The “Rote Ochse” - The Memorial
History of a Prison
1838-1842 Erection of the Royal Both permanent exhibitions document the Prussian “Penal and history of the “Rote Ochse” in the years Reform Facility” outside the 1933 to 1945, and 1945 to 1989. gates of Halle On the ground floor - the former execution 1848/49 First detention of political rooms – there is a presentation on the prisoners after the history of the National Socialist dictatorship. revolution On the first floor, next to the Stasi vault for 1933 Incorporation of the "Rote personal effects, it is possible to view a Ochse” in the Nazi penal reconstructed cell. The special exhibitions system are also located here.
1935 Reorganisation of the On the second floor there is an exhibition prison to a hard labour penal facility dedicated to the Soviet Military Tribunals and the Stasi remand centre. 1942 - 1945 Execution of 549 prisoners On the top floor there are seminar rooms The ROTE OCHSE th 17 April 1945 Liberation of the prisoners and a PC-area. Am Kirchtor 20b – 06108 Halle (Saale) Halle (Saale) by the US Army Tel: (0345) 2201337 – Fax: (0345) 2201339 In the former guards house there is a film [email protected] st 1 July 1945 Handover of the “Rote about the construction history of the “Rote Ochse” to Soviet Ochse”. occupying forces Tuesdays – Fridays: Separate signs provide information about 10 am – 4 pm 1945 - 1952 Use of the penal facility for individual parts of the building complex . Every first and third weekend each month: Political Justice military tribunals and as a 1pm – 5pm detention centre Entrance free. 1933 – 1945
1950 - 1989 Use of parts of the building 1945 – 1989 complex as a remand Tram connections:
centre by the Ministry for Line 7 alighting at "Hermanstraße" State Security of the GDR Line 8 alighting at “Peißnitzstraße/Diakoniewerk“ 1990 Incorporation of the prison in the judicial and penal s ystem of the Federal State With the benevolent support of the Federal of Saxony-Anhalt Governement, the Culture and Media Commission and the“Stiftung zur 1996 Handover of the “Rote Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur" Ochse” memorial to the public The ROTE OCHSE Halle (Saale) memorial is 2002-2006 Comprehensive part of the Memorial Foundation of Saxony-Anhalt . restoration of the memorial and construction of a new permanent exhibition
National Social Soviet Occupation/GDR
Shortly after Adolf Hitler was named Reich In July 1945 the Soviet occupying power took Chancellor, the “Rote Ochse” started to be command of the “Rote Ochse”. The complex incorporated into the penal system of the Third of buildings was not only used to imprison Reich. The complex of buildings located at Am actual and suspected Nazis but also those Kirchtor (by the Church Gate) was then used being tracked as political opponents. by the National Socialists to imprison political Soviet Military Tribunals (SMT) passed opponents and those who did not fit in with the hundreds of judgements here. Even today, the “ethnic community” on racial or religious number of death sentences passed by the grounds. Many of them served long sentences SMTs in the “Rote Ochse" is unknown. in the prison, which was converted into a hard Reliable details about the number of those labour penal facility who died in the concentration and work in November 1935. camps after being transported from the Halle With the start of penal facility are also missing. the Second World War, the Nazi In Autumn 1950 the leadership tried to Ministry of State stabilise its power Security (Stasi), via ever more brutal one of the most means. These important This picture, taken in 1938, shows instruments in prisoners and an enforcement officer attempts peaked in in the typesetting workshop 1942 with the maintaining erection of a place of the leadership of the Sozialistische execution. By the end of the war, the Stamp of the SMT Garison Halle, 1950 Einheitspartei executioner at the Halle hard labour penal Exercises and Educational Opportunities facility had passed the death sentence on 549 Deutschlands
people from 15 European countries (SED), took command of parts of the “Rote This is a memorial to the victims of the National Visitors to this building – in particular schools and Ochse”. It then installed a remand centre Socialist dictatorship. It is also dedicated to the other educational institutions – may make use of (UHA). victims of the periods when the “Rote Ochse” the following opportunities: was used by the Soviet Military Tribunals and - Guided tours and presentations on a range of as a remand centre by the Ministry for State individual topics Security. - Seminars/project days on the following:
1945 – 1989 1933 – 1945 Nazi special and military jurisdiction Denazification in Halle
The wording on the notice is supposed Executed in “Rote Ochse": Victims of Nazis justice Soviet Military Tribunals/concentration Cell furniture Relic of the Stasi-UHA: lit sign outside to suggest that the father of six underage 24 year old Polish camps/GULAG the interrogation room children is a hardened criminal. resistance fighter, Legal officials as offenders th Krystyna Wituska Liberation of Halle by the US Army 17 June 1953 in Halle Victims of the Stasi and SED justice Stasi employees as offenders By 1989 the Stasi had detained approx 8,100 Disbandment of the Stasi men and 1,600 women in the UHA which had been responsible for the district of Halle since
1952. The detainees were regarded by the SED leadership as political opponents. All educational opportunities are offered free of charge. Groups are requested to register at least one week The Stasi-UHA "Rote Ochse" ceased to exist in advance. In December 1989.