Friedland resettlement camp. Camp for displaced people in Friedland, Germany. Advanced training and German language

15 km from the German city of Göttingen, in Lower Saxony, there is a small locality, which plays the role of the first port of call for all those who seek salvation and protection in Germany. By the beginning of the 2000s, this place was practically empty, and it was decided to transform its territory into memorial museum. But by 2014, the situation had changed dramatically, and today the once-lost significance settlement is again overcrowded with refugees and migrants in need of asylum. Knowing what the Friedland camp is like today will be useful for anyone planning to move to this part of Europe as a migrant.

How the camp came to be

The appearance of a place of temporary residence for migrants in this part of the country is not accidental. The camp was founded at the very end of World War II. It was here that three zones of occupation came into contact: Soviet (Thuringia), English (Lower Saxony) and American (Hesse). If we add that between the three of them passed the most important railway lines of that time between Kassel and Hanover, then we can say that the location of the founding of the settlement was predetermined.

The idea of setting up the camp was put forward by British troops, who chose the territory of the research laboratories of the University of Göttingen. The Friedland camp for displaced persons began operating on September 20, 1945. IN different years it was used for different purposes:

the first inhabitants were released prisoners returning from the USSR;
Then came defectors from the territory of the GDR to the lands of the Federal Republic of Germany;
in the 1980s, Soviet migrants were settled in Friedland;
later - “Russian Germans”.

In the middle of the 20th century, there were a considerable number of such places of settlement of late settlers. But due to the fact that their flow has gradually decreased, today only Friedland remains operational.

How can I get to the camp?

You can get to Friedland in different ways:

by plane to Hannover, from there by train to Göttingen and then a little further to the final destination by train.
By railway. This method of arriving from Russia is not the most convenient: only in Germany you will need to make two transfers - in Berlin and in Kassel. Considering the number of things a migrant may have, it becomes clear that this is not an easy option.
flight to Hannover, then by taxi to the camp. This pleasure will cost approximately 220 euros.
by bus from the Russian Federation - the journey is the longest and not the most comfortable.

As an option, you can contact intermediary companies that provide relocation services in Germany, meet you at the airport and then take care of all the transfer concerns.

What awaits displaced people in the camp?

The main goal of the camp is to register new arrivals and resettle them throughout German territory. The period for which newcomers can be accepted is 3-4 days. This time is enough to carry out the following procedures:

checking available documents and compliance with the data in the application form;
conducting fluorography;
passing an interview with representatives of the employment center.

In order not to get confused in the upcoming actions, the refugee receives a special sheet containing the schedule and location of certain events.

During this entire period, the migrant lives in a room allocated for him. Immediately upon arrival, new residents are given vouchers for use in the dining hall. And although food at public expense cannot be called varied and complete, it is enough to satisfy basic needs. There is a store on the territory of the settlement where you can buy missing products.

The main problem of those seeking asylum is lack of knowledge of the German language. For this purpose, it would be good to enlist the support of relatives, if they exist in Germany. If not, the state is ready to help by providing an interpreter.

During the process of identification and registration, the migrant has the opportunity to change the spelling of his last name and first name according to the German model.

For example, “Ivan” can become “Johan”, and “Stepan” can become “Stefan”. Please note that you can make changes and abandon the Russian patronymic (it is not accepted in Germany) for free only once. All further attempts to make adjustments, even if it is just one letter, will cost 200 euros.

Concerning national composition camp, today it accepts not only ethnic Germans. In 2009, the first refugees from Iraq arrived here. In 2013, Friedland became a refuge for the first Syrian migrants. Today, this organization works beyond its capabilities, providing a roof over the heads of people from Libya, Afghanistan, and Syria.

How is distribution for permanent residence carried out?

The final stage is distribution for permanent residence throughout the country. Only in last years this procedure began to be carried out taking into account the wishes of the immigrant. Previously, he had no choice and had to put up with any decision of the commission.

