Lager Friedland

Lager Friedland is a reception camp in Lower Saxony consisting of multiple buildings and facilities designed to accommodate arriving displaced persons. The site contained residential barracks, administrative offices, and service buildings that managed the flow of people through its operations.

The facility opened in 1945 under British control and became a processing point for millions of displaced persons and refugees after World War II. Over the following decades, it handled successive waves of arrivals from across Europe seeking new lives in West Germany.

The camp served as a threshold where displaced families found initial support and began their life in Germany. Visitors can sense the place's role as a transition point where people from different parts of Europe waited, received guidance, and prepared for their futures.

The site is located south of Göttingen and accessible by public transportation, making it easy for visitors to reach. Good walking shoes are recommended since exploring the grounds requires time spent on foot.

The camp became famous for processing roughly 1.4 million arrivals between 1950 and 1987, primarily ethnic Germans from eastern territories. This scale reflects how central this location was to post-war migration across Europe.

Location: Friedland

Official opening: September 20, 1945

GPS coordinates: 51.42280,9.91111

Latest update: December 8, 2025 19:40