Gedenkstätte Museum in der „Runden Ecke“ — Attraction in Leipzig

Based on the volume of documents and unique artefacts piled up here I would love to give a higher score but an exhibition as analogue as this don't deserve more in 2022 (even if we consider the time travel starting right at the entrance with the cumbersome process of the ticket purchase - strictly with cash).

A huge pile of documentation was cramped into these handful of rooms, one can borrow (that's practically the entrance fee) an audioguide, which tries to ... Well.. guide and put into context this enormous amount of information installed on the walls and in cases. There supposed to be some sort of storyline but it's loosely enforced and feels a bit random - probably the English guide couldn't cover every detail available on display - almost exclusively in German only.

Still remembering these times, the involuntary time travel made a heavy impression but the whole exhibition cries for a rework - maybe a tad bit less information with greater focus and accentuation would help to understand even for the younger generations how Stasi became this powerful & frightful machine by the time of the Berlin wall's fall.

Definitely worth a (2...

An amazing testimony to paranoia & control.

I loved the subject of Stasi history but only gave 4 stars because the museum needs a lot of money spent on it to do the subject justice.

The exhibits are fascinating, the artefacts say much about Communism as a religious belief.

The exhibits are all in German but also need to be in English to be fully appreciated by non- native speakers, as is standard practice in other countries with similar histories of a repressive regime.

It would also be good if the museum had a range of books about the Stasi and the GDR as this would complement any historical study. I looked for some in English but couldn't see any.

The very nice lady who was on the desk was very helpful & friendly & shared my enthusiasm for the subject. All in all an experience that made me want...

Today a museum, yesterday a power center for spies with bureaucratic charm. Anyone who's ever wanted to know what life was like between a bug and a vote of no confidence can immerse themselves in the world of the Stasi in true style here. There are recreated officers' quarters, an exhibition about canned scents secretly taken from unsuspecting citizens, a wig exhibition, and content about GDR postal lawbreakers. From operational psychology to the death penalty, there's everything a paranoid or history-loving heart desires. There's even football memorabilia, if you still want to believe in BFC Dynamo amidst the decomposition and surveillance. It feels like Big Brother's playground in the middle of the former...