To get to the right place, a newcomer only needs to indicate in his profile the region and even the locality in which he would like to settle. However, no one can guarantee that this desire will be satisfied. But in any case, officials try to accommodate the applicant halfway.

The migrant receives a document with his new data, which will serve as his identity card. Along with it, the late migrant is given tickets to his new place of residence and 102 euros for each family member. This amount will at least partially compensate for the funds spent on the journey to Friedland.

It is important to understand that the refugee camp in Germany is the primary point of reception for those in need of help. The document that they are given after registration simply confirms that they arrived in the country legally, have been registered and are ready to move permanently to their chosen region. The process of legalization and recognition of a candidate as a migrant or refugee begins at the place of his permanent residence.

What is the Otto Benecke Foundation?

Migrants who managed to obtain a higher technical education before moving to Germany have special privileges. In particular, an engineering diploma allows a newcomer to receive a referral to the Otto Benecke Foundation.

The main mission of the Foundation is to provide special non-refundable scholarships to engineers who came from Eastern European countries. The money received allows you to retrain or improve your existing qualifications. This makes it possible to adapt as much as possible to the German labor market and get a good position with a high income.
Foreign specialists are being retrained at one of the German universities with which the Foundation has signed a corresponding agreement. In addition to this project, the organization supports various educational programs that allow migrants to arrange their future in new conditions.

Rapid Integration Courses

Arrived at permanent place the new migrant is concerned about speedy integration into a society that is still alien to him. Thanks to the help of the state, which undertakes not only the reception, but also their arrangement, the late migrant has the opportunity, on the basis of his registration certificate, to take advantage of free courses that will help assimilate with the world in the shortest possible time. local population. The duration of the courses is 6 months. During the training, the beginner receives basic information on all aspects of life in Germany:

legislation,
features of the culture and traditions of the German nation.

The process of acquiring knowledge is divided into 6 modules. Each of them contains 100 hours of lessons. The entire course is divided into two main groups: language and orientation. Lessons in the first of them allow you to master German in the most necessary areas: visiting a doctor, making a telephone conversation, going to a cafe or restaurant. The orientation course introduces migrants to culture, legislation and other adaptation issues.

After the courses are completed, the student will have to pass the B1 exam and receive a certificate. If a migrant plans to go to university, he will have to continue his studies.

conclusions

Conceived back in 1945 as , Friedland today welcomes under its roof immigrants from all over the world who are fleeing war and unfavorable living conditions.

Russian migrants can get here by direct bus or plane. The further journey upon arrival in the country will have to be planned taking into account the composition of the family and the amount of luggage available, since there will be more than one transfer.

Upon arrival at the camp, newcomers can count on living space, food, and medical support. After registering and filling out everything Required documents, migrants head to their place of permanent residence, where they will begin.

Camp Friedland: Video

"Two questions for the camera?" - a DW correspondent addresses a group of people. "No, no, no. No way!" - they answer. Russian-speaking residents of the last camp in Germany for ethnic Germans - the so-called late migrants, located on the border of the federal states of Lower Saxony and Hesse, unanimously refuse to give video interviews. They are afraid.

Some say that they are afraid of troubles for relatives in Russia, others do not want their friends to find out that they have moved to Germany in the first place, and others make excuses by saying that, “Mom doesn’t know that I smoke.” It takes an hour to convince someone to film.

Step in new life

Although in reality there is nothing to be afraid of. Those who found themselves here in Friedland have already taken a decisive step into a new life. The camp for refugees and late settlers is considered the “gateway to Germany” - today all Russian Germans returning to their historical homeland pass through it. Over the past five years, their number has been growing steadily.

Spending a few days here immediately after arriving in Germany, they undergo a medical examination in neighboring Göttingen, receive documents and find out their destination - the federal state in which they will start a new life.

"Where?" - this question is greeted by everyone who leaves the officials in the waiting room on the second floor in the building of the local branch of the Federal Administrative Department, located right on the camp grounds. "Thuringia!" - someone answers, and a sigh of sympathy is heard throughout the hall. Because Thuringia is the former GDR, this is not considered very good. But the southern or western lands- Bavaria or North Rhine-Westphalia is better.

