Kaßberg prison: the dark history of free purchases revealed!

Kaßberg prison: the dark history of free purchases revealed!

Chemnitz, Deutschland - On June 17, 2025, an information board was unveiled at the former Kaßberg prison in Chemnitz that is reminiscent of the dark history of the place. This prison was not only the largest ceremony for the Ministry of State Security of the GDR, but also the central settlement location for the prisoner-free purchase from the GDR, reported on the MDR. Between 1962 and 1989, almost 30,000 of the over 33,000 political prisoners were bought from the GDR - a dark chapter in German history.

The Kaßberg prison, built between 1876 and 1877, has an eventful history. Most recently, it served as a correctional facility until its closure in 2010 due to structural defects. Previously, the complex was under the control of the Soviet secret police NKWD/MGB and, during National Socialism, a place for numerous victims, including political opponents and Jews. This is also reflected in the variety of detention conditions that were extremely bad during this time, shaped by overcrowding and use of violence, as the Wikipedia noted.

from the dictatorship to the memorial

Since 2023, part of the site has been preserved as a "learning and memorial location Kaßberg prison". This facility has the task of addressing double dictatorship history and preserving the stories of former detainees. The place of learning in the former detention tract B, also known as a "bird cage", offers visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in the reality of life of the prisoners. It is impressive that over 10,000 people visited this historically significant place in 2024 in order to learn more about political persecution and prisoner-free buying, according to the information from the Learning and Memorial Sort Kaßberg-prison e.v.

The shocking figures on the prisoner -free purchase are also worth mentioning: Between 1964 and 1989 a total of 33,755 political prisoners were bought for around 3.5 billion DM. It was a kind of "goods against goods", which illustrates the absurdity and cruelty of the system. The Chemnitz location was deliberately chosen to keep transport routes cheaply, since the freely bought prisoners mostly reached the Wartha/Herleshausen border crossing to the Gießen emergency shot.

education and education in focus

With a clear focus on education and education, the learning and memorial location acts as an important part of political education in Germany. Not only the actions of the Ministry of State Security should be processed here, but also awareness of democracy. It is a place of commemoration and learning that does not make the past forget, but encourages you to learn from it so that history does not repeat itself.

Visitors are invited to deal with the biographical fates of the former political prisoners on site and thus keep a piece of our history. The Kaßberg prison was not just a place of suffering, but is now a place of learning for the future and contributes to the fact that such offenses never happen again. For further information, it is worth taking a look at the website of the association Learning and memorial location Kaßberg-prison e.V..