This former prