Travel bucket list idea:
Berlin-Hohenschonhausen Memorial
Berlin, Germany
Credit Shutterstock.com/Matyas Rehak
Last updated: 23 April, 2024
East Germany’s darkest past is on show at this former prison of the Stasi, the notorious East German secret police. Thousands of inmates, ranging from student activists to leaders of the 1953 uprising, were interned here.
Now a memorial, tours are usually conducted by former inmates offering a more vivid – and chilling – first-hand account of prison conditions and the interrogation methods employed by the GDR’s Ministry of State Security. It recounts stories of prison life and inmates suffering through over 300 photos and nearly 500 artefacts, including prison clothes and letters from inmates.
Logistics
Price from: £5
Minimum age: 0
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around
Getting there & doing it
Take tram M5 from the S-Bahn stations at Alexanderplatz or Landsberger Allee to the Freienwalder Strasse stop. The Memorial is then about a 10-minute walk down Freienwalder Strasse.
Note that it is only possible to visit the memorial on one of the guided tours. The English-speaking public tour runs three times daily. You can just turn up, but it’s better to book in advance via the website.
When to do it
The memorial is open all year round, seven days a week.
