Visit The Stasi Prison In Hohenschönhausen

The history of the Hohenschönhausen site predates the Stasi’s infamous tenure. Its grim legacy began shortly after the Second World War, in the summer of 1945.

The occupying Soviet forces established Special Camp No. 3 within the buildings of what was once a large industrial canteen. This was part of a network of camps across the Soviet zone used to intern alleged Nazis, members of opposing political groups, and others deemed dangerous by the new authorities. Conditions were catastrophic; thousands perished from malnutrition, disease, and brutal treatment before the camp was closed in 1946. The Soviets then converted part of the site into a central detention prison, constructing subterranean cells known chillingly as the ‘U-Boot’ (submarine). Here, prisoners were held in windowless, damp, underground bunkers, often in total darkness or under constant glaring light, subjected to extreme cold, sleep deprivation, and relentless psychological pressure – a horrific blueprint for what was to come.

In 1951, the nascent East German Ministry for State Security took control of the prison. While the ‘U-Boot’ remained in use for particularly harsh treatment well into the 1950s, the Stasi’s focus shifted towards more refined, insidious methods. Their primary goal wasn’t necessarily physical destruction but psychological decomposition – breaking a prisoner’s will to resist. In the late 1950s, construction began on a large, new prison building adjacent to the old one, completed around 1960. This modern facility housed over 200 cells and numerous interrogation rooms, becoming the Stasi’s main investigative prison. Externally, it looked nondescript, but inside, it was a meticulously designed machine for isolation and interrogation.

Prisoners brought here were accused of a wide range of crimes against the state. The most common was Republikflucht – attempting to leave the GDR without permission. Others included espionage (often fabricated), distributing Western propaganda (like magazines or music), political agitation (even mild criticism of the regime voiced privately could be grounds), or contact with Western organisations. Intellectuals, artists, critical students, and anyone who dared question the party line could find themselves ensnared. They arrived often bewildered, bundled into windowless delivery vans disguised as grocery trucks or refrigerated transports – the infamous Barkas B1000 vans fitted with tiny, hidden cells – ensuring they had no idea where they were being taken.

Upon arrival, a system of total disorientation began. Prisoners were stripped of their identities, given numbers, subjected to invasive searches, and placed in cells where isolation was paramount. Contact with other inmates was strictly forbidden; even guards were trained to minimise interaction, using coloured lights and specific protocols to move prisoners through the corridors without them ever seeing each other. The psychological torment of uncertainty, the endless interrogations using sophisticated manipulation techniques, and the complete loss of control over one’s life were the Stasi’s primary weapons here.