Fates of imprisonment
Biographies of former prisoners
Between 1945 and 1989, more than 20,000 people were imprisoned at Hohenschönhausen. You can read about the fates of some of the prisoners in our biographies.
1945-1946: Sowiet special camp
Heinrich George
* 1883 † 1946
In prison 1945-1946
Heinrich George was born Georg August Friedrich Hermann Schulz in Stettin in 1883. The actor Heinrich George is probably the most prominent (…)
Heinz-Joachim Schmidtchen
* 1928
In prison 1946-1954
Heinz-Joachim Schmidtchen was born on 8 December 1928 in Schwiebus (Brandenburg). At the age of 17 (…)
1947-1951: Central remand prison for the Soviet secret service
Kurt Müller
* 1903 † 1990
In prison 1950-1955
Kurt Müller, born in Berlin in 1903, was one of the leading communist politicians in the Federal Republic of Germany. (…)
Helmut Brandt
* 1911 † 1998
In prison 1950-1958
Helmut Brandt was born in Berlin-Spandau in 1911. With a doctorate in law and economics, he was one of the co-founders (…)
Horst Jänichen
* 1931 † 2020
In prison 1946-1948 and 1951-1959
Horst Jänichen was born in Berlin in 1931. He was arrested by the Soviet secret service (MGB) (…)
1951-1989: Central remand prison for the Ministry of State Security
Arno Drefke
* 1934
In prison 1953-1962
Arno Drefke was born in Wittstock (Brandenburg) in 1934. From 1948 to 1951, he trained as a chemist in (…)
Peter Rüegg
* 1933 † 2021
In prison 1959-1963
Peter Rüegg was born in Berlin in 1933. He moved to East Berlin in 1948 and became a full-time youth functionary (…)
Karl-Heinz Richter
* 1946
In prison 1964
Karl-Heinz Richter was born in Schwarzheide (Brandenburg) in 1946. After finishing secondary school, he began (…)
Lutz Hildebrandt
* 1947
In prison 1967-1968
Lutz Hildebrandt was born in Berlin in 1947. He learned the trade of dressmaker. On the occasion (…)
Hans-Jochen Scheidler
* 1943
In prison 1968-1969
Hans-Jochen Scheidler was born in 1943 in Wollhaus in what is now Poland. After studying physics at the Humboldt University (…)
Reinhard Fuhrmann
* 1948
In prison 1972-1973
Reinhard Fuhrmann was born in Berlin (Prenzlauer Berg) in 1948. In 1968, he began studying philosophy and history (…)
Friedemann Körner
* 1945
In prison 1974-1977
Friedemann Körner was born in Dresden in 1945. He studied at the Dresden Academy of Music (…)
Edda Schönherz
* 1944
In prison 1974-1977
Edda Schönherz was born in Bad Landeck (Silesia) in 1944. From 1963 to 1969, she trained as a journalist (…)
Ret Langmeier
* 1959
In prison 1980-1981
Ret Langmeier was born in East Berlin in 1959 and grew up in Berlin-Mitte. After leaving school (…)
Sigrid Grünewald
* 1945
In prison 1981-1982
Sigrid Grünewald was born in 1945 in Kahla (Thuringia). She grew up in a social democratic family (…)
Henry Leuschner
* 1962
In prison 1981-1982
Henry Leuschner was born in Leipzig in 1962. From 1978 to 1980, he trained as a roofer in Jena. He then (…)
Thomas Lukow
* 1959
In prison 1981-1983
Thomas Lukow was born in Potsdam in 1959. He grew up in East Berlin and completed (…)
Thomas Raufeisen
* 1962
In prison 1981-1984
Thomas Raufeisen was born in Hanover in 1962 and lived there until he was 17. His father (…)
Christian König
* 1961
In prison 1980-1981
Christian König was born in January 1961 and grew up in East Berlin. After leaving school, he began (…)
Michael Bradler
* 1961
In prison 1982
Michael Bradler was born in East Berlin in 1961 and trained as a precision mechanic. (…)
Harry Santos
* 1955
In prison 1982-1983
Harry Santos was born in Leipzig in 1955 and grew up in Thuringia from the age of eleven. (…)
Monika Schneider
* 1956
In prison 1983-1985
Monika Schneider was born in Freital (Saxony) in 1956. She trained in the region as a skilled worker in clothing technology (…)
Torsten Rupnow
* 1966
In prison 1985-1986
Torsten Rupnow was born in East Berlin in 1966 and grew up in the district of Lichtenberg. After leaving school, he trained (…)
Gilbert Furian
* 1945
In prison 1985-1986
Gilbert Furian was born in 1945 in Görlitz, Saxony. At the age of 16, he was expelled from the Free German Youth (…)
Andreas Mehlstäubl
* 1965
In prison 1987
Andreas Mehlstäubl was born in Potsdam in 1965. From 1982 to 1984, he trained as a vehicle fitter (…)
Mario Röllig
* 1967
In prison 1987
Mario Röllig was born in East Berlin in 1967 and trained as a restaurant specialist from 1984 to 1986. At the age (…)
1945-1989: Prisoners at other detention centres for the Ministry of State Security in the GDR
Hartmut Richter
* 1948
In prison 1966 and 1975-1980
Hartmut Richter was born in Glindow (Brandenburg) in 1948. He was 13 when the Berlin Wall (…)
Michael Brack
* 1949
In prison 1968
Michael Brack was born in Berlin-Neukölln in 1949. In 1954, his family moved to the East Berlin district (…)
Hans-Joachim Lietsche
* 1950
In prison 1978-1979
Hans-Joachim Lietsche was born in East Berlin in 1959 and grew up in Prenzlauer Berg. During his apprenticeship as a (…)
Lothar Schulz
* 1950
In prison 1978-1979
Lothar Schulz was born in 1950 in Alt Ruppin, Brandenburg. In 1972, he completed his studies (…)
Hansjürg Schößler
* 1963
In prison 1979 & 1980
Hansjürg Schößler was born Hansjürg Neß in Erfurt in 1963 and grew up in a Christian family. (…)
Holger Krug
* 1962
In prison 1985-1986
Holger Krug was born in Markkleeberg (Saxony) in 1962. From 1979 to 1981, he (…)