A struggle at both ends

A train from Salzburg enters the central railway station in Munich on Sunday - one of the last to bring migrants fleeing the Middle East and Africa before Germany begins activating border checks at its frontier with Austria.

Juan Hussein has just arrived by train to Munich. As with all other migrants, police round him with hundreds of other travelers. The group is then taken through a cordoned path to a medical check up center, which offers food and refreshments to the asylum seekers.

The Kurdish Syrian and his friends are then given a document that serves as a ticket to get onto any train that will take them to Dortmund in western Germany. There, they will be housed in a shelter until local authorities figure out ways to employ them fruitfully.

But for many of the young men arriving, a refugee home is an option without a future. "They are taking us to shelters," says Ali, a refugee from Bangladesh who is basically looking for a means of income so he can send money home to his family. "But I want to work and earn money," he adds.

Ahmed, also an artist from Iraq, describes how "Islamic state" militants took over his city, Salaheddin. He has not been able to work since the fall of the Saddam Hussein government. All he wants is a job so he can bring over his family to Europe as soon as possible, but that may take a while, as EU members redefine the Dublin rules for granting asylum and Germany draws out a plan to rehabilitate the travelers.

A challenge for Germany

Every train from Salzburg and Hungary's capital, Budapest, has been bringing in a huge number of people. On Saturday, the count reached 12,200 and many were forced to spend the night in the open.

Residents of the Bavarian capital have been ready with help, bringing hot drinks, sleeping bags, rugs and clothes for the refugees.

Karl-Heinz, a pensioner who is almost 70 years old, says he is not very rich, but feels "it is necessary to help people in need."

His sense of duty prompted him to come all the way from his home in Dachau to witness the scenes in Munich and help these people. However, the big numbers of refugees pouring in with every train coming from Salzburg frighten him. "We will soon have the Oktoberfest and if our police officers are busy with refugees, security may be compromised at that event," he says.

Munich may be temporarily relieved after Chancellor Merkel's administration decided to close borders with Austria until the flow of refugees had ebbed, but the challenges of integrating the migrants into Germany's society are set to continue in the long term.