From place of detention to place of remembrance
The pre-trial detention center of the Ministry for State Security (MfS) in Rostock was built in the late 1950s. Not visible to outsiders, it was located in the center of the grounds of the MfS district administration.
From 1960 to 1989, the State Security imprisoned around 4,900 people there, mainly for political reasons. These included, for example, the criminal offenses of "anti-state agitation," "public disparagement" and, increasingly, "attempted Republikflucht."
The MfS pretrial detention center had about 50 cells on three floors. Detainees endured an average of five to six months of pretrial detention with constant interrogation and in severe isolation until they were formally sentenced by a court and transferred to a penal institution.
On December 4, 1989, committed people from Rostock held a vigil in front of the district administration of the MfS; in the course of this, they also peacefully occupied the remand prison.
Since July 2021, the documentation and memorial site has been open again after extensive renovation under the auspices of the Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Opening for individual visits by appointment
Contact: Dr. Steffi Brüning, dug-rostock@lpb.mv-regierung.de, 015730285136
Public guided tour every Thursday (except holidays) 3 p.m.
Admission is free.
The exhibition is barrier-friendly.
