display
Berlin (dpa) - With the completion of the second construction phase, the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen memorial has been rebuilt and renovated for a total of 25 million euros.
From the point of view of Berlin's Senator for Culture Klaus Lederer, the complex used by the State Security of the GDR as a pre-trial detention center is an “authentic place to come to terms with things” like few in Germany at the time.
People were imprisoned here who were supposed to be psychologically broken, said the left-wing politician in Berlin on Wednesday.
After renovation and renovation, the memorial now has a visitor area with a café and seminar rooms that were built into former garages. Some media rooms were created in the prison wing, and modern fire protection had to be provided in the old buildings, which at the same time should not destroy the historical appearance.
According to its director Helge Heidemeyer, around half a million people visit the memorial every year.
This puts extreme demands on historical furnishings such as floor coverings or wallpaper in the narrow aisles.
"We want to have a lot of visitors, but they also leave their mark," said Heidemeyer, "you have to endure this conflict."
This affects two floors with detention cells and what were then called the interrogator rooms.
As a consequence, Heidemeyer announced that he would no longer allow backpacks on tours in the future.
For historical records, one floor in Hohenschönhausen remains closed to visitors.
display
The new media equipment is also a consequence of the fact that videos from contemporary witnesses are increasingly being used for guided tours.
The 77-year-old Hans-Jochen Scheidler, for example, was imprisoned in Hohenschönhausen himself after he had produced a leaflet with the help of ink pads for children against the Soviet invasion of Prague.
He has been doing voluntary work in Hohenschönhausen for years, leading school classes and other groups.
Scheidler sees the multimedia missions as “the only chance to continue the role of contemporary witnesses in the future”.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210421-99-296206 / 2
Homepage memorial