In the time that Berlin was part of the German Democratic Republic, people had to be wary of the Stasi. Created by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), the Stasi protected socialism by keeping a close eye on all citizens and people who were potentially a threat to its existence. By the time the Berlin wall fell, the Stasi had over 90.000 employees and 189.000 unpaid informants, one for about every 90 citizens. The Stasi borrowed techniques from the Soviet secret service and developed a well functioning apparatus in which psychic demolition was a common weapon. The spreading of rumors and manipulating the truth disrupted people’s lives and allowed the state to isolate people, destroy their lives or even incriminate them.
Although the Stasi came to life in 1950, the Hohenschönhausen prison complex was already in use from 1945. When the Soviets entered Berlin, they saw the property, which housed a canteen kitchen, was a good place for keeping nazis and nazi-collaborators temporarily. The building had a basement, which was transformed into a cell complex in 1947 that got the nickname U-Boot, or submarine. In the damp, dark place, sleep deprivation was one of the main torture methods. The Soviets initially used it as a tool to get control of the occupied East of Germany in the years directly after World War II. When the Stasi took over the site in 1951, it became a place where people opposing the socialist state were held before their trial. Although conditions seemed to improve with new buildings, built by prisoners, with better facilities, the targeted mental breakdown continued. One may even argue it worsened as the methods were refined.
On June 17th 1953 there was a big uprising in East Germany. The peaceful protests were put down by Soviet tanks that rolled into Berlin. Throughout the GDR thousands of people were arrested and sent to labor camps. In a two week period, 349 prisoners arrived at Hohenschönhausen. As you can imagine, many people also tried to leave the country. The borders got more and more secure and even an attempt to flee was against the law. Until 1989, over 70.000 people were arrested for flight attempts in the GDR. Some ended up in Hohenschönhausen, but there were also artists and people who thought differently than the regime. After your fabricated conviction, your best hope was to be bought free by the West German government.
While the prison was operating, the general population had no idea what was going on here. The place was not marked on the map and everything was kept top secret. People who worked here lived in the secret, restricted complex and prisoners were kept in the dark about where they were. Meanwhile thousands of people were mistreated over the years. It was also the center of technological development. Here in Hohenschönhausen the Stasi developed spy technology, like cameras and listening devices. They created duplicate keys and false documents. They also developed the tools to open everyone’s mail and spy and on them this way.
What I liked about the tour was that the guide often sketched the picture of what it was like for an inmate at the prison. Let’s say you were suspected of having aided someone to escape the GDR and you were captured by the Stasi. You’d be put in a small van that looked like any other delivery van in the city. You’d be driven around, not knowing where you were going. Then the van entered the garage of the Hohenschönhausen complex. You’d see guns and Stasi officers would shout at you. You’d be stripped and searched and taken to your cell. You’d be interrogated, but it almost didn’t matter what you’d say. It was highly likely that your verdict had already been written. They just needed to get a confession out of you.
Cells were designed in a way that guards were the only ones with the power to flick on the lights. In the middle of the night they might suddenly turn on an extra light that could be turned to inside or outside the cell. They’d watch you through the spy hole in the door and if you were not lying in a satisfactory position, they’d make noise. Everything was designed to make you go mad and have control over you. You couldn’t talk to anyone but your interrogator. Even in the hallways they had a system to indicate if any other prisoners were being moved. They’d do anything to avoid you having contact with others. And if you were put in a room with others, there was likely a spy amongst you. You only got a white room, with white food. Total sensory deprivation. The beds were wooden and in the early days the toilet was a bucket. But one of the former inmates said at times there wasn’t even a bucket available. There were also cells where you had to stand all the time. When the oxygen would run out, you’d probably be ready to speak, or confess. Everything was done to ensure you reached your limit, would confess to whatever crime and potentially incriminate your friends or family in the process. Once they were satisfied, you’d be “put on trial” and were sentenced to labor in one of the camps.
The tour was impressive, but it’s main message was clearly to stand still and think about the privilege we have, living in a place where government and justice are separated, where you can express your opinions, create art and be critical without fearing repercussions. Our guide was clearly upset by the state of the world, mentioning “it may be cold here [it was snowing], but in Ukraine it’s even colder and the people there don’t have heating because the infrastructure is being attacked.” He frequently came back to other historical events that related to the story of the GDR, but also to what’s going on in the world today, including in what’s always seen as a free place, the United States. The tour, in a way, was meant to not only realize how privileged we are, but also to not take things for granted and to fight for human rights. Because if we don’t, the tide can turn.
