Lern- und Gedenkort Kaßberg-Gefängnis – A Place of Learning and Remembrance

The Kaßberg prison in Chemnitz is an important site commemorating the victims of GDR injustice and the division of Germany. It served as the central hub for the ransom of political prisoners operated by the East German regime. Between 1962/1963 and 1989, the West German government ransomed more than 33,000 political prisoners from the GDR; the vast majority of them were sent on their way from this very location. The building complex also served as a pretrial detention facility for the Stasi (the East German secret police, officially the Ministry of State Security or MfS) and, prior to that, for the NKVD/MGB (the Soviet secret police). During the National Socialist era, members of various persecuted groups were also imprisoned at Kaßberg.

Since its foundation in 2011, our association has been committed to preserving the former prison and establishing a site of learning and remembrance that commemorates its different historical eras. The memorial site at the outer wall was opened in 2017. This was followed by the opening of the learning site in the former prison wing B in October 2023, funded with the support of the German Federal Government, the Free State of Saxony and the City of Chemnitz. The newly created permanent exhibition focuses on the life stories of former political prisoners. Educational programs such as workshops, talks with eyewitnesses, and guided tours are at the heart of our work.

🇺🇸 🇬🇧 All text panels in the permanent exhibition are bilingual in German and English. All videos feature English subtitles.

Opening hours
Wednesday – Sunday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Admission
Regular: 8 €

Reduced: 5 €

(The entrance to the learning site in the former prison wing B and the biographical exhibition room dedicated to Walter Janka, imprisoned during the Nazi dictatorship. Photos: Volker Kreidler/beier+wellach projekte/Lern- und Gedenkort Kaßberg-Gefängnis)

The History of Kaßberg Prison

In the late 19th century, the Kingdom of Saxony constructed a modern judicial complex on the eastern edge of Chemnitz’s affluent Kaßberg district. Built between 1876 and 1877 as a Royal Saxon Prison (Königlich-Sächsische Gefangenenanstalt), it was located in immediate proximity to the regional and district court buildings. The design of the prison complex was fundamentally based on the panoptic principle and contemporary prison reform ideas. The architecture featured a cross-shaped layout, where three gallery-style cell wings (wings A, B, and C) and an administrative building were interconnected by a central middle structure known as the „Rotunda“ (Rotunde).

The National Socialist Period (1933–1945)
From 1933 to 1945, the National Socialist regime used the Kaßberg prison to incarcerate thousands of people. To accommodate the rising number of inmates, the complex was expanded by additional cell wings, including wing D. Alongside individuals convicted of criminal offenses, the prison’s cells primarily held political opponents—such as Communists and Social Democrats—as well as Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, and others marginalized under the Nazi concept of the „national community“ (Volksgemeinschaft). Following the outbreak of World War II, foreign forced laborers accused of „sabotage“ or „espionage“ were also imprisoned here.

The everyday reality in the prison was defined by extreme overcrowding, severe malnutrition, and systemic violence. In 1936, the Paris-based exile press reported that cells intended for just two to three inmates were crammed with six to eight people. For many victims of Nazi tyranny, Kaßberg was merely the first station on a long path of suffering that ultimately led to early concentration camps like Sachsenburg or, later, the horrors of Buchenwald.

The prison also played a key role in the persecution of Chemnitz’s Jewish population. During the November Pogroms of 1938 (Reichspogromnacht), 186 Jewish men from the area were taken into „protective custody“ (Schutzhaft). While 172 of them were immediately deported to Buchenwald concentration camp, the remaining 14 were held at Kaßberg for weeks under inhumane conditions. In the final years of the war, the prison basement was converted into armaments production facilities, where inmates were forced into labor. During an Allied air raid on March 5, 1945, parts of the prison caught fire, enabling several inmates to escape. Among them were seven communist resistance fighters who had been arrested during the „Aktion Gitter“ sweep. Tragically, they were recaptured and executed by the Gestapo in a nearby forest on March 27, 1945—just weeks before the end of the war.

The NKVD/MGB Period (1945–1953)
In June 1945, the Soviet secret police, the NKVD (later MGB, the predecessor to the KGB), took control of the Kaßberg prison, continuing to use the complex as a site for political incarceration. Officially, the secret police focused on prosecuting Nazi atrocities and war crimes. For example, members of the Chemnitz-based Police Battalion 304, which had actively participated in the Holocaust, were detained here. However, the Soviet occupying forces primarily targeted political opponents of the communist regime and other dissenting individuals.

Among those detained were numerous teenagers accused of being part of the alleged „Werewolf“ guerrilla movement (Werwölfe). Interrogations relied heavily on violence and intimidation. In violation of the rule of law, prisoners were convicted in summary trials by Soviet Military Tribunal No. 48240.

