Memorial SA Prison Papestrasse

The former SA Prison Papestrasse is the only historical site of early Nazi terror in Berlin where unequivocal traces from the year 1933 can still be found.

The premises at Papestrasse were originally used as a utility building for the Prussian Railway Regiments. From March to December 1933 it was the site of an early concentration camp run by the SA Field Police (SA-Feldpolizei). At this site, the men of the SA (Sturmabteilung, or Storm Troopers) arrested, interrogated and tortured above all political opponents, Jews and other groups persecuted by the Nazi regime. The names of almost 500 persons who were imprisoned in Papestrasse are presently known. It is likely that the total number of prisoners is considerably higher, since it is meanwhile no longer possible to establish a complete list of detainees.

For the most part, the rooms used for imprisonment are still in their original condition.

Since March 2013 there is an exhibition on location that documents the history of the SA Prison Papestrasse. This has finally brought to an end the long-standing struggle to secure the basement rooms on a permanent basis and establish the site as a memorial and place of learning.

 

The exhibition has been supported by funds from the German Lottery Foundation, Stiftung Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin.