stop just in time, it seems”

• Peter Mibus lives in Berlin, has a wife and two daughters. He is still active and works for a company, travelling often. • He didn’t regret that he risked his life and freedom, he did it for love • He still suffers because he lost the love of his life • He was back in Romania after 46 years and said that he didn’t do it before because it was too painful. • This exclusive story was written by Marina Constantinoiu and Istvan Deak for miscareaderezistenta. ro. Photo credit: Bogdan Constantinoiu. Thank you for your attention!