1 minute read
THE TRAIN JOURNEY
·1
1 2 3 4 5 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
THE TRAIN JOURNEY ACROSS EUROPE
Brody – Austrian border
Passports were checked at the border-crossing in Brody. Emigrants without a passport had to cross the border illegally. They did this by avoiding roads and crossing to the other side through open fields. Smugglers that knew the terrain well helped them cross. Russian border patrol officers could be bribed.
Myslovitz - German border
Emigrants had to show their ticket in Myslovitz. They were submitted to a first medical examination. Their baggage was disinfected. That was due to a cholera epidemic in Hamburg that resulted in more than 8000 deaths in 1892. The checkpoint in Myslovitz had a waiting room, without beds but it did have a canteen. According to eyewitnesses, there wasn’t much food available; mainly alcoholic beverages.
Leipzig – Interior
Emigrants on the way to embarkation ports were transported through Germany in separate carriages. They were strictly separated from the other passengers. The train stopped in Leipzig. Emigrants were examined and registered once again. Those who had escaped previous examinations were intercepted in Leipzig.
32 THE TRAIN JOURNEY
Hamont-Achel – Belgian border
As of the 1890s, emigrants had to have a ticket for the ship in their pockets and enough money to cover their stay in Belgium. Extensive examinations did not occur at the border-crossing. The Belgian authorities counted on thorough inspections in Germany.
