Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WORTH A DETOUR
STASI SIGHTS IN EAST BERLIN
In the German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany), the walls had ears.
Modelled after the Soviet KGB, the GDR's Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (Ministry
of State Security, 'Stasi' for short) was founded in 1950. It was secret police, central
intelligence agency and bureau of criminal investigation all rolled into one. Called the
'shield and sword' of the SED, the sole East German party, it put millions of GDR cit-
izens under surveillance in order to suppress internal opposition. The Stasi grew
steadily in power and size and, by the end, had 91,000 official full-time employees and
189,000 IMs (inoffizielle Mitarbeiter,unofficial informants). The latter were regular
folks recruited to spy on their coworkers, friends, family and neighbours. There were
also 3000 IMs based in West Germany.
When the Wall fell, the Stasi fell with it. Thousands of citizens stormed the organisa-
tion's headquarters in January 1990, thus preventing the shredding of documents
that reveal the full extent of institutionalised surveillance and repression through wire-
tapping, videotape observation, opening private mail and other methods. The often
cunningly low-tech surveillance devices (hidden in watering cans, rocks, even neck-
030-553 6854;
www.stasimuseum.de
;
Haus 1, Ruschestrasse 103; adult/concession €5/4; 10am-6pm
Mon-Fri, noon-6pm Sat & Sun; ; Magdalenenstrasse)
, which occupies several floors of the
former fortress-like ministry. At its peak, more than 8000 people worked in this com-
pound alone; the scale model in the entrance foyer will help you grasp its vast dimen-
sions.
Another museum highlight is the 'lion's den' itself, the stuffy offices, private quar-
ters and conference rooms of Erich Mielke, head of the Stasi for an incredible 32
years, from 1957 until the bitter end. Other rooms introduce the ideology, rituals and
institutions of East German society. There's also background on the SED party and on
the role of the youth organisation Junge Pioneere(Young Pioneers). Panelling is partly
in English.
No words are needed to understand the purpose of the van in the foyer. Outfitted
with five teensy, lightless cells, it was used to transport suspects to the
Stasi prison
(Gedenkstätte Hohenschönhausen; 030-9860 8230;
http://en.stiftung-hsh.de
; Genslerstrasse 66; adult/
concession €5/2.50; German tours hourly 11am-3pm Mon-Fri Mar-Oct, 11am, 1pm & 3pm Mon-Fri Nov-Feb,
hourly 10am-4pm year-round Sat & Sun, English tours 2.30pm Wed, Sat & Sun; M5 to Freienwalder
Strasse)
, a few kilometres from the ministry. It too is a memorial site today - called
