A visit to “Hohenschönhausen“

“Hohenschönhausen“ is a former GDR prison where prisoners were held for political reasons.

We had the opportunity to be guided through the prison by a former prisoner, Mischa Naue. From the first moment on we hung on his every word. Not only did he tell us about the prison and its past but he also linked it to his own past.

The tour started on the yard and the story with his attempted escape. Before he could cross the border, he was captured by the GDA border police. He was overpowered, blindfolded and thrown into a vehicle. That’s when the nightmare just started.

Imagine being abducted and having no control over where you are. That is not only a violation of your freedom of residence but it also traumatizes you for the rest of your life. The fear of ever being abducted again will accompany Mr. Nausche for the rest of his life. He probably also lost his faith in the government.

Hearing about such horrifying stories makes me appreciate my freedoms even more. To be able to go where you want to go and to have faith in in the government seem so natural to us. But that is why it is even more important to reminisce about dark times.