More than three decades after German reunification, some 30,000 requests to inspect Stasi files are still made annually. This is according to a report published Friday by the Federal Archives, which took over the historical files of the former GDR Ministry of State Security in 2021. Accordingly, citizens, media and researchers are interested.
Around 111 shelf kilometers of Stasi files had been preserved from destruction in 1990. Among other things, they provide information about who was spied on during GDR times and who was an informer for the secret service. This was a huge issue, especially shortly after German reunification. According to the Federal Archives, a total of 7.5 million requests for access to files have been made so far.
One problematic case is the millions of pages of files that Stasi employees tore up after the peaceful revolution in the GDR. The shreds filled a total of 15,400 bags. The Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology was supposed to develop software to assemble the shreds quickly and cheaply, at least virtually. But that didn't work properly, according to the report. Now the federal government is looking for new providers for the project.
Meanwhile, according to the activity report, 1.71 million pages were "reconstructed by hand," that is, reassembled by humans. In the period from mid-2021 to mid-2023, this succeeded with 37,000 sheets. This means that snippets from 600 "containers" have been processed, as the report continues.
Before 2021, the holdings were in a separate federal agency. The Stasi documents archive is still located at the site of the former Ministry for State Security in Berlin-Lichtenberg.
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