Migration stories stretching from Türkiye to Germany

Sixty-five years have passed since the Labor Recruitment Agreement was signed between Turkey and Germany on October 30, 1961. Reflecting on this period, Selim Adanur—who migrated from Türkiye—remarked, “We came here with the intention of saving money. People come here to work and earn a living. Otherwise, our country is truly unique in the world—a place where you can experience all four seasons at once. It is so beautiful; we only left those lovely lands behind because of the necessity of better living conditions.”
Following the Second World War, Germany entered a period of economic reconstruction, leading to a demand for labor. To address this, a Labor Recruitment Agreement was signed between Turkey and Germany on October 30, 1961. On September 3, 1961, the train carrying the first group of workers departed from Sirkeci Station, bound for Munich, Germany. This initial wave was followed by a significant migration of workers from Türkiye to Germany. While many Turkish workers began in the construction and industrial sectors, they eventually went on to establish their own businesses. As these workers brought their families to join them over the years, a permanent Turkish community took root in the country. Naci Akpınar—who arrived in 1992, following relatives who had migrated under the agreement, and later opened a *börek* (savory pastry) shop in Berlin—and Selim Adanur, who opened a barbershop in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district, shared their experiences, noting, “If I had to make a clear-cut decision 30 years ago, I might not have come.” “I remember the days of the Deutsche Mark. The economy was in great shape; we could get by for a whole week on 100 marks. Now, we can’t even make it through a single day.”