Driven by the Desire for Freedom: Resisting Dictatorship

As part of Freedom Week, the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial invites visitors to attend free special guided tours with contemporary witness Christian König.

Born in East Berlin in 1961, Christian König experienced the restrictions of the SED regime from an early age. His longing for freedom became the driving force behind his resistance to the communist dictatorship. Unwilling to accept the political and social constraints imposed by the GDR, he came under the scrutiny of the Ministry for State Security (Stasi) because of his critical views.

His growing determination to leave East Germany led him to submit several applications for emigration in 1980. Eventually, he deliberately provoked his own arrest: on 7 October 1980, he was detained near the Brandenburg Gate while displaying a protest banner and was subsequently imprisoned in the Stasi's central remand prison in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen.

During the tour, Christian König provides a compelling account of his life in the GDR and his experiences in political imprisonment. He also reflects on the fall of the Berlin Wall and the historic transformations brought about by the Peaceful Revolution.

The tour takes visitors across the historic prison grounds and through original cells and interrogation rooms, offering an authentic insight into the daily reality faced by political prisoners in East Germany. Meeting a contemporary witness in person provides a unique opportunity to explore the significance of freedom, democracy, and human rights through lived experience.

In German.

Location:
Gedenkstätte Berlin-Hohenschönhausen
Genslerstraße 66, 13055 Berlin