Ministry of State Security – Normannenstraße 20/Haus 1, 10365 Berlin
When the Oscar winning movie – Das Leben der Anderen – The Lives of Others – (2006) was first seen on British TV, the DVD was ordered before the final credits had finished. Such was the impact the movie made on this commentator. On a lighter note, Goodbye Lenin (2003) was tempered by Anna Funder’s book- Stasiland: Stories From Behind the Berlin Wall – (2002). Deutschland ’83, then ’86 have made these wood paneled walls so familiar, Deutschand ’89 is is eagerly awaited. Deutschland between 1945 and 1989 continues to fascinate. Hector still seeks the definitive book on post 1945 reconstruction both East and West.
The DDR Museum on the banks of the Spree was visited some years back, September 2020 saw Hector and Marg visit the Stasi Museum. It is believed that “Hector” has a file in this building dating back to 1982, when dressed in shorts, sandals and t-shirt, Checkpoint Charlie was crossed, and Ost Berlin explored.
There is/was an exhibit outside the former Stasi HQ outlining the events leading up to the breaching of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, the day Thatcher’s Government chose to admit that nuclear power plants could never be economically viable. This story was buried well inside newspapers the following day.
I present below a series of photos that capture the mood of the building. Towards the end of our visit, refreshments were purchased and consumed in one of the main meeting rooms. Jimmy Cagney’s character in the 1961 Billy Wilder movie – One, Two, Three – would have thoroughly approved of Coca Cola being consumed on these premises.
