The Bautzner Straße Memorial in Dresden

The Bautzner Straße Memorial is the former remand prison and regional office of the East German Ministry of State Security (Stasi) in Dresden.

Visitor Information

The Bautzner Straße Memorial in Dresden
Bautzner Straße 112a,
01099 Dresden
Phone: +49 351 646 54 54
Fax: +49 351 646 54 43
E-Mail: info@bautzner-strasse-dresden.de
Website: www.bautzner-strasse-dresden.de

Opening Hours
Daily 10am – 6pm
Closed Easter Sunday / 24-26 December / 31 December and 1 January

Admission
Adults €6 / reduced €3
Free up to 18 years
Free on last Sunday of the month

Guided Tours
Tours for groups after registration (min. 10 people, €6 each)
Student groups after registration (€40)
Free guided tour every 1st Sunday of the month (11am)
Donations are welcome & appreciated!
Registrations via this link »

“The 1989 Dresden Revolutionary Path” show more…

We are offering, with immediate effect, a new guided walk on this theme.

In the autumn of 1989 something totally unexpected occurred: A large proportion of the citizens of the GDR, the German Democratic Republic, took to the streets against the authoritarian state power and brought the regime to its knees. Dresden played a special role in these times of great change.

It all started in the beginning of October 1989 when the West German Embassy of Prague dispatched trains filled with people fleeing the GDR into the Federal Republic of Germany. These were routed via Dresden. Thousands gathered at the Dresden Central Station to jump onto the trains or protest against the GDR regime. When the station was evacuated and sealed off on the evening of October 4, there were riots. Violent attacks on both sides, mass arrests and destruction followed. It became clear quickly that these days in Dresden would decide whether the revolution in East Germany would end peacefully or not.
The city tour revisits the sites central to these historical events and traces the story of this special path taken by Dresden in autumn 1989.

This event is sponsored by the City of Dresden.

Duration: approx. 135 Minutes
Price per participant: 7 €
Minimum price per group: 80 €
Registrations via this link »

Access
All entrances of the Memorial are wheelchair accesible.
There is no wheelchair access to the Underground prison and 1st and 2nd floor in the main building.

Getting here
By car: Bundesstraße 6 (B6)
By tram: Number 11, nearest station is Angelikastraße
By bus: Number 74 and 261, nearest station is Angelikastraße or Number 64 to Waldschlösschen station and 5 minute walk

Donation Account
Erkenntnis durch Erinnerung e.V.
Dresdner Volksbank Raiffeisenbank eG
IBAN: DE16 8509 0000 3013 0510 02
BIC: GENODEF1DRS
Reference: "Erweiterung der Dauerausstellung" (Extension of the permanent exhibition)
Of course you might also chose your own reference.

History

Soviet Underground Prison 1945 –1953
In 1932, the former 19th century papermill on Bautzner Straße was reconstructed into the mansion block "Heidehof". After World War II, it was used by the Soviet occupation force. In both the cellars of the mainbuilding, as well as in the cellars of nearby buildings, the Soviet Secret Service built prison cells. Prisoners of those cells were often taken to the Soviet forced labour camps.

In the Soviet Remand Prison the people arrested were not only Nazi criminals, but also innocents, or people who were critical of the Socialist regime and the Soviet occupation force. Today visitors can see the authentic place. The cellar aisle leads to the bare cells as well as to the patio. The permanent exhibition outlines the evidence based on individual cases of political resistance. The "Room of Silence" reminds us of the people who were sentenced to death by the Soviet Military Tribunal (SMT) and who were then executed in the Soviet Union. The second part of the exhibition focuses on the perspectives of the families of the prisoners and it shows the consequences of the arrests . The exhibition is complemented by artwork.

Remand Prison 1953 – 1989
In autumn 1953, the Soviets consigned the building in Bautzner Straße to the Ministry of State Security of the GDR (MfS/Stasi). The terrain was converted to the Stasi district administration with its own remand prison. Until 1989, people were arrested for political reasons and they were interrogated by the Stasi using unrelenting investigation procedures.

