Biographies

The Fifties

Helmut Brand

Helmut Brandt

The prominent member of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) was imprisoned for several years. To biography
Georg Dertinger

Georg Dertinger

The former Minister of Foreign Affairs of East Germany was one of the highest functionaries imprisoned by the Stasi. To biography
Max Fechner

Max Fechner

The former GDR minister of justice was not only a victim but also a perpetrator of systematic political persecution. To biography
Karl-Wilhelm Fricke

Karl Wilhelm Fricke

The journalist was one of several hundred people who were kidnapped by the Ministry of State Security. To biography
Wolfgang Harich

Wolfgang Harich

He was one of the best-known spokesmen for reform communism in the GDR. To biography
Walter Janka

Walter Janka

He was one of the most prominent reformist intellectuals who demanded the democratization of East Germany after the death of Stalin. To biography
Walter Linse

Walter Linse

Dr. Walter Linse was one of 1,200 Germans who were executed by the Soviet military court. To biography
Paul Merker

Paul Merker

The communist was the highest-ranking German official taken into custody in the GDR. To biography

The Sixties and Seventies

Rudolph Bahro

Rudolf Bahro

Rudolf Bahro was one of the most famous communist dissidents in the late GDR. To biography
Heinz Brandt

Heinz Brandt

The former SED official was one of the most famous kidnapping victims of the GDR state security service. To biography
Juergen Fuchs

Jürgen Fuchs

The writer and psychologist was one of the best-known critics of East German secret police. To biography
Gerulf Pannach

Gerulf Pannach

The musician and songwriter was one of the famous East German artists imprisoned after the expatriation of songwriter Wolf Biermann in 1976. To biography
Michael Sallmann

Michael "Salli" Sallmann

Michael "Salli" Sallmann was one of the more prominent poets and songwriters of the critical East German art scene. To biography

The Eighties

Baerbel Bohley

Bärbel Bohley

The artist was one of the leading figures of the peaceful revolution in East Germany in autumn 1989. To biography
Freya Klier

Freya Klier

In the late 1980s, the artist played a large role in the overthrowing of the SED communist dictatorship. To biography
Stephan Krawczyk

Stephan Krawczyk

The singer-songwriter was a prominent critic of the SED dictatorship in the late 1980s. To biography
Vera Lengsfeld

Vera Lengsfeld

The politician was one of the leading figures of the East German civil rights movement. To biography
Ulrike Poppe

Ulrike Poppe

In the 1980s, Ulrike Poppe was one of the leading figures of the grass-roots civil rights movement in the GDR. To biography