Further Media
Look closely at the building's wall. Can you see the small sign showing a Berlin bear underneath the number 39? The sign comes from Berlin's reconstruction program. But why does it say 1962 on it? Since the Marienfelde reception center was built in 1952-53.
In fact, we are in a later-built part of the refugee center, which was completed in 1955. Twelve more buildings were added to Beyrodtstraße, along with the 15 original residential blocks. Since refugee numbers remained high throughout the 1950s, a third section was planned to be built in 1962.
However, things turned out differently. In August 1961, the Berlin Wall ended mass exodus from East Germany. The plans to extend the reception center were halted. Furthermore, some buildings of the existing complex were handed over to Degewo, a municipal housing association, and renovated with funds from the reconstruction program. The plate from 1962, therefore, marks the building's repurposing and renovation at that time.
Open the picture in the guide titled "Greeting". If you look closely, perhaps you can decipher some handwritten messages. One translates as: "Greetings to everyone from Dresden, Pritzwalk, or Leipzig".
It was written by GDR refugees on the wall of their room in the reception center. A later tenant discovered the message by chance in 2015. The previous tenant, who moved into the apartment in 1964, had wallpapered over the message.
This serendipity visualizes what many current residents may have forgotten: Where they live now, refugees once found shelter.