In January 1945, the Soviet Army invaded East Prussia. Soviet troops took revenge on the German population for the atrocities they believed Germany had committed during the war. Looting, rape, and murder were widespread. Millions of people fled in panic, often on foot and under harsh winter conditions. Many died from the cold or violence.

During two major conferences in Yalta (February 1945) and Potsdam (July 1945), the Allied leaders—Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin—redrew the borders of Europe. Large parts of eastern Germany, including East Prussia, Silesia, and Pomerania, came under Polish or Soviet administration. German cities like Breslau and Stettin became Polish, and Königsberg became the Russian Kaliningrad. The original German population was expelled or fled. In total, 12 to 16 million German inhabitants were displaced.

In the chaotic aftermath of the war and the early years that followed, the Allies had promised a humane transfer of the German population to the west. In reality, the "humane transfer" was extremely difficult and often violent.

In the municipality of Apen, in western Germany, mothers and children from bombed cities had already been accommodated during the war. In the final months of the war, refugees from East Prussia joined them. In May and June 1946, a new group of Heimatvertriebenen—primarily from Breslau (Wrocław)—arrived. In a short time, the number of new inhabitants in the municipality increased by about 2,300 people.

These refugees had often only been able to bring their most important possessions. Traumatized by the events they had experienced and uncertain about their future, they arrived in Apen. The municipality was tasked with sheltering them. Since Apen mainly had single-family homes, many refugees ended up in emergency shelters or shared accommodations.

It was not until the 1950s that most Heimatvertriebenen managed to rebuild their lives. Some found work in municipal services, others in the steel or textile industries. However, the housing situation remained problematic. The municipality struggled with a lack of financial resources to build sufficient housing, and living space remained scarce for a long time.