“Before, old people left, now young people are fleeing”

R.'s family also wants to go to Bavaria, to Munich. Parents are retired and their daughter is a doctor who taught at a medical institute in her homeland. “You know what kind of science we have - it’s none,” says the mother. “Before, old people left for Germany, now young people are fleeing.” The daughter is silent and sighs.

The father says that his work public organization, which dealt with German-Russian relations, became impossible due to the law on “foreign agents”. “So, maybe you’ll give an interview to a media company that almost ended up on the list of ‘foreign agents’?” - asks a DW correspondent. Everyone is laughing. “No, under no circumstances. There is no need for any interviews,” comes the answer.

The wall in the waiting room is decorated from floor to ceiling with children's drawings. The sun, the rainbow, the names of the cities from which its new inhabitants came to Germany.

Nearby, the Trudnov family - parents and two twin sons - are waiting for their appointment with an official. They arrived in Germany from Kaliningrad literally the day before yesterday. And this family can be considered typical representatives of the last wave of emigration of ethnic Germans from Russia - almost all of their relatives have already moved to Germany. In the spring of 2016, they also decided to move. “We have been visiting relatives every year since 2002,” says Larisa Trudnova. “We really like it in Germany.”

From the German bureaucratic machine they have the most best impressions: “Everything is done quickly, the queues look large, but they move quickly. And the children did not have time to get tired.” The Trudovs hope that their children will receive a good education in Germany and will find employment in the field of German-Russian relations. Which, according to the spouses, will get better sooner or later.

Moving to Germany without culture shock

Camp director Heinrich Hörnschemeyer has been working here since the summer of 1991. Since 2000, the point in Friedland has become the only one in all of Germany where ethnic Germans from the countries of the former USSR, primarily from Russia and Kazakhstan, are accepted and distributed among the federal states. The director says the demographic composition of Russian Germans has changed greatly in recent years. During the main wave of repatriation in the early 1990s, families of up to 20 people, including representatives of several generations of ethnic Germans, came to Germany. For most of them, this was their first visit to Germany, and “they could be seen a mile away” - by their traditional costumes. “In those days, young people didn’t wear jeans,” he recalls with a smile.

The latest wave of immigrants includes people who have relatives in Germany and clear ideas about what awaits them in the country and what they want. Camp guests do not smoke where it is not permitted and show up for appointments with officials on time, Hoernschemeyer said.

“They are much better prepared, they don’t have any culture shock,” notes Hörnschemeyer. “And this is noticeable if only because in recent years the country has stopped talking about the problems of integrating late migrants.” The history of the mass resettlement of Russian Germans to Germany, according to him, is a success story.

"People know what awaits them"

"Moving to Germany can no longer be compared to jumping into cold water, as it was in the 1990s. People know what awaits them," agrees Joachim Mrugalla, who runs the local branch of the Federal Office of Administration.

He explains the increase in the number of immigrants from the former USSR observed over the past five years simply. Since 2013, it has been operating in Germany new law, which softens the entry conditions for families of ethnic Germans.

If previously moving was possible once and for the whole family at once, now relatives remaining in Russia can reunite with those who have already moved to Germany. Moreover, it is reduced for them the language barrier- the mandatory German language test can be retaken several times. Everyone uses innovations more people, so the number of migrants is growing.

Context

The camp in Friedland has a capacity of 800 people. About a third of them are reserved for late migrants, the rest for refugees and other categories of migrants. Accommodation and food here are free. The migrants spend no more than a week in this place before scattering throughout the country.

Just over 7,000 people passed through Friedland last year. This is almost a fivefold increase compared to 2013. But this is nothing compared to the millions of people who arrived here in the 1990s.

“Back then ten people could spend the night in one room - and no one was indignant,” recalls camp director Heinrich Hörnschemeyer with a smile.

The first goal after returning to the historical homeland is a distribution camp for the city center. It opens the door to various categories of migrants: refugees, Jews, from the former USSR.

