Familiar landscapes, sounds and smells, a common language, family or friends – home has a different meaning for everyone.

For many people, the notion of home is strongly connected to one particular place: their place of birth. But, as an old English saying has it, “home is where the heart is”. Or as the German singer Herbert Grönemeyer says: “Home is not a place, home is a feeling!”

Everyone knows what it feels like to be homesick, to miss one’s home. At home, we feel like we belong and are secure. Home can give us orientation and serve as a safe anchor in these fast-moving times. But there are many people who feel homeless because they have had to leave their homes.

We have asked Germany-Alumni what home means to them – here are some answers: