Ein Objekt, viele Fragen: Überwachungsmonitor. Bürger*innen als Gefahrenquelle

In the organizer's words:

In terms of property security and surveillance, the Palace of the Republic had a very special constellation: as the "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) classified it as a special security object. Controls were intended both to ensure protection and to prevent "acts critical of the state": Employees were checked, visitors were observed, telephones were tapped and central areas were monitored with cameras. Monitors such as the RFT FB 2011 remote image recorder were used to monitor indoor and outdoor areas.

Curator Uta Kornmeier discusses with Dagmar Hovestädt, Head of the Mediation and Research Department of the Stasi Records Archive at the Federal Archives, the question of what went beyond the "normal" level of property security and can therefore be considered spying and persecution of unpopular individuals. What role did the Stasi play in the Palace of the Republic? How did it define violations of the rules and how far did it go in its intervention?

PARTICIPANT: Dagmar Hovestädt was the spokesperson for the Federal Commissioner for Stasi Records for ten years and has been head of the Mediation and Research Department at the Federal Archives, Stasi Records Archive since 2021. She was previously a journalist in Berlin and Los Angeles. Her academic interests lie at the intersection of archives, reappraisal and human rights. Uta Kornmeier (moderator) studied art history and museum studies and curated several exhibitions at the Berlin Museum of Medical History. Since 2020 she has been curator for scientific events and programs at the Humboldt Forum.

Further information: Price: 10,00 EUR per person. From 16 years. Location: Staircase 2nd floor. Language: German

Barrier-free parking spaces are available south of the Humboldt Forum on Schlossplatz. Further offers and information on accessibility at the Humboldt Forum can be found here.

Transport connections

By train

U Museumsinsel (U5) 1 min walk

S/U Alexanderplatz 15 min walk

S Hackescher Markt 10 min walk

By bus

Bus stop Lustgarten 100, 300, N5 1 min walk

Bus stop Berliner Schloss 147 1 min walk

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