Refugees in Templin: "One is a long way from being together"

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Templin in Brandenburg: hometown of the Federal Chancellor

In 2015 almost a million asylum seekers came to Germany, hundreds of them to Templin, a small town in Brandenburg - and the hometown of Angela Merkel (CDU). The journalists Lan-Na Grosse and Aud Krubert-Hall have accompanied Templin and his people - locals and refugees - since then.

For the ZDF "Morgenmagzin" they shot again and again in the city of 16,000, reporting on progress and setbacks. In 2017 the two journalists were nominated for the Grimme Prize for their series "Refugees in Templin". Grosse and Krubert-Hall recorded the experiences of six residents for SPIEGEL. After five years, a documentary entitled "Templin and the refugees - can we do it?"

Journalist Krubert-Hall talks about how Templin has changed over the past five years.

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Journalists Lan-Na Grosse and Aud Krubert-Hall

SPIEGEL: You followed the development after Angela Merkel's famous "We can do it" in Templin closely. Did the city make it?

Krubert-Hall: We have always deliberately withdrawn, never rated anything and never said that the Templiners did well over the five years or the Templiners did it badly. In our film, the Templiners commented on everything themselves and also drawn their own conclusions.

SPIEGEL: To put it another way: Is it possible to say in general whether a city has made it?

Krubert-Hall: No, there is no black or white. Efforts are everywhere - in terms of work, education and volunteering. Many people have set something up and mastered integration. But others have failed at precisely these points. It went here like in many other small German towns.

SPIEGEL: Why did you decide to accompany the city of Templin of all places?

Krubert-Hall: I come from Templin. It was clear to me that it would be a challenge when refugees were housed there. Before that there were almost no foreigners. If you are clearly not from there, you will be looked at with skepticism. In the 1990s there was a problem with Nazis in Templin - as in many east German cities. On the other hand, it was clear to me that the refugees would also meet many committed people.

SPIEGEL: Templin is also the hometown of Angela Merkel. How do people feel about the Chancellor?

Krubert-Hall: It is controversial. But it also makes the Templiner proud. Regardless of whether someone likes Angela Merkel or not, they still mention that it is her hometown.

SPIEGEL: How has Templin developed in these five years since 2015? 

Krubert-Hall: I think the city reflects very well what has happened in many places in Germany. In the beginning there was a willingness to welcome the refugees. Then came the first disappointments and the first internships were canceled. After New Year's Eve in Cologne, the mood in Templin threatened to change. Suddenly it was in vogue on social networks to scold refugees and to spread fear. Fortunately, the fear was not confirmed in Templin.

SPIEGEL: What do you mean by that?

Krubert-Hall : If, for example, refugees had assaulted women in Templin, the conflicts could certainly have come to a head. But that did not happen to that extent. Instead, a kind of normality emerged.

SPIEGEL: Nevertheless, the AfD was very successful with 15.9 percent in the 2019 local elections.

Krubert-Hall: That is no more than anywhere else and corresponds exactly to the state-wide result in Brandenburg. In my opinion, the Mayor of Templin summed it up very well: It's not local politics. Small cities have to pay for the mood towards federal politics. AfD members are now sitting in the city council. The mayor, who is from the left, has to come to terms with it and has since done so.

SPIEGEL: Were there racist attacks in Templin?

Krubert-Hall: As soon as the refugees arrived, someone threw New Year's Eve bangs at a refugee home. There were occasional fights. There was always graffiti and there were Nazis demonstrating in the market square. But most of them weren't from Templin at all, but came because they were trying to create a mood and win votes.

SPIEGEL: Is there more of a coexistence or togetherness in Templin?

Krubert-Hall: You are far from being together. Often the refugees could not, were not allowed or did not want to integrate well. There isn't a lot of work in Templin. The educated refugees have moved to the big cities, but many others who definitely wanted to work have moved away too. Many small German towns can report on this problem. The three refugees in the film are examples of many who wanted to master integration, but could not do so in Templin.

SPIEGEL: Is that just due to job prospects?

Krubert-Hall: Let's put it this way: there is actually little work and the housing situation is difficult. There is practically no vacancy. There is also no foreign community. In one case, however, we as reporters are also partly to blame.

SPIEGEL: Why?

Krubert-Hall: A refugee from Afghanistan broke off his internship in the wood industry very quickly. A shortened excerpt from one of our episodes that we broadcast in "Morgenmagazin" was shared on AfD pages, in which he told us that the job was too strenuous for him and that he had no more energy for football training. After that, the refugee did not have an easy position, although he tried hard. He now lives in Büsum. He has a job there, friends, family, an apartment - a good example of successful integration. But it is still not clear whether he will be allowed to stay.

SPIEGEL: As journalists in Templin, did you experience hostility yourself?

Krubert-Hall : It was only difficult with NPD demos. Otherwise we never had any problems. We showed the positive as well as the negative. Observation was our guiding principle for the series and this film too. Even the critics have therefore said: We talk to you, you are honest. We wanted the audience to form their own opinion.

SPIEGEL: There was no clear opponent of refugees among the protagonists who accompanied you for longer. Was that intended?

Krubert-Hall: Accompanying a refugee opponent would not have continued the film either. There was no development there. The criticism came across anyway by always showing where there are problems. One entrepreneur, for example, says very clearly that the integration only worked in some areas.

SPIEGEL: How difficult is it to remain objective when you have a close relationship with the city?

Krubert-Hall: I think that was why I was particularly objective. And because of my status as a former Templiner, it was easier for me to get access to the local people.

SPIEGEL: How much does the Templin of 2015 have to do with the Templin of today?

Krubert-Hall: The refugees are now part of the cityscape. Of the 300 or so who live there today, 41 have found employment. Many work in the Seehotel, the children learn in schools. A multicultural center had existed since 1993, which was called that because the cultural forms of cinema, theater, readings and concerts took place there. Today there are also events there where refugees and Templiners meet. But not much has changed for most people. You only get something from the refugees if it says in the newspaper that someone has started a job or refugees have not adhered to the Corona rules. Quite normal everyday life in a typical small German town.