The Christian Democratic Union, the most sceptical big party, was an enthusiastic backer of the Tempelhof referendum, notes Volker Mittendorf of the University of Wuppertal.

ECONOMIST: If you thought Germany did not do referendums, think again

Among the organization's latest offerings is the 335-acre Tempelhof Park on the site of the city's former airport, which was built by the Nazis in the 1930s.

CNN: Sites of Berlin's industrial past get a second life

Tempelhof may close, but direct democracy will soldier on.

ECONOMIST: If you thought Germany did not do referendums, think again

Ed Koch, a spokesman for the youth services office of Berlin's Tempelhof-Schoeneberg district, where the young man has been staying in the youth home, told CNN he is very angry about the hoax.

CNN: Police: 'Forest Boy' story is a hoax