Germany
Lichtenberg

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    • Day 5

      Stasi Museum

      December 21, 2019 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

      One has to see it to believe it but the level of intrusion into the lives of every citizen of the GDR is mind boggling.
      The Stasimuseum is located in House 1 on the former grounds of the headquarters of the GDR Ministry for State Security (MfS). The building was erected in 1960-61 as the offices of Erich Mielke, who served as Minister for State Security from 1957 until the end of the GDR.
      On 15 January 1990 demonstrators took over the Stasi headquarters.
      A week later, the Central Round Table, a committee made up of representatives of the SED dictatorship and civil rights groups, decided that a “memorial and research centre on GDR Stalinism” should be established in House 1. When nothing came of this declaration of intent, members of the Berlin citizens’ committee and other civil rights activists took action and began securing the historic site.
      In August they founded the association “Antistalinistische Aktion e.V.” (ASTAK). On 7 November 1990, it opened the Research Centre and Memorial at Normannenstrasse with an exhibition titled “Against the Sleep of Reason”. House 1, later named the Stasi Museum, has been open to the public ever since.
      The offices of Erich Mielke are preserved in their original condition and form the centrepiece of the historic site.
      Since 1990, ASTAK has shown different exhibitions, providing information about the State Security and how its activities affected the GDR population. The permanent exhibition “State Security in the SED Dictatorship,” which the association created jointly with the Stasi Records Agency, opened in House 1 in January 2015.
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    • Day 5

      Stasi Museum (cont’d)

      December 21, 2019 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

      The centrepiece of the exhibition is the office and working quarters of the former Minister of State Security – i.e. head of the Stasi – Erich Mielke. The museum is operated by the Antistalinistische Aktion Berlin-Normannenstraße (ASTAK), which was founded by civil rights activists in Berlin in 1990. It aims to foster the development of the museum as a "centre for the collection, preservation, documentation, rehabilitation and exhibition of evidence and research materials relating to East Germany".Read more

    • Day 6

      Totalitarian efficiency

      April 28, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

      Anne was keen to go to the Stasi museum, and that turned out to be an inspired choice because it was fascinating. The Stasi were the Ministry of State Security (MfS) in the GDR, in other words, they were the secret police. I liked the fact that they had not built a specially designed museum but rather it was located in House 1 on the former grounds of the headquarters of the MfS. It was built in 1960-61 as the offices of Erich Mielke, who served as Minister for State Security from 1957 until the end of the GDR. His offices are preserved in their original condition and form the centrepiece of the historic site.

      The museum begins in the car park with a timeline display from the creation of the GDR through its eventual collapse and the reunification of Germany. With lots of photographs, documents and many personal stories, the display walks you through the key events and people involved in that journey. However, it also sets it in the context of the social and political changes that were taking place across Europe and the wider world.

      We then moved into the MfS HQ, and went through the building floor by floor and room by room. It was a real insight into the psychology of totalitarianism, and why such regimes tend to be quite brutal - they live in constant fear of revolution that will overthrow those in power.

      At one stage 1 in 10 people in the GDR were spying for the MfS. I was particularly struck by one display of a wedding photograph, the bride and groom and best man all laughing joyfully together. It turned out that the best man had been spying on the couple and continued to do so. It was as if they had a siege mentality, much like North Korea today, living in constant fear of being attacked by the West.

      I was struck too, by the enormity of effort and organisation and administration that went into the whole operation. Like the Nazis before them, they kept meticulous records, records they tried to destroy but that would lead to the unmasking of thousands of Stasi spies, some of whom were in powerful political positions.
      It made me wonder what happened to those kinds of relationships after the GDR collapsed and the scale of Stasi spying on the populace was made known. How could you reconcile with people, family and friends who had been spying on you for MfS?

      We were at the museum for ages but it was well worth it. Afterwards, the ever talented Anne went to a ceramics class, and Rob, Anita and I went to the Neues Museum, and we managed to get there ourselves without getting lost, though to be fair there is a station at museum island as it is called. Just near the cathedral a Scots piper was busking, playing the bagpipes, he was playing Flower of Scotland, our unofficial national anthem, I was very generous with my coins.

      The museum mostly housed Egyptian and Roman exhibits, with a world famous papyrus collection and of course the famous bust of Nefertiti, so famous it had a room to itself. You could take photographs of everything except that...well they wanted to sell you lots of Nefertiti stuff in the gift shop, which of course you had to go through to exit the building.

      We decided to have a quiet night in as we planned to go to Potsdam in the morning, so, after a dinner of leftovers (still fab) and a chat, it was off to bed. It had been another good day.
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    • Day 8

      The best day №1

      August 21, 2017 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

      После двух отличных "мужских" дней я наконец-то перебралась к Кристине, которая предложила мне у нее остановиться до конца моего пребывания в Берлине. Я поняла,как я соскучилась по русскому языку и по нашей чисто русской традиции разговаривать обо все за чашечкой чая(ну или пива!). У Кристины был уготовлен план по убийству моих ног за два дня) Мы объездили весь центр Берлина и восточную его часть на велосипеде,на котором я не каталась примерно лет с 10. Строгий и культурный Берлин мне понравился,но ничто не сравнится с этой атмосферой в районах подальше от центра,где ты чувствуешь жизнь и что значит быть живым. Закончился вечер естественно пивом в час ночи и бесконечными разговорами)Read more

    • Day 9

      The best day №2

      August 22, 2017 in Germany ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

      Еще один полный день на велосипеде. Чувства,которых я не испытывала уже очень давно-искренняя радость,свобода и наслаждение. Мы видели совершенно другой Берлин,открытый для людей,живой,зеленый,где люди знают,как хорошо проводить время,как наслаждаться моментом и как важно проводить выходные вне рутины. Я полюбила все части Берлина, я полюбила людей здесь. Мои друзья(а я уже могу назвать их друзьями) очень подходят этому городу,а город подходим им. Не знаю,почему люди часто морщатся,когда узнают,что главный пункт назначения Берлин. Может просто Берлин-это не Брандербургские ворота и телебашня,это что-то совсем другое,что люди часто не хотят видеть или им просто лень смотреть дальше ярких отметочек с главными достопримечательностями на карте.Read more

    • Day 9

      Jewish day

      August 22, 2017 in Germany ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

      Сегодня мы решили устроить еврейский день - посетить еврейский музей и потом поесть хумуса в еврейском ресторане. Поход в музей получился достаточно эмоциональным, в некоторых моментах очень сложно было сдерживать то,что внутри. Архитектура здания полностью отражает и передает все,что чувствовали евреи во время войны. Это самая ужасная фаза человеческой истории- наказание человека за причастность его к какой-либо расе. Какими бы не были времена,всегда нужно оставаться человеком внутри.Read more

    • Day 1

      Laos der Weg

      November 25, 2016 in Germany ⋅ 🌫 2 °C

      Gut 12 Stunden geflogen, unterbrochen von 3 Stunden Aufenthalt am Aerport Abu Dhabi sind wir an unserer ersten Reisestation in Bangkok, Samstag den 26. 11.16 angelangt

    • Day 60

      Berlin

      June 27, 2016 in Germany ⋅ 23 °C

      Berlin ist einfach Wahnsinn. In jeder Hinsicht.
      Eigentlich will ich hier nur durchfahren, aber letztendlich habe ich mich doch verleiten lassen, ein paar Tage zu bleiben.
      Viel zu groß, viel zu chaotisch, viel zu voll.
      Aber richtig nice Parties gibt es hier.
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Lichtenberg, ליכטנברג, لختنبرگ

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