Allied Occupation and "Trizonesia" (1945-1949)

Serious Housing Shortage

From 1945 residential density per apartment increased in the towns, due to a rapid influx of evacuees, refugees and exiles from central and eastern Germany. In Cologne 24 peo-ple then shared a residence instead of 11 (1939), in Duisburg 25 instead of 10 persons.

Extract from the social report of the city of Aachen in 1947:

"The family of Josef G., 11 persons, inhabit a Nissen hut [semi-circular hut made of corrugated iron] in Trierer Strasse. Apart from the mother and the head of the family there are nine under-age children, among these a baby of several months. Shortly before the cold spell in the previous winter, the hut was still in construction. An utterly inadequate little stove is supposed to provide necessary heating. Although the family mostly huddle around the little stove, it was not enough to save the children's hands and feet from freezing and they had to be admitted to hospital. On that occasion 12 hundred-weight of potatoes also froze. The 11 persons have six beds, each of which has one blanket. When it gets too cold for them, three people share one bed together: as far as bed linen is concerned, there is next to none. The entire furnishings of the room consist of a cooker, table, kitchen cupboard and a little cupboard. There is no wardrobe. Those few clothes not currently being worn are hanging on the wall. At present one child is laid low with pneumonia."