Collection of Sample Files

The Stasi Records Act stipulates strict rules regarding access to the Stasi files. However, through the collection of sample files in the permanent exhibition “Access to Secrecy”, visitors are able to gain an impression of the documents left behind by the Ministry for State Security (MfS).

Each sample file, produced by hand in the archive’s restoration workshop using high-quality digitisation methods, is a meticulous copy of the original. Caution is required when publishing personal data contained in the files: the information on individuals whose consent could not be obtained is anonymised (redacted). The documents in the collection reflect the wide scope of records left behind by the Stasi. In addition to the files on victims and perpetrators, visitors can leaf through seemingly mundane administrative files or internal Stasi training materials. Many of the selected examples show the files behind the cases and topics addressed in the exhibition. For example, the entire file on Gilbert Radulovic is available, as are the personnel files of Stasi employees who observed him and later interrogated him in the Hohenschönhausen remand prison.