Berlin 2025 · Page 2

In the late afternoon we went to the Stasi prison in Hohenschönhausen, where we were given a guided tour by a contemporary witness.

During the GDR era, Hohenschönhausen was the site of the central remand prison of the Ministry for State Security (MfS), which was known for its repressive methods. After reunification, the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial was founded to come to terms with the history of the site and make it accessible to the public.

The period of the Stasi remand prison in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen is one of the darkest chapters in the history of the GDR. Here is a more detailed account:

After the Second World War, the Soviet secret police (NKVD) first used the site as an internment camp in a former Nazi canteen facility. From 1951 the Ministry for State Security (MfS) – the "Stasi" for short – took over the site and set up the GDR's central remand prison here.