A section of the Berlin Wall that fell 35 years ago tomorrow still stands as a silent reminder of the Cold War at the entrance to the residential centre.
Back then, many who escaped post-war Germany's Soviet-occupied east were housed in the centre's dozen or so blocks in the charmless Berlin suburb of Marienfelde.
Until 1989, when the German Democratic Republic collapsed, more than 1.3 million people passed through the "emergency camp" in then-West Berlin, before most of them found new homes in what was West Germany.
Today, Arabic, Afghan and African voices can be heard in the tree-lined courtyard of the facility that first opened in 1953, and which still houses about 700 people at any one time.
Denne historien er fra November 08, 2024-utgaven av The Citizen.
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Denne historien er fra November 08, 2024-utgaven av The Citizen.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Frenzied festive season here
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Rodri leaving a massive hole
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Rain comes to Proteas' rescue
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Lions gear up for test of pedigree
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England wrap up T20I series
England's women's cricket team wrapped up the three-match T20 series against South Africa in dominant fashion in Benoni last night with a match to spare, after cruising to a 36-run win in the second match.