People have the power - a visit to the Stasi headquarters in Berlin-Lichtenberg

The Wall is one of the most fascinating subjects for visitors and newcomers to Berlin, as you can probably tell by the crowds gathered around the main tourist sights. However, there is one place that seems to be off the tourist radar, perhaps because of its location in not-so-glamorous Lichtenberg. It is the complex of the Stasi headquarters and archives, tucked away behind busy Frankurfter Allee, just outside the underground station of Magdalenenstrasse.   

When I went on a Monday morning in mid-July there were very few people about, although the two local workmen walking past were astonished to see that “Alle diese Leute wollen zum Stasimuseum?!?” (All these people want to go to the Stasi Museum?!?”) They obviously don’t spend much time around Checkpoint Charlie, which by the way looks more like Disneyland these days.

If you want an authentic experience of the GDR (forget the Trabi Safari and the DDR Museum, they’re for Ostalgics, i.e. nostalgics about East Germany), get on the U5 or walk 10 minutes from Frankfurter Allee station. There you will be reminded about how brutal and repressive the East German regime actually was and how the Stasi (the official state security service of the GDR) spied on the East German population.

If the weather is too good and you don’t feel like going inside the building or if you don’t want to pay the €6 entrance fee (€4.50 reduced), make sure you spend some time looking at the free open-air exhibition called “Revolution and the Fall of the Wall”.  It is dedicated to the history of the Peaceful Revolution (Friedliche Revolution in German) that eventually led to the fall of the Wall. The bilingual (German/English) exhibition focuses on the brave citizens who stood up to the communist dictatorship and offers an uplifting message about the strength of people power.

One of my favourite slogans is from a major demonstration at Alexander Platz on 4 November 1989 (the Wall fell on the evening of 9 November after an international press conference about new travel regulations): "Stop lying once and for all! The change came from the people not from the SED party!"  

We don't need more walls

It was November the 9th 2009. People, leaders and celebrities from all over the world had gathered in the German capital to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. I had just moved to Berlin and was delighted to be able to participate in the celebrations by the Brandenburg Gate. It was a cold night, it was raining, but we were all excited to witness this historical moment.

One of the leaders who gave a speech about the importance of the fall of physical and mental walls was US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. 

How sad and ironic that exactly seven years later Hillary Clinton should lose the US presidential election to a man who has promised to erect a wall on the border between the United States and Mexico (amongst many over outrageous proposals).

Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown was also in Berlin for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall and spoke of one united Europe. Seven years later Brexit happened.

If there is one place on earth that knows the devastating effects of a wall this is Berlin, the city I live in and a city that was divided for almost 30 years.

When people worldwide choose to build more walls, more barriers, more fences both physical and psychological, something has clearly gone wrong.