The labor commandos of the prisoners in Hohenschönhausen

At the Hohenschönhausen remand prison, convicted prisoners were used as laborers. In work groups, they had to take care of the supply and maintenance of the central remand prison of the State Security as cleaners, cooks and craftsmen.

For the first time, the topic of labor detachments of prisoners in Hohenschönhausen is presented in a separate exhibition. Interviews with contemporary witnesses and research results from the archives enrich the new permanent exhibition. In addition, parts of the work, living and sleeping quarters of the work commandos that were previously not open to the public will be made accessible.

What did it mean for the women to be imprisoned in the labour commando in Hohenschönhausen? What kind of work did they have to do? What was it like to live together in this forced community? What conflicts were there? What role did friendships play? Who reported to the Stasi? And how did the women view the MfS personnel?

To investigate these questions, the exhibition team of the memorial conducted interviews with former prisoners and evaluated numerous Stasi documents. In the exhibition, the memories of the time of imprisonment are juxtaposed with the Stasi documents from back then - and the reports that were written on behalf of the Stasi.

The exhibition is presented in German and English.

Additional information

Free admission.

Accessibility

The new prison building is accessible for wheelchair users and people with walking difficulties. Registration at tel.: 030/ 98 60 82 - 30 will facilitate the organisation.

The permanent exhibition "Imprisoned in Hohenschönhausen" in the main building is completely barrier-free.

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