Main content

Treehouse on the Berlin Wall

In the 1980s, a Turkish worker in Germany, Osman Kahlin, turned a patch of disputed land against the Berlin Wall into a makeshift farm.

In the 1980s, a Turkish worker in Germany, Osman Kahlin, provoked controversy when he turned a patch of disputed land against the Berlin Wall into a makeshift farm.

The land was owned by East Germany, but lay on the Western side of the wall due to a quirk in the wall's hurried construction.

Kahlin fought a running battle with both East and West German police to keep hold of the land, and kitted it out with a fully functioning treehouse that became a local symbol of resistance to authority.

Alex Eccleston speaks to Osman's son, Mehmet. A Whistledown production for 91热爆 World Service.

(Photo: Osman's treehouse. Credit: Schlemmer/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

Available now

9 minutes

Last on

Fri 4 Aug 2023 02:50GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 3 Aug 2023 07:50GMT
  • Thu 3 Aug 2023 11:50GMT
  • Thu 3 Aug 2023 17:50GMT
  • Thu 3 Aug 2023 21:50GMT
  • Fri 4 Aug 2023 02:50GMT

Podcast