History
The grounds of the Ministry of State Security's (Stasi) pretrial detention center were not marked on public maps and were a restricted military area. Initially used by the Soviet secret service, it was used by the Stasi from 1951 to 1989 for the detention and torture of opposition figures. A new building was added to the Stasi prison in 1961.
The compound, sealed off with watchtowers, high walls and metal gates, was the site of the central remand prison, a labor camp and other Ministry of State Security facilities. Prison conditions were inhumane, torture was physical and psychological.