The labor commandos of the prisoners in Hohenschönhausen
The exhibition focuses on a topic that has received little research attention to date and examines the living and working conditions of the women assigned to the work units.
Image gallery
Besucher mit Tablet
Kochhalle
Schlafräume
Through their labor, these women were required to help ensure the supply, operation, and maintenance of the Ministry for State Security’s (MfS) central remand prison—in the kitchen, as cleaning staff, and in sewing, laundry, and ironing, as well as in the carpentry shop and the auto repair shop. The new permanent exhibition is housed in a preserved kitchen and living wing of the prison, measuring approximately 500 square meters. Until 1989, female prisoners from the “Neue Küche” work detail were housed and worked here.
Historical furniture, equipment, and kitchen utensils are displayed in their original locations or storage areas, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the daily life of imprisonment and labor within the prisoner work units.
In order to preserve the kitchen wing—with its various work and living spaces—in its original condition, the memorial is breaking new ground in digital education: The core exhibition content—such as photos, video and audio documents, accounts from eyewitnesses, and recorded excerpts from informants’ reports to the Stasi—is made accessible via an augmented reality app. Volumetric 3D recordings of eyewitnesses also enable a virtual encounter with former inmates.
- Tablets in German and English are available free of charge at the visitor service desk upon presentation of identification
- Admission is free
Additional information
Hours:
- Daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Accessibility
The exhibition is not accessible to people with disabilities.
