Basic Law, Article 11, para. 1

All Germans shall have the right to move freely throughout the federal territory.

The right to freedom of movement guarantees that every German citizen can live, stay and move anywhere in the Federal Republic of Germany. Temporary expulsion orders from public places, as German police will sometimes impose on individuals, generally do not impinge on Art. 11 of the Basic Law. However, an expulsion from an individual’s home would constitute a clear violation—even for as little as a single night. Prevailing land usage rights, for example building rights or land conservation rights, are considered elaborations of this basic right.

The photograph depicts an everyday situation under the Zoobrücke bridge in Cologne. Mobile homes and tents were a common sight here for many years.