Maria Kolesnikova, who we have chosen as the cover photo for our theme day, is one of the women who has been in political prison in Belarus since the 2020 protests. Sentenced to eleven years in prison, she has been out of contact with the outside world since February 2023.

With the panel "Strength and Resistance: Women's Journeys through Prison", the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial not only wants to look back on the courage of women who were imprisoned in the GDR for political reasons. by bringing past injustices to mind, the theme day aims to draw attention to the situation of politically imprisoned women worldwide. The number of political prisoners is currently estimated at one million.

Together with cooperation partners, the memorial is organizing a solidarity campaign: visitors can write and hand in a postcard or letter for current political prisoners on site. For those imprisoned and their families, these signs that they will not be forgotten are invaluable.

The event is part of the Lichtenberg Summer of Culture.

Stage program

13.30 - 15.30
Panel discussion
"Strength and resistance: women's journeys through imprisonment"

Experience reports from formerly imprisoned women from the GDR and Belarus as well as from women who are committed to human rights.

Panel

Konstanze Helber - contemporary witness and chairwoman of the Forum for Politically Persecuted and Imprisoned Women of the Soviet Occupation Zone/SED Dictatorship e. V.

Natallia Hersche - contemporary witness from Belarus

Cordelia Dvorák - author and director

Moderation

Maria Ossowski - cultural journalist

16.00 - 17.00
Open-air concert with Maryam.fyi

Maryam.fyi received the "Prize for Pop Culture" in the category "Most Moving Story" in 2023. With her songs, the German-Iranian singer stands up for freedom and democracy and expressed her solidarity with the protests in Iran.

Accompanying program

11.00 - 15.00
Guided tours (60 min)

The Stasi prison (German, English and Russian)

The women's prison labor detachment and the Stasi prison hospital (German)

The exhibitions

Permanent exhibition "Imprisoned in Hohenschönhausen"
With free audio guides in German, English, Russian and other languages

In forced community. The work detachments of prisoners in Hohenschönhausen
Digital exhibition with tablets (German and English)

Inclusive offers

Guided tour in German sign language (11.15 am)

Touch tour (11.30 a.m.)

Guided tour in easy language (11.45 am)

Talking pictures. Photographs on the division of Berlin and political imprisonment in the GDR. Including photo exhibition with QR codes and audio descriptions

Letter campaign

"For those currently politically imprisoned"