In 1945, immediately after the end of the war, the Soviet occupying power used the building in Hohenschönhausen, which had originally been constructed as a large kitchen, as an internment camp.
In 1947, the Soviet secret service put the basement of the kitchen building into operation as a remand prison. In 1951, it handed over the basement prison to the Stasi.
In 1960, the Stasi built a new prison on the site, which it used as a central remand prison for political prisoners until 1989. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, former prisoners campaigned for the establishment of a memorial, which was opened in 1994.

History of the site

Not only the prison, but also the surrounding area belonged to the Stasi. In the restricted area, which the civilian population could not enter, numerous buildings belonged to the GDR secret police - such as the Nazi file archive, the operational-technical sector for the production of surveillance technology or the secret labour camp “X”. 

Further information about the restricted area
Publication: The Prohibited District