The last home

At Heide Camp Brüggen in North Rhine-Westphalia, numerous long-term campers live on the edge of subsistence. While permanent residence on campsites is legally contested in many federal states, it is explicitly prohibited in NRW. Despite this, residents have been tolerated here for over 20 years. However, a new owner now plans to transform the site into a luxury resort.

Once viewed as a refuge, Heide Camp is increasingly becoming a bittersweet symbol of community and impending loss. This situa- tion highlights a growing issue in Germany: the rising number of people living on the margins of society, capturing the tension bet- ween their desire for freedom and dignity amidst harsh economic realities and divergent societal norms.

The project was created in a collaborative research with journalist Paul Weinheimer.