In the post-war era, the prison became a major detention site for Soviet Military Tribunals (SMTs). While these tribunals targeted a broad spectrum of political dissidents, the complex played a particularly prominent role in operations linked to SAG Wismut, the Soviet stock company mining uranium in the nearby Ore Mountains for the Soviet atomic bomb program. Numerous individuals arrested within the mining communities were held at Kaßberg. These Soviet judicial proceedings resulted in severe penalties, including at least 22 documented death sentences, with most executions carried out in Moscow’s Butyrka prison. The site’s connection to the uranium sector persisted well into the GDR era, when Department IX of the Stasi’s „Wismut Object Administration“ (Objektverwaltung Wismut) was housed directly inside the complex.

The Stasi Pretrial Detention Period (1952–1989/90)

Beginning in 1952, the East German regime took control of the prison, assuming full operational command by 1954. The Ministry of the Interior used the D-wing, while the far larger section comprising wings A, B, and C was operated by the Stasi. With a capacity of up to 370 inmates, Kaßberg became the largest of the 17 Stasi pretrial detention facilities in the GDR. Between 1952 and 1989, more than 4,300 political prisoners were held here. Reasons for arrest included „illegal border crossing“ for those attempting to flee the country. For people who had applied to leave the country, charges frequently included „treasonous contacting“ or „disruption of state activity.“

To break the prisoners’ spirit, the Stasi relied on strict isolation and psychological pressure. Inmates were usually held alone. Interrogations took place at all hours, often deep into the night or early morning. To force confessions, officials used exhausting, repetitive questioning along with false claims and threats regarding the prisoners‘ families. Combined with a strict daytime ban on resting, this routine resulted in severe sleep deprivation. Even outdoor access was restricted to roofless, windowless concrete pens. Following their convictions, these political prisoners were transferred to penal institutions such as Brandenburg, Cottbus, or the notorious Hoheneck women’s prison. There, they were subjected to forced labor and faced severe repression from both the prison staff and violent criminals.

The Political Prisoner Ransom Program (1963–1989)
While the unofficial prisoner ransom program (Häftlingsfreikauf) between East and West Germany began in 1963, the Kaßberg prison in Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz) became its central hub from 1966/67 onward. Chosen for its large capacity and its direct highway connection toward the West, the facility became the final stop for political prisoners before their departure to the Federal Republic of Germany. Between 1963 and 1989, the West German government secured the release of more than 33,000 political prisoners in exchange for deliveries of essential goods worth 3.43 billion D-Marks (approx. €1.75 billion). Although the vast majority of these individuals were transferred to the West, a small number were released into the GDR. Nearly 90 percent of all prisoners selected for this trade were transferred from various penal institutions across the GDR to Kaßberg’s B-wing. Because the primary East German negotiator was the lawyer Wolfgang Vogel, inmates nicknamed this specific wing the „birdcage“ (Vogelkäfig), while Stasi officials cynically referred to it as the „nourishment institution“ (Päppelanstalt) due to the slightly improved food and less severe conditions meant to prepare inmates for their release.

However, this transition to freedom was preceded by intense bureaucratic demands directly inside the complex. Before being stripped of their GDR citizenship and granted an official release certificate, inmates were forced to sign away their personal property, including homes, land, vehicles, and savings. In complex cases involving divorced parents, prisoners were even forced to surrender custody of their children if the other parent remained in the GDR. Once this process was complete, the prisoners were placed on buses or, by the late 1980s, regular trains bound for the emergency reception camp in Gießen.

The Period After 1990
Following the collapse of the GDR, the newly re-established Free State of Saxony operated the facility as a regular prison until 2010. Conditions were modernized to meet constitutional standards, which included dismantling Stasi-era features like the glass blocks that had blocked the inmates‘ view outside. After the prison closed in 2010 due to structural deficiencies, a broad political debate and immense public interest arose regarding the future of the historic site.

The Memorial Site and Educational Work
Following the closure of the prison, dedicated citizens founded the Kaßberg Prison Learning and Memorial Association (Lern- und Gedenkort Kaßberg-Gefängnis e. V.) in November 2011 to commemorate the injustices committed here and to educate the public about the site’s history. Driven by the profound voluntary commitment of its members, board officials, and eyewitnesses, the association worked for over a decade to establish a permanent space for remembrance and historical education. The first major milestone was achieved in 2017 with the official opening of the outdoor memorial site (Gedenkort) at the former prison wall, establishing a permanent public space for remembrance.

This initial step paved the way for the creation of a modern place of learning. Inside the historic B-wing, the very wing where ransom prisoners were once held, a state-of-the-art permanent exhibition space spanning approximately 1,800 square meters was constructed and officially opened as a learning site (Lernort) for democracy in October 2023. By placing the personal biographies and life stories of former inmates at the center of the exhibition, the site embodies the memories of the victims, giving a permanent voice to those persecuted under both German dictatorships. Today, the historic site hosts a wide range of educational programs, inviting visitors to reflect on democratic values and the vital importance of the rule of law.

English translation and editorial support provided with the assistance of AI.