Gedenkstätte Museum in der "Runden Ecke", Stasi museum in the former district headquarters at Dittrichring, Leipzig, Germany
The Gedenkstätte Museum in der Runden Ecke is a former Stasi headquarters in Leipzig that now functions as a museum. The buildings contain offices, listening devices, and archives that show how the secret police operated and monitored people.
The building became the seat of the Stasi district command in 1950 and served the secret police for nearly 40 years. In December 1989, protesters occupied the building during the Monday demonstrations and ended its use as a surveillance center.
The permanent exhibition "Stasi – Power and Banality" has occupied the ground floor since August 1990. Its first part traces the Stasi's development and ideological roots, its staff and unofficial informants; the second documents individual departments such as mail control, telephone tapping and surveillance. During the annual Wave-Gotik-Treffen, special exhibitions cover the Stasi's monitoring of the GDR's gothic subculture.
The museum is centrally located in Leipzig and easily accessible on foot or by public transport. It is helpful to allow adequate time, as there are many documents and details to read throughout the exhibition.
The building was spontaneously occupied by citizens during the peaceful revolution of 1989, which saved it from destruction. This action made it possible later to display the rooms in their original state and preserve evidence of widespread monitoring.
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