no man's land
They grew up in Ghana, Syria and Afghanistan and left their homes to escape war and persecution. Once they arrive in Germany, asylum seekers are randomly assigned to refugee homes all over the country. Some end up in the most beautiful places Germany has to offer: the Black Forest, the island of Sylt, the Alps, the Eiffel National Park or the Bavarian Forest. These are tourist destinations that are known all over Europe. But what sounds like a jackpot to those who only come to vacation often means isolation to those who are stranded in these remote areas. Asylum seekers in Germany are not allowed to leave the county that they're assigned to until their refugee status is established, a process which can take months or even years. For them, these gorgeous landscapes can become as suffocating as a prison cell.
See the newspaper layout of the series here.