Headquarters of the Ministry for State Security - Magdalenenstraße
From 1950 to early 1990, the main offices of the GDR Ministry for State Security (MfS) were located north of Frankfurter Allee between Ruschestraße and Magdalenenstraße. The MfS first occupied a single building and gradually took over entire neighbourhood blocks. The Stasi also ran a remand prison on the east side of Magdalenenstraße, outside the core area. Interrogations took place here, often ending with the arrest of the person questioned. The name “Magdalena” thus became synonymous with political prosecution in the GDR. The older buildings on the corner of Frankfurter Allee/Magdalenenstraße were converted into office buildings by the Stasi in 1983.