RFT FB 2011 remote view recorder as surveillance technology of the Stasi
© Stasimuseum Berlin, ASTAK e. V. / Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss, Foto: Philipp Jester | Jens Blank
A file on the Palace of the Republic from the Stasi archives
© BStU
Past events
{{ time.start_TS | TS2dateFormat('DD') }}
{{ time.start_TS | TS2dateFormat('MMM') }}
{{ time.start_TS | TS2dateFormat('YYYY') }}

In terms of object security and surveillance, there was a special constellation in the Palace of the Republic: as a “House of the People”, the Palace was freely accessible to the public. At the same time, it was the seat of the GDR People’s Chamber, so the Ministry for State Security (Stasi) treated it as an object of special attention. Controls were supposed to ensure security of the building and prevent “actions critical of the state”: Employees were screened, visitors kept under surveillance, telephones tapped and central areas observed with cameras. Equipment such as the RFT FB 2011 were used to monitor the interior and exterior areas.

Curator Uta Kornmeier and Dagmar Hovestädt, former head of outreach and research of the Stasi Records Archives in the Federal Archives, discuss the question of what went beyond the “normal” level of object security and thus turned into the persecution of unpopular persons. What role did the Stasi play in the Palace of the Republic? How did it define “critical actions”, and how far did it go to intervene?

 

Participants

Belongs to

further events

In the Humboldt Forum's foyer there is a 17 meter high media tower, called "cosmograph". It gives visitors comprehensive information about their visit and can transform into an art and light installation.
© SHF / David von Becker
Stay up to date.
Subscribe to our newsletter