Gedenk- und Bildungsstätte Andreasstraße

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The red-brick building on Andreasstraße near Domplatz served as a prison from 1878. During the Nazi era, hundreds of people were imprisoned here for political reasons or because of their origins and way of life. From 1952 the Ministry for State Security (Stasi) used the building as the pretrial detention center of its Erfurt district administration; the Volkspolizei (People's Police) occupied further floors.

According to current knowledge, more than 5,500 people were held here in Stasi pretrial detention for political reasons – at first often on charges such as espionage or agitation, and after the building of the Wall mainly for attempted escape. On December 4, 1989, citizens of Erfurt, led by the group “Frauen für Veränderung” (Women for Change), occupied the Stasi district administration and the prison. It was the first occupation of its kind in the GDR; the rescued files were stored in empty cells.

After reunification the building remained a prison until 2002. The disused second floor of cells was largely preserved in its 1980s condition. When demolition loomed, former prisoners and activists of the Peaceful Revolution campaigned for its preservation and organized tours, concerts and art exhibitions.

In 2012 the Free State of Thuringia handed responsibility to the Stiftung Ettersberg, which opened the memorial and education center on December 3, 2012. The permanent exhibition combines the preserved prison floor with eyewitness accounts and media stations; the “Kubus der Friedlichen Revolution” (Cube of the Peaceful Revolution) is the site's landmark. In 2020 the memorial received the museum prize of the Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung Hessen-Thüringen.

Highlights

• Originally preserved prison floor of the Stasi pretrial detention center
• Permanent exhibition “HAFT | DIKTATUR | REVOLUTION: Thüringen 1949–1989”
• Site of the first Stasi occupation in the GDR on December 4, 1989
• “Kubus der Friedlichen Revolution” in the courtyard
• Multimedia guide with eyewitness accounts, also in English
• Inclusive and tactile tours

Permanent exhibitions

• HAFT | DIKTATUR | REVOLUTION: Thüringen 1949 – 1989 – Traces the path from repression and political imprisonment to the Peaceful Revolution at the historic site; its centerpiece is the largely original prison floor.
• Gefangen unter Hitler: politische Häftlinge im Erfurter Gefängnis 1933 – 1945 – Compact exhibition about women and men imprisoned on Andreasstraße during the Nazi era for political and racist reasons or because of their homosexuality.

Founded

2012

Operated by

Stiftung Ettersberg

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission every first Tuesday of the month

Free admission with the Erfurt-Card and Familienpass (family pass), for members of the MVT, the Deutscher Museumsbund and ICOM, for journalists and for contemporary witnesses. The multimedia guide is free at the memorial.

Accessibility

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

Low-barrier entrance (if you have trouble with the entrance door, please ring the bell). Elevator to all three floors (car 90 × 140 cm); exhibition rooms mostly wheelchair-accessible, stairlift to the courtyard. Wheelchair-accessible restroom in the basement (Euro key at the service desk). Parking space no. 38 behind the building for people with reduced mobility. Portable stools, multimedia guide with induction loop, tactile station with a model of the building and audio description (German/English), tours in language that is as simple as possible.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kids

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Memorial site in the former Stasi prison. For children of reading age, the booklet "Andreasstraße für Kinder" (€3) for drawing, crafting, and writing is available at the service desk.

Getting there & parking

The route from the stops is partly over cobblestones; pickup at the stop is possible if needed.

Amenities & dining

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

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit