Erinnerungsstätte Notaufnahmelager Marienfelde

Escape and oppression – today, the Marienfelde Emergency Reception Centre Memorial is a museum. It tells the story of the millions of East German citizens who once set out for the Federal Republic of Germany. At that time, Marienfelde was the first stop in the ‘Golden West’ for many of the refugees.

Set against this historical backdrop, the museum displays more than 900 documents and original artefacts. Read about daring escape attempts and the reasons that drove people to flee.

A ‘Gateway to Freedom’

As early as the late 1940s, increasing numbers of East German citizens were leaving the GDR for West Berlin. With a shortage of housing in the aftermath of the war, the influx of refugees soon became a space problem. To accommodate the new arrivals, the emergency reception centre in Marienfelde was established in 1953. By the very first year, the building was operating at almost full capacity.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the centre initially housed ethnic German repatriates from the former Soviet Union. Since 2010, refugees from the Middle East and Africa have been living here. At the same time, the Marienfelde Emergency Reception Centre now serves as a memorial to the exodus from the GDR.

The former main building houses a permanent exhibition on the reasons for fleeing, escape routes and making a new start in the Federal Republic of Germany. Upon entering the simply designed administration building, you will first see items left behind by refugees, such as a radio from the 1960s. The refugees’ suitcases illustrate just how little people were able to take with them when they left.

Here you will learn what it means to leave everything behind. The eyewitness accounts and the photo archive are particularly compelling and informative. The refugees themselves have their say at audio and video stations. You will also learn about those who returned and their reasons for going back to the GDR. You will then tour the spartan furnishings of a fully reconstructed refugee flat. It is made particularly clear just how little refugees had to make do with back then.

Marienfelde Emergency Reception Centre Memorial: What to expect

• Regular special exhibitions
• Stories of flight: In the video, eyewitnesses recount their experiences
• Photographs spanning more than 40 years of the emergency reception centre
• A reconstructed refugee flat from the 1950s
• Accounts of people who travelled from the West to the East

Further stops on the GDR history trail: the Bernauer Straße and Tränenpalast border zones

The images of the Berlin Wall’s construction in 1961 are dramatic. On Bernauer Straße, a young GDR border guard drops his rifle and jumps to the West. Today, this famous image is depicted as a large-scale mural on the corner of Bernauer Straße and Brunnenstraße.

An original watchtower and sections of the Wall transport you back to the era of the Cold War. Video and audio stations enrich your tour with interviews with eyewitnesses and detailed information. On the west side of Bernauer Straße, the memorial’s museum features numerous exhibits, such as the original equipment used by the GDR border troops.

The former border crossing point at Friedrichstraße station is popularly known as the ‘Palace of Tears’ in light of the tragic fates that unfolded there. Since 2011, it has been home to the permanent exhibition ‘Everyday Life Under German Division’. Across 550 square metres, eyewitnesses recount their stories. The reconstructed immigration booths provide an authentic insight into the process of entering or leaving the country.

Tips for your visit to Marienfelde

Take the S2 S-Bahn line directly to Marienfelde station. There you’ll also find a large Park & Ride car park. The M77 bus will take you to the ‘Erinnerungsstätte Notauflager Marienfelde’ stop. Alternatively, you can walk the eight minutes from the S-Bahn station. Admission to the exhibition is free. Public guided tours take place every Sunday at 3 pm. You can also book private guided tours.