Forschungs- und Gedenkstätte Normannenstraße

About the museum

After civil rights activists occupied the Stasi headquarters on Berlin's Normannenstraße on January 15, 1990, the association Antistalinistische Aktion Berlin-Normannenstraße (ASTAK) was founded in the summer of the same year. On November 7, 1990, it opened the Forschungs- und Gedenkstätte Normannenstraße (Normannenstraße Research and Memorial Center), known today as the Stasimuseum, in the former ministerial building.

The museum is located in Building 1 of the sprawling complex. The building was constructed in 1960/61 as the official seat of Erich Mielke, who headed the Ministry for State Security from 1957 until November 1989. His offices have remained largely in their original state since 1990 and are still the centerpiece of the tour today.

Since January 2015 the museum has shown the permanent exhibition "Staatssicherheit in der SED-Diktatur" (State Security in the SED Dictatorship), which the association developed together with what was then the Stasi Records Agency. It explains the structure, personnel, and methods of the MfS and uses files, photos, and objects to show how the secret police monitored and persecuted the population of East Germany.

The museum is financed mainly through admission fees and is supported by the Berlin Commissioner for Coming to Terms with the SED Dictatorship. It stands on the grounds that today, as the Campus für Demokratie (Campus for Democracy), house further institutions dedicated to coming to terms with the past.

Highlights

• Original, preserved offices of Stasi Minister Erich Mielke
• Permanent exhibition "Staatssicherheit in der SED-Diktatur"
• Numerous sample files, photos, and objects from everyday Stasi life
• Historic site: Building 1 of the former MfS headquarters

Permanent exhibitions

• Staatssicherheit in der SED-Diktatur – The permanent exhibition explains the structure, personnel, and methods of the Ministry for State Security and shows its role in controlling East German society.
• Diensträume Erich Mielkes – The offices of the last Stasi minister on the historic ministerial floor, preserved largely in their original state since 1990.

Founded

1990

Operated by

ASTAK e.V. (Antistalinistische Aktion Berlin-Normannenstraße)

Director

Sven Behrend

Admission & discounts

Tickets at the museum ticket desk or online via Korona.Event. Group bookings can be canceled free of charge up to 14 days in advance.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to the museum, the museum areas are fully accessible. Step-free access via the staff entrance to the left of the main entrance; the foyer and accessible restroom on the ground floor can be reached by stair lift. Staff in the museum shop will help if needed.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kids

• Family tours & workshops: not available

Memorial and research center in the former Stasi headquarters; the website does not list any dedicated programs for children or families. School classes can visit only as part of a guided tour.

Getting there & parking

Tour buses turn from Frankfurter Allee (B1/B5) into Ruschestraße; after about 200 m comes the passage to the museum.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop on site; the ticket desk also has application forms for viewing your personal file at the Stasi Records Archive.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit