Lern- und Gedenkort Kaßberg-Gefängnis

The former Kaßberg prison in Chemnitz is an important place of remembrance of GDR injustice and German division as a former processing centre for the release of prisoners by the East German regime. Most of the more than 33,000 political prisoners who were bought out of prison in the GDR by the federal government between 1962/1963 and 1989 were released from here. The building complex also served as a remand centre for the State Security and previously for the Soviet secret police NKVD/MGB. During the National Socialist era, members of various persecuted groups were imprisoned in the Kaßberg prison.

In October 2023, a learning centre with a permanent exhibition opened in the former prison wing B. At the centre are portraits of former prisoners from different periods. Their life stories are told in the former cells with photos, documents, artefacts and numerous video interviews. The memorial site on the former outer wall of the prison has been in existence since 2017. Wall segments and a watchtower have been preserved there. An outdoor tour of the former prison grounds connects the memorial site and the learning centre. It is a reminder of how the site was used in the past and of parts of the building that have disappeared.