On the grounds of the former central detention facility of the Ministry of State Security has been a memorial site since 1994. The Hohenschönhausen Memorial Berlin.

Experience authentic history: The Hohenschönhausen Memorial in Berlin, once a Stasi prison, sheds light on the dark chapter of political persecution in the GDR. A place of remembrance and warning.

It has the statutory task of researching the history of the Hohenschönhausen prison from 1945 to 1989, providing information through exhibitions, events and publications, and encouraging discussion of the forms and consequences of political persecution and oppression in the communist dictatorship.
The example of this prison will also be used to provide information about the system of political justice. Since large parts of the buildings and furnishings have remained almost intact, the memorial provides a very authentic picture of the prison regime in the GDR.

Hohenschönhausen Memorial

Location & Sights nearby

The memorial is located in the Hohenschönhausen district of the same name in eastern Berlin. Within 20 minutes you reach the lively Alexanderplatz with its 368-meter-high television tower or the visit makes you even more curious for a visit to the Stasi Museum, which can be reached within 30 minutes by bus. 

Brief history of the Hohenschönhausen Memorial

In June 1945, after the end of the Second World War, the Soviet secret police took over the Hohenschönhausen von Lichtenberg area and transformed it into a prisoner and transit camp known as Special Camp No. 3. In October 1946 the camp was closed and the prisoners moved to other camps. The prison was reopened in 1951 by the Ministry of State Security (MfS), also known as the Stasi. At the end of the 1950s, the Stasi built a new prison building (with prisoner labour). The new building contained 200 prison cells and interrogation rooms.  The prison was used until 1989 until Die Wende and officially closed on 3 October 1990.

Address, opening hours...

Address: Genslerstraße 66, 13055 Berlin
Opening hours: Note: The Stasi prison can only be visited as part of a guided tour.

March to October
Tours start daily between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., every hour on the hour
English tour: daily at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m.
Russian tour: every Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

November to February
Monday to Friday at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.
Saturday/Sunday/Public Holidays: tours start hourly between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
English tour: daily at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Russian tour: every Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

Admission: Regular rate €8, reduced rate €4, students €1.50

Transport connections: Große-Leege-Str./Freienwalder Str./
Bus: 256, N56, Tram: M5 from S/U-Bahn station Alexanderplatz or S-Bahn station Landsberger Allee (towards Hohenschönhausen/Zingster Straße) to Freienwalder Straße,
Tram: M6 from S/U-Bahn station Alexanderplatz or S-Bahn station Landsberger Allee (towards Hellersdorf/Riesaer Straße) to Genslerstraße.

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Experience authentic history: The Hohenschönhausen Memorial in Berlin, once a Stasi prison, sheds light on the dark chapter of political persecution in the GDR. A place of remembrance and warning.