Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial

Berlin's main Stasi prison
Talk of the town: The prison was depicted in the 2006 movie 'The Lives of Others'.

Noteworthy for: After WWII, the Soviet Secret Police used it as a detainment camp with over 20,000 people passing through to other Soviet camps, including a former Nazi concentration camp.
There is no better way to experience history than through the eyes of those who witnessed it. At the Hohenschönhausen memorial centre, not only do you follow in the footsteps of the political prisoners of the GDR, but the guides themselves are former inmates of this Stasi remand prison.

The foundation aims to encourage critical awareness of political persecution and suppression during the dictatorship, and in this, it certainly succeeds. Walking through the cells, interrogation rooms and buildings, fitted out with furniture and equipment from its prison days, while hearing first-hand stories of the atrocities committed, it is an incredible affecting experience.

It is only possible to view the extensive prison complex on an official guided tour, which you can organise in advance or through the visitor centre at the gate. You can also arrange to have lunch in the on-site canteen located in the buildings belonging to the former Ministry of State Security secret labour camp "X".