The permanent exhibition State Security in the SED Dictatorship has been on view in Berlin since January 2015. On three floors visitors find out about the development, function, and operation of the state security. Numerous objects, some have never been on display before, and various media stations illustrate the extent of the work of the Ministry for State Security (MfS). The heart of the museum is Erich Mielke’s historic office, which has largely been preserved in its original state.

The design works very closely with the existing room architecture. The rooms themselves tell a story and are a formal expression of the system. Materials, proportions, and shapes of the East-German bureaucratic system are picked up and reinterpreted in the room. Different room formats were planned in the design: the visitors experience a change between information, reflection, and contemplation.