MEMORIAL AND ENCOUNTER SITE

The building of the former KGB prison in Potsdam – a site of unimaginable human rights violations during the Soviet occupation – is at the centre of the 2006 competition.
The design is based on the expressiveness of the existing building, whose appearance, both outside and inside, emphasises it as a unique document of contemporary history. This document is given a space that roughly corresponds to the former prison enclosure. In this room, together with the existing building, all the other relics from the time when the prison was used by the secret service and the military will be exhibited. Access to the memorial and meeting place is only possible through the new building. The new building houses museum rooms, archives, office and library rooms, and sanitary facilities.
The new building is part of the new enclosure and, together with the hedge, forms the frame for the found traces of terror. The aim is to create a timeless link between the contemporary historical document and the new design with outdoor facilities and the new building through abstraction, which serves to focus on the site.
The project is supported by the State of Brandenburg, the Federal Government and the European Union. The client is the Evangelisch-Kirchlicher Hilfsverein.