Guide to the Stasi sights of East Berlin

Discover life in East Berlin during the time of the Stasi secret police with our…Stasi Trail!

What does Stasi mean? The Ministry for State Security (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit) or State Security Service (Staatssicherheitsdienst) was the official state security service of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany / GDR / DDR)

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1. Stasi Museum

The best place to start is the Stasi Museum. The museum opened shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall and is the actual headquarters of the Stasi.

Step inside the grey and oppressive building and visit areas such as the original office of Stasi Head Erich Mielke. Public guided tours in English are every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday at 3 pm. No extra charge and no booking required.

Click here to find out more about our visit to the Stasi Museum.

Haus 1, 103 Ruschestrasse, Berlin

2. Stasi-era architecture

You can’t help but be impressed by Karl Marx Allee. This is communist architecture in a nutshell. Impressive, imposing and stunning. Whilst here visit Cafe Sibylle for some relaxation and a look at the in-house Museum.

72 Karl Marx Allee, Berlin

Have a trip to Kino International. Opened in 1963 this historic venue is still open today showing mainly art-house films.

33 Karl Marx Allee, Berlin

3. Typical communist architecture at Hohenschönhausen

This East Berlin neighbourhood is typical of communist architecture. Concrete blocks are known as Plattenbau. Erich Mielke, the head of the Stasi, lived in a small apartment in Hohenschönhausen until his death in 2000. His apartment isn’t open to visits however you can get a feel for what life was once like.

92 Predener Strasse, Berlin

Berlin plattenbau — Creative Commons: Block 64, Bergfriedstraße, Berlin-Kreuzberg
Author Gunnar Klack

4. Berlin Hohenschönhausen Prison Museum

The Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial is a complex which did not exist…officially. The prison was hidden from inhabitants so not on any maps or spoken about. It simply did not exist…

Click here to read about our visit.

66 Genslerstrasse Berlin

Stasi Prison Berlin — The Submarine (U-boot)

5. Berlin Wall Memorial

A visit to the Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse is where you will learn about the history of the Berlin Wall and see the last standing piece of the real wall, the original border fortifications, a viewing tower, and the ‘death strip’.

111 Bernauer Strasse, Berlin, Germany

6. DDR Museum at Kulturbrauerei

At the DDR Museum within the Kukturbrauerei, you’ll find out all about day to day life in East Berlin. From a replica flat to a trabi with a tent. The Kulturbrauerei is inside the old Schultheiss brewery.

97 Knaackstrasse, Berlin

7. Stay at Ostel

Ostel is a recreated East Berlin housing unit which you can stay in. Relax in rooms coloured in beige, queue up to use the basic bathroom and enjoy original DDR architecture. Click here to read about our visit to Ostel.

5 Wriezener Karree, Berlin