Leipzig, Germany

Museum in der "Runden Ecke"

This small exhibition displays equipment and artifacts once belonging to the feared Stasi secret police.

Germany’s Museum in der “Runden Ecke” (literally “Museum in the ‘Round Corner’”) sits in a curved corner space that was once an office of the sinister East German secret police, the Stasi, and now houses a memorial museum full of their vintage gear and the tools of the their ignominious trade.

The Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the Stasi, was the tacit arm of the Soviet Union in East Germany after World War II. They were notorious for spying on the people of East Germany by turning normal citizens against one another and using brutal tactics to quell any dissent. Tactics ranging from secretly bugging phones to recruiting spies directly out of grade school were employed to create one of the most effective states of fear ever created.

The memorial museum in the round corner remains in much the same state as it was when the Stasi were operating their campaigns of fear from the spot. The various programs and methods they employed are explored through a deep collection of archival files, reports, and vintage equipment. There are old surveillance cameras, collections of confiscated personal letters, and crisp uniforms letting visitors get a glimpse into the world of brutal state espionage.

Thankfully, the Stasi is long since defunct but their legacy still lives on and thanks to the round corner office their despicable deeds will not be forgotten any time soon.