Marienfelde

Marienfelde (German pronunciation: [maˈʁiːənˌfɛldə] ⓘ) is a locality in southwest Berlin, Germany, part of the Tempelhof-Schöneberg borough.

The medieval Angerdorf arose together with neighbouring Mariendorf during the German Ostkolonisation migration about 1220 AD, then affiliated with the Teltow estates held by the Knights Templar commandry at Tempelhof.

The settlement of Merghenvelde itself was first mentioned in a 1344 deed, after the Brandenburg lands of the Knights Templar had passed to the Order of Saint John.

It is currently served by the Berlin S-Bahn commuter rail network at the Marienfelde, Buckower Chaussee and Schichauweg railway stations.

The center, which opened in 1953, was the first stop for more than 1.5 million refugees fleeing communism in East Germany via West Berlin.

Even after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the center continued processing East German refugees until unification a year later.

Marienfelde manor
Tanker train at Marienfelde station
Refugee center memorial site