The site which is the only one in Saxony still is in its original condition. Apart from the main building consisting of 44 cells, visitors can also see the interrogation room, a vehicle sluice, the patio and arrest cells, as well as cells with many different functions. Information about the historical place is provided in the permanent exhibition. It also includes multimedia applications and texts about the fates of the victims. Moreover, there is an exhibition about children who were born in the prison of Hoheneck and another one focusing on the occupation of the Stasi office in Dresden in 1989.

Regional Stasi Office Dresden 1953 – 1989
A regional office of the Ministry of State Security was located in Dresden as well as in all other 14 districts of the GDR and East-Berlin. 14 district offices were assigned to the regional office in Dresden. In 1989 the regional office had more than 30 work units consisting of 3,500 employees who were entrusted with tasks that gave the Stasi the character of a secret and oppressive police.

In May 2014 the memorial was extended with a further administration building of the former Ministry of State Security. Visitors may now also see the impressive Stasi ceremonial hall. Furthermore, one can visit the consultation room and the office of major general Horst Böhm, who was the last chief of Dresden`s regional office. Authentic rooms as well as original audio recordings and files allow to gain an insight into the State Security`s work in Dresden. A modern, new exhibition, titled "STASI. The Exhibition about State Security in the GDR", will be shown permanently from 2016 onwards.

History of the Memorial 1989 – Today
In the course of the Peaceful Revolution in December 1989, demonstrators occupied the regional office in Dresden in order to protest peacefully against the Socialist party. They also wanted to stop the destruction of documents. During that time a committee of citizens controlled the area of today`s memorial. All records of the regional office and the district offices were taken to the cells in order to secure them against further destruction and unauthorized access.

In 1990 all records were given to the respective authority which was partly based on the site until 1993. A preservation order was put on the former remand prison in 1994. It was opened to the public in the same year. Three years later, the association "Erkenntnis durch Erinnerung e.V." (Knowledge through Remembrance) was founded. The association ensured the preservation of the main building and developed the Memorial. Nowadays, the association organises guided tours, exhibitions, various events and school projects. Additionally, there is an information centre where former citizens of the GDR may find advice concerning their private Stasi records.

