Stasi Museum

Museum Rüschestraße 103, Haus 1, 10365 Berlin

Located in the former headquarters of the Ministry for State Security in Lichtenberg, this museum preserves the office of Stasi chief Erich Mielke exactly as it was. Exhibits document the vast surveillance apparatus that monitored East German citizens, including mail interception equipment, hidden cameras, and the infamous smell samples used to track dissidents.

The museum occupies the former headquarters of the Ministry for State Security (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit, or MfS) in the Lichtenberg district, a sprawling complex of buildings that was the nerve centre of one of the most pervasive surveillance operations in history. At its peak, the Stasi employed over 91,000 full-time staff and an estimated 189,000 informal collaborators to monitor East Germany’s 16 million citizens.

Erich Mielke’s preserved office in the Stasi Museum (Photo: Anagoria)

The centrepiece of the museum is the preserved office suite of Stasi chief Erich Mielke, left exactly as it was when he was removed from power in November 1989. Visitors can see the wood-panelled rooms, the secure telephone system, and the private quarters where Mielke directed operations for over three decades. Other exhibits document the agency’s surveillance methods: concealed cameras hidden in watering cans and ties, equipment for opening and resealing mail, and the infamous collection of “smell samples” – cloths sealed in jars, used to identify and track dissidents by scent with tracking dogs.

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