How to get to Friedland

It is convenient to fly to Hannover by plane, then go by train to Göttingen and then take a few minutes by train.
But if you fly to Leipzig, Berlin, Frankfurt am Main or Dresden, the journey won't get much longer.

German train services are excellent, with trains running quickly and frequently. Pay attention to the ticket price and arrival time.

Arrival in Friedland, building No. 16 in the background, where interviews are taking place.

It is inconvenient to travel from Russia by train. The route Berlin - Kassel - Friedland has two transfers in Germany. For a traveler laden with belongings, it’s hardly the best option to hop around train stations.

The services of private companies provide maximum comfort. Arrivals will be met at the airport or train station and taken directly to. Transfer from Hannover costs approximately 200€.

TRANSFER TO FRIEDLAND

Get to Friedland in comfort! A Russian-speaking driver will meet you at Hannover airport, help you load your luggage onto the bus and take you straight to the gates of the resettlement camp in Friedland.

ORDER TRANSFER

If you are interested in how to get to the camp of late migrants cheaper, choose a bus. It takes longer and is least convenient.

What awaits you there

Friedland's task is the initial registration of newly arrived Germans and resettlement throughout the territory of Germany. The average length of stay is 3 days.

Plan of a camp for late settlers in Friedland

Working days are from Monday to Friday, but moving in new residents on weekends is not a problem. Arrive on Sunday, and start solving matters on Monday - a good option. The registration procedure takes place in building No. 1.

When you arrive at the Friedland IDP camp, you will receive a sheet with designated reception hours, forms to fill out, a key to the room, and a pass card to the dining room for the family. Everyone receives gifts from charitable organizations - clothes and dictionaries.

It is not necessary to live in the camp area. rent a hotel or stay with friends/relatives if the person agrees not to be late.

If your knowledge of German does not allow you to communicate freely, you can interview a relative or friend who speaks the language. No one will be sent back for language ignorance, but it is absolutely necessary to understand exactly what the officials are saying. It is impossible to answer unequivocally what questions are asked - everything is personal.

Check-in, document verification, medical procedures

Arriving Germans are accommodated in buildings No. 5-7. The dining room is located in building No. 4 (at the entrance they check the presence of a card and put a stamp).

Dormitory room at the camp in Friedland

The rooms and bed linen are clean. Not a hotel, but for a couple of days the weather doesn't work. Near the door to the room there is a sign on which the family's name, the number of residents and the date of arrival are written.

In building No. 16, late migrants undergo a check of papers and personal data specified in the application form.

What documents need to be prepared for the first appointment:

Completed forms
Aufnahmebescheid
Passports and birth and marriage certificates of family members

The questionnaire indicates the desired place of residence in Germany, which is discussed at the second interview.

Residents of the Friedland camp undergo fluorography during their stay. On the appointed day, the group is collected in the morning and taken by bus to Göttingen, where medical examinations are carried out.

An example of lunch in the Friedland camp canteen

About health insurance and assistance

From the moment of arrival until distribution, all necessary medical care is provided free of charge. After registration for permanent residence for the first 78 weeks, the regional AOK fund is responsible for health insurance, regardless of status and benefits.

Further, state insurance for the unemployed is paid by the state.
Employees can continue to work at AOK or change companies at their own discretion.
Entrepreneurs choose between private and voluntary insurance.

Registrierschein

After completing the interviews at the Friedland IDP camp and signing the distribution documents, a registration certificate is issued and free tickets to your place of residence.

In the dormitories of the Friedland camp there are children's corners for games in bad weather.

Persons with §4 who were born before 1956 are entitled to a one-time compensation - Eingliederungshilfe. The size varies depending on the date of birth and ranges from 2000-3000 €. You can receive money in Friedland or upon arrival for permanent residence.

From camp to home

Choice federal state and cities are limited by availability and budget.

The south and center of Germany are overpopulated with refugees.
Russian Germans are often offered the north of Germany.
You can get to the desired land if you have relatives who are ready to register you with them.