The Bautzner Straße Memorial in Dresden
The Bautzner Straße Memorial is the former remand prison and regional office of the East German Ministry of State Security (Stasi) in Dresden. Ground plan of the The Bautzner Straße Memorial in Dresden
Visitor Information The Bautzner Straße Memorial in Dresden Bautzner Straße 112a, 01099 Dresden Phone: +49 351 646 54 54 Fax: +49 351 646 54 43 E-Mail: info@bautzner-strasse-dresden.de Website: www.bautzner-strasse-dresden.de Opening Hours Daily 10am – 6pm Closed Easter Sunday / 24-26 December / 31 December and 1 January Admission Adults €6 / reduced €3 Free up to 18 years Free on last Sunday of the month Guided Tours Tours for groups after registration (min. 10 people, €6 each) Student groups after registration (€40) Free guided tour every 1st Sunday of the month (11am) Donations are welcome & appreciated! Registrations via this link » “The 1989 Dresden Revolutionary Path” show more… We are offering, with immediate effect, a new guided walk on this theme. In the autumn of 1989 something totally unexpected occurred: A large proportion of the citizens of the GDR, the German Democratic Republic, took to the streets against the authoritarian state power and brought the regime to its knees. Dresden played a special role in these times of great change. It all started in the beginning of October 1989 when the West German Embassy of Prague dispatched trains filled with people fleeing the GDR into the Federal Republic of Germany. These were routed via Dresden. Thousands gathered at the Dresden Central Station to jump onto the trains or protest against the GDR regime. When the station was evacuated and sealed off on the evening of October 4, there were riots. Violent attacks on both sides, mass arrests and destruction followed. It became clear quickly that these days in Dresden would decide whether the revolution in East Germany would end peacefully or not. The city tour revisits the sites central to these historical events and traces the story of this special path taken by Dresden in autumn 1989. This event is sponsored by the City of Dresden. Duration: approx. 135 Minutes Price per participant: 7 € Minimum price per group: 80 € Registrations via this link » Access All entrances of the Memorial are wheelchair accesible. There is no wheelchair access to the Underground prison and 1st and 2nd floor in the main building. Getting here By car: Bundesstraße 6 (B6) By tram: Number 11, nearest station is Angelikastraße By bus: Number 74 and 261, nearest station is Angelikastraße or Number 64 to Waldschlösschen station and 5 minute walk Donation Account Erkenntnis durch Erinnerung e.V. Dresdner Volksbank Raiffeisenbank eG IBAN: DE16 8509 0000 3013 0510 02 BIC: GENODEF1DRS Reference: "Erweiterung der Dauerausstellung" (Extension of the permanent exhibition) Of course you might also chose your own reference.
History Soviet Underground Prison 1945 –1953 In 1932, the former 19th century papermill on Bautzner Straße was reconstructed into the mansion block "Heidehof". After World War II, it was used by the Soviet occupation force. In both the cellars of the mainbuilding, as well as in the cellars of nearby buildings, the Soviet Secret Service built prison cells. Prisoners of those cells were often taken to the Soviet forced labour camps. In the Soviet Remand Prison the people arrested were not only Nazi criminals, but also innocents, or people who were critical of the Socialist regime and the Soviet occupation force. Today visitors can see the authentic place. The cellar aisle leads to the bare cells as well as to the patio. The permanent exhibition outlines the evidence based on individual cases of political resistance. The "Room of Silence" reminds us of the people who were sentenced to death by the Soviet Military Tribunal (SMT) and who were then executed in the Soviet Union. The second part of the exhibition focuses on the perspectives of the families of the prisoners and it shows the consequences of the arrests . The exhibition is complemented by artwork.
Remand Prison 1953 – 1989 In autumn 1953, the Soviets consigned the building in Bautzner Straße to the Ministry of State Security of the GDR (MfS/Stasi). The terrain was converted to the Stasi district administration with its own remand prison. Until 1989, people were arrested for political reasons and they were interrogated by the Stasi using unrelenting investigation procedures. The site which is the only one in Saxony still is in its original condition. Apart from the main building consisting of 44 cells, visitors can also see the interrogation room, a vehicle sluice, the patio and arrest cells, as well as cells with many different functions. Information about the historical place is provided in the permanent exhibition. It also includes multimedia applications and texts about the fates of the victims. Moreover, there is an exhibition about children who were born in the prison of Hoheneck and another one focusing on the occupation of the Stasi office in Dresden in 1989.
Regional Stasi Office Dresden 1953 – 1989 A regional office of the Ministry of State Security was located in Dresden as well as in all other 14 districts of the GDR and East-Berlin. 14 district offices were assigned to the regional office in Dresden. In 1989 the regional office had more than 30 work units consisting of 3,500 employees who were entrusted with tasks that gave the Stasi the character of a secret and oppressive police. In May 2014 the memorial was extended with a further administration building of the former Ministry of State Security. Visitors may now also see the impressive Stasi ceremonial hall. Furthermore, one can visit the consultation room and the office of major general Horst Böhm, who was the last chief of Dresden`s regional office. Authentic rooms as well as original audio recordings and files allow to gain an insight into the State Security`s work in Dresden. A modern, new exhibition, titled "STASI. The Exhibition about State Security in the GDR", will be shown permanently from 2016 onwards.
History of the Memorial 1989 – Today In the course of the Peaceful Revolution in December 1989, demonstrators occupied the regional office in Dresden in order to protest peacefully against the Socialist party. They also wanted to stop the destruction of documents. During that time a committee of citizens controlled the area of today`s memorial. All records of the regional office and the district offices were taken to the cells in order to secure them against further destruction and unauthorized access. In 1990 all records were given to the respective authority which was partly based on the site until 1993. A preservation order was put on the former remand prison in 1994. It was opened to the public in the same year. Three years later, the association "Erkenntnis durch Erinnerung e.V." (Knowledge through Remembrance) was founded. The association ensured the preservation of the main building and developed the Memorial. Nowadays, the association organises guided tours, exhibitions, various events and school projects. Additionally, there is an information centre where former citizens of the GDR may find advice concerning their private Stasi records.