Berlin closes the largest shelter for Ukrainian refugees - affecting about 1500 refugees
The Berlin government announced its plans to close the largest shelter for Ukrainian refugees at the former Tegel airport. This site, which once housed around 5,000 refugees at its peak, currently accommodates only about 1,500 people. Authorities intend to fully evacuate it by the end of 2025 as part of a massive redevelopment project for the area.
The Tegel center was established in the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a temporary reception center, but it later faced criticism due to poor living conditions. Refugees were housed in tents and large containers for longer than expected. Over the past months, many residents have been moved to smaller accommodations around Berlin in preparation for the center's closure. Authorities say the city will now focus on a decentralized housing system that provides refugees with more privacy and facilitates their integration.
Among those who were transferred is Volodymyr Savinko, a 45-year-old from the Poltava region. He lived in Tegel before being moved to Tempelhof Airport. He said, "The food here is better, but we are still living in containers inside a hangar. In Tegel, the toilets and showers were in tents, but here we have to cross the street to use them." Savinko hopes to find an apartment soon, enroll in German language courses, and work as a bus driver after having worked as a truck driver in Ukraine.
Another refugee, Viktor Matvienko, an 18-year-old from the Kyiv region, also lived in Tegel before being transferred to a student residence in northern Berlin. He recalls the anxiety that preceded the transfer, but he says the new accommodation is more comfortable: "We now have a private room and cook for ourselves, whereas in Tegel we shared large dining halls." Despite missing the volunteers and translators who helped Ukrainians in Tegel, Matvienko is now focusing on learning German to continue his studies in film and television.
Kansel Kiziltepe, the Minister of Labor, Social Affairs, and Equality in Berlin, confirmed that decentralized housing helps build good community relations and alleviates pressure on large accommodation centers. The city plans to create 8,600 new places for refugees, with small apartments distributed across various neighborhoods replacing large camps.
The closure of Tegel Center opens the door to a massive urban development project. The historical buildings of the airport will be preserved and transformed into educational and research institutions. Terminal A will be converted into a university, while an industrial and research area known as the Republic of Urban Technology, dedicated to modern technologies, will be established over an area of more than 200 hectares. A new residential neighborhood named Schumacher Quarter will be built, comprising 5,000 housing units, schools, kindergartens, playgrounds, and parks, to accommodate more than 10,000 people. The investment in the project is approximately 8 billion euros, funded by both public and private sources.
Although the Tegel center will close in its current form, it will not disappear completely. By mid-2026, it will be converted into a permanent reception center that meets EU standards, accommodating 2,600 people. The Berlin government intends to use it until 2031, marking a gradual end to one of the largest humanitarian efforts in the city since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.