The result of the distribution depends greatly on the official. Personal charm will have to be turned on at full strength. If the city does not have a budget for benefits, new arrivals are denied in any case.

They will be assigned to the selected location if you own your own property in the country or voluntarily refuse social benefits.

Become a German citizen

You are allocated a room in a hostel or an apartment paid for by social services.

Further actions:

The first step is to contact the city hall - Rathaus, and register in Germany.
A copy of the registration confirmation received must be sent to Camp Friedland at BVA.
You will be sent a certificate of late migration - Spätaussiedlerbescheinigung, upon receipt of which you become citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The time has come to issue German passports - the mayor's office is responsible for issuing them. But first, you are allowed to contact the registry office - Standesamt to change the spelling of names and surnames in the German manner. The procedure is performed once free of charge, then correcting the letter costs 200 €.

Important! Children born between their arrival in Friedland and their parents' receipt of settlement certificates do not receive German citizenship. Perhaps in the future the legal incident will be corrected, but for now it is better for late-term pregnant women not to leave before giving birth in order to avoid bureaucratic red tape that takes several years. Moving in with a newborn does not bring any problems. The birth of a child after one of the parents has received a certificate also automatically gives the baby German citizenship.

Advanced training and German language

If you immigrate with an engineering degree, the camp will refer you to the Otto Benecke Foundation. The organization provides free scholarships to engineers arriving from Eastern European countries. With this money, a technical specialist can improve his qualifications or retrain in the German way at one of the higher educational institutions with which the fund has entered into an agreement. Migrants under 31 years of age receive assistance with the recognition of diplomas.

With a registration certificate you can take free integration courses lasting six months. For permission to take courses, please contact the Office for Foreigners - Ausländeramt. If the distance to the venue is more than 3 kilometers, a free pass for public transport is included.

The course volume is 600 hours (an additional module on basic life issues in the country is optional). The content roughly repeats the content of this site, only in German.

It is unrealistic for a working person to take courses; there is simply nowhere to get so much time.

The history of the camp in Friedland

The camp was created in this town not by chance. It was built immediately after the war. We chose a place at the junction of 3 occupation zones: British, Soviet and American.

At first, former prisoners returning from the USSR were settled there.
Then they were used to receive defectors from the GDR to the Federal Republic of Germany.
Since 1980, migrants from Soviet Union, and then people with German “roots”.

Previously, there were several such camps for the resettlement of ethnic Germans, but then the migration flow dried up, and this moment Only Friedland remains open.

