The Stasi Museum (also known in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
as the ''Forschungs- und Gedenkstätte Normannenstraße'') is a research and memorial centre concerning the political system of the former
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
. It is located in the
Lichtenberg locality of
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, in the former headquarters of the
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the (),An abbreviation of . was the Intelligence agency, state security service of the East Germany from 1950 to 1990.
The Stasi's function was similar to the KGB, serving as a means of maint ...
(officially the ''Ministerium für Staatssicherheit''), on Ruschestraße, near
Frankfurter Allee
The Frankfurter Allee is one of the oldest roads of Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It extends the Karl-Marx-Allee from Frankfurter Tor in the direction of the city of Frankfurt (Oder). It is part of Bundesstraße 1 and has a length of .
L ...
and
U-Bahn station Magdalenenstraße.
History
The centrepiece of the exhibition is the office and working quarters of the former Minister of State Security – i.e. head of the Stasi –
Erich Mielke
Erich Fritz Emil Mielke (; 28 December 1907 – 21 May 2000) was a German communist official who served as head of the East German Ministry for State Security (''Ministerium für Staatsicherheit'' – MfS), better known as the Stasi, from 1957 u ...
. The museum is operated by the ''Antistalinistische Aktion Berlin-Normannenstraße'' (ASTAK), which was founded by civil rights
activists
Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...
in Berlin in 1990.
[Trägerverein ASTAK e.V.](_blank)
From the home page.
Tony Paterson, ''The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', 17 June 2010. It aims to foster the development of the museum as a "centre for the collection, preservation, documentation, rehabilitation and exhibition of evidence and research materials relating to East Germany".
In 2010 the German government announced its intention to take over the Stasi Museum, which led to a three-way dispute between ASTAK, local government in Lichtenberg, and the German national government over the future of the site.
ASTAK subsequently announced that Building 1 of the Stasi headquarters, the museum's original location, would be reconstructed and renovated, and the museum would be temporarily moved to Building 22.
StasiMuseum Berlin
Home page, as announced on 3 August 2010.
The museum has approximately 100,000 visitors per year.
Gallery
image:Stasi-Museum_front_view.png
image:Stasi-Museum_entrance.jpg
image:Stasi-Museum_entrance_2.jpg
image:Stasi-Museum_exhibition_room_1.jpg
image:Stasi-Museum_exhibition_room_2.jpg
image:Stasi-Museum_exhibition_room_3.jpg
image:Stasi-Museum_office_room.jpg
image:Stasi-Museum_telefon.jpg
Erich Mielke's office
image:Berlin-MfS-2-2007.jpg
image:Berlin-MfS-3-2007.jpg
image:Schreibtisch von Erich Mielke.JPG
See also
* Memorial and Education Centre Andreasstrasse (Erfurt)
References
External links
Home page in English
{{Visitor attractions in Berlin
Museums in Berlin
Museums established in 1990
Buildings and structures in Lichtenberg
Cold War museums in Germany
1990 establishments in Germany