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Berlin (dpa) - With the corona pandemic, the number of visitors to the former remand prison of the GDR State Security in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen has fallen dramatically.
In 2020, exactly 107 051 interested people came, the memorial announced on Monday.
That was about 350,000 fewer visitors than in 2019.
The memorial, with its original interrogation rooms and cells, was completely closed to the public for three and a half months.
From June to October there were guided tours in small groups with special hygiene and protection regulations.
Only in January and February was the influx similar to 2019, it said.
"The decline in visitors is a serious turning point for us," said memorial site director Helge Heidemeyer.
For the freelance guides in particular, it is bitter that their job opportunities have collapsed.
The encouragement after the first lockdown, however, encouraged us to start again immediately after the current closure.
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The memorial has meanwhile expanded its online offer, reported Heidemeyer.
For the social media, the series «Behind closed doors» and «Speakers introduce themselves» were created, in which visitor speakers described their experiences.
The Memorial Foundation was established in 2000.
She researches the history of the place of detention and the system of the GDR justice system.
In addition, information is provided through exhibitions, events and publications in order to stimulate the discussion about the consequences of political persecution in the communist dictatorship.
The memorial is funded by the State of Berlin and the federal government.
Between 1951 and 1989 the Stasi imprisoned more than 11,000 people in Hohenschönhausen.
Hohenschönhausen Memorial