Frequently asked questions and discussion of the PP topic on the forum

Based on materials from the site www.tupa-germania.ru

We were flying from Siberia. The tickets were for March 3 to Dusseldorf. We deliberately bought tickets not to Hanover, for a trivial reason - tickets to Dusseldorf cost us 300...350 euros for two, the same tickets to Hannover would have cost 500 euros+.
Besides, we were just interested in seeing this city. We booked a cheap but very decent hotel near Hauptbahnhof. We took a rest after the flights/transfers and at lunchtime boarded the train to Friedland. Tickets and discount card bahncard 25: ordered from the Russian Federation in advance. Everything was very simple and convenient. On the evening of the 4th we were already in Friedland. We moved into the 5th barrack. The people in Friedland are in darkness. There are 20-30 displaced people and 200-250 refugees. At the end of our stay there, several refugees were moved into a barracks with displaced people, since there was simply no room. Enough has already been said about Friedland itself, the food there, the conditions, etc. - a small, beautiful, clean and tidy town. The only thing I can note is the kind of “cadres” one encounters among the displaced people—it’s quiet darkness. Sitting on the "courts", near the barracks, drinking beer from the throat and husking sunflower seeds right there on the ground - these gentlemen were not at all embarrassed.
Distribution.
Since we had no relatives, there were few options to get to Bavaria or NRV. This was actually confirmed during the meeting with the berator. He simply showed a list of all lands and quotas for each. Berator fortunately spoke English, although worse than us))). We approached the issue openly. We just asked what we wanted to do in a big city and what would they advise us as IT specialists? They seemed to be impressed and said that Thuringia, Brandenburg, Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt and the north would not suit us in any way, since these are practically only agricultural regions. They recommended Saxony. We didn’t bother too much and agreed. When we came to the berator on the next term, he said that we were not going to Leipzig, but UNDER Leipzig, which I didn’t like at all (he said that in Leipzig all the heims are full), and after he gave the exact address and I googled where it was and how a slight shock came over us.
Near Leipzig there was a very small town called Wurzen, it was unexpected, but not so scary. It turned out that Heim is located in the village of Trebelshain, 6 km from this very Wurzen. And there is no transport, no store or bakery. Even the connection there worked poorly. We arrived there on March 11th.
http://goo.gl/maps/stmHX
The nearest transport is the train, the stop of which is 2 km from this “farm”. 2 km along a windswept road just to go to Wurzen and buy groceries.
We experienced the biggest shock when the housemaster of this place finally brought us there.
Cold, 2-storey building in the style of "welcome to the USSR and the GDR", a half-wall map of the USSR from the GDR. Cast iron batteries and furniture from the USSR. Dust, cobwebs. Bunk beds. The image was completed by a view from the window of a barn with sheep that were grazing there outside the window, as well as a note written in Russian and pasted over the urinal in the men’s toilet - “don’t flatter yourself - come closer!”

It was clear that they had been sent to this high school very rarely in recent years. Besides us, there was only one family from Kazakhstan, who moved out a few days after we arrived.
Despite all the obvious disadvantages of this place and this area, there were also advantages, as it turned out later.
1. Housemaster. An elderly German, Herr Herberdt, 65 years old. He helped with everything, drove him everywhere in his car. It was clear that he knew all the procedures perfectly. He spoke only German with a hellish dialect, which we learned to barely understand. I helped fill out all the entrags, commenting on every difficult line or word in the entrags.
2. Speed of bureaucracy. On the second day in Heim we visited the Job Center and the Burgersamt. On the third day, we already had German temporary annual passports (Reisepassen) and an open account in Sparkasse. A week later we had the spark pass cards in our hands, and a week later we already received late migrant certificates from Friedland.
3. Khaim was, one might say, empty, and therefore we could quite easily manage a huge kitchen with a bunch of dishes, essentially designed for 10-15 families and a huge dining room. We lived in a room on the second floor and we had a personal bathroom (very clean, I must say), where we could easily leave all our washing supplies.
4. The absence of refugees (refugees) was a positive factor. I have a normal attitude towards people of the East, but let’s say different approaches to hygiene in Russia and, say, Afghanistan, as well as religious aspects, would create certain inconveniences.
Search for an apartment.
As soon as our neighbors from Kazakhstan, with the help of our relatives, found an apartment and moved out of the village, we also became concerned about finding housing. The well-known site http://www.immobilienscout24.de came to the rescue
We wrote a very polite letter in German, explaining who we were and what we wanted, and I began methodically sending out requests to apartments that interested us and met social standards. Previously, I studied which areas of Leipzig it is definitely better not to go into, and which ones are good (why do you need the Turkish quarter for example?!). The fact is that farmers are very reluctant to rent out apartments to applicants receiving ALG-II social benefits, which almost all of us, displaced people at first, are (and this point must be discussed when looking for housing - otherwise you will simply waste time/ride in vain). The 30 messages sent received 3 or 4 replies. We looked at the apartments and chose one. Fermiter was a private trader, not a broker. This was his home. Among other things, the farmer spoke English well, which improved mutual understanding by 5 times.
The bottom line. On March 3rd we landed in Germany, and on April 1st we moved into an apartment in a wonderful and big city Leipzig. There are courses ahead... and much more. I don’t presume to judge myself, since I have no experience, but a friend of mine who has lived here for many years said that everything worked out FANTASTICALLY quickly. If anyone has questions, write in a personal message, I can help you. Good luck to all!

Auf Wiedersehen!