Berlin’s first ‘container village’ was built in December 2014 from 367 colourful containers to provide accommodation for refugees. People from many parts of the world found a temporary home here – in an unfamiliar environment. This presented challenges for the everyday life of the local community, which struggled to redefine its self-image and find new forms of cohesion. The container village was closed in December 2025. But the events and individual experiences will continue to shape people. What happened here epitomises the examples of countless other neighbourhoods that just as unexpectedly have and continue to become places of arrival*.

* comparable with the term ‘arrival cities’ by Doug Saunders: Places where people from other countries settle.

The exhibition investigates the relationship between the ‘container village’ and the neighbourhood – drawing on a chronological order of various thematic focal points and the changing perspectives of the various stakeholders. Several workshops were organised for this purpose with the aim of sharing memories and ideas. Individual and group interviews were also conducted with a total of 37 people, while 34 gigabytes of photos, videos and texts were analysed and research conducted into additional contemporary documents and literature. 

The outcome is a multidimensional coordinate system: aside from the course of events, the involved actors from the neighbourhood, administration and politics are repeatedly mentioned as well. What they have to say reports on their own actions and emotions in the overarching categories of ‘Conflict and Healing’, ‘Before and After’ and ‘Alone and Together’. This uncovers the mindsets and feelings behind the personal and social challenges. The exhibition therefore perceives itself as a platform that unites otherwise distant positions and prioritises frank discussion over final judgement.

“Treptow-Köpenick was lucky enough to have the first so-called residential container village in these colourful containers. And then came the first ‘Tempohome’ in Altglienicke. We are a bit of a museum borough, so to speak.“ (Treptow-Köpenick Borough Office, Participation and Integration Officer since 2014)

“Little gem” (resident of Bethel Köpenick retirement home)