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On August 14, 1961, the Düsseldorf Office for Land Consolidation and Settlement declared the “refugee settlement building case” of Hans Nieske closed. The family had made it: they owned a new house and had a permanent home.
At the same time, Berlin was experiencing a state of emergency. Just the day before, the GDR government had closed the border to West Berlin and sealed the “loophole.”
The photo shows the forecourt of the emergency reception center in Berlin-Marienfelde on August 14, 1961. The Berlin Wall put an end to the mass exodus from the GDR. The reception center, which until then had been an important site of the Cold War, disappeared from public consciousness. From then on, the Berlin Wall became the focus of attention.
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An in-depth history of the Nieske family is presented in the book by Christian Nieske titled, Republikflucht und Wirtschaftswunder. Mecklenburger berichten über ihre Erlebnisse 1945 bis 1961 (Thomas Helms Verlag, Schwerin 2001). All quotes here were taken from this book.