Gedenkstätte Plötzensee

About the museum

Plötzensee Prison opened in 1879 for around 1,200 inmates. After 1933 it became one of the main execution sites of the Nazi judiciary. At first, executions were carried out with a hand axe in the prison yard; from 1937 a converted work shed at the edge of the grounds, equipped with a guillotine, served as the execution site. With the outbreak of war the number of death sentences rose sharply, above all those handed down by the People's Court (Volksgerichtshof) and special courts.

At the end of 1942 a gallows was also installed in the execution room. Among those who died here were members of the Red Orchestra (Rote Kapelle) resistance group, hundreds of people during the so-called “blood nights” following an air raid in September 1943, and many of those involved in the attempted coup of July 20, 1944. In total, more than 2,800 people from around 20 nations were murdered here by 1945; almost half of them were not from Germany.

After the war, the Berlin Senate decided to erect a memorial at this site. After competitions and several designs, the memorial was inaugurated in 1952: part of the execution shed was torn down and replaced by a rubble-stone wall, while the surviving room with the iron beam was preserved as a silent place of remembrance. The prison itself is still in use as a correctional facility today.

The Stiftung Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand (German Resistance Memorial Center Foundation) looks after the site, presents a documentation of the unjust Nazi judiciary and of those murdered in an adjoining room, and offers free guided tours and seminars.

Highlights

• Preserved execution room with the iron beam on which people were hanged from 1942 to 1945
• Silent place of remembrance for all those executed at Plötzensee, regardless of their origin
• Documentation on the unjust Nazi judiciary with original files of the People's Court
• Terminal with biographical data of everyone murdered at Plötzensee

Permanent exhibitions

• Hinrichtungen im Strafgefängnis Berlin-Plötzensee – The documentation in the room next to the execution site explains the unjust Nazi judiciary and presents biographies of those murdered here.

Founded

1952

Operated by

Stiftung Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand (im Auftrag des Landes Berlin)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission and all educational programs are free.

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

Access via a ramp, accessible restroom available (according to berlin.de).

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kids

• Family tours & workshops: not available

Memorial site for the opponents of the Nazi regime executed here; no dedicated family programs. The educational programs are aimed at young people aged 14 and over or from 9th grade.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available

Small memorial site without food service. Catalogs and brochures available from the Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand.

Events & venue rental

As far as we know, the museum does not rent out spaces for external events.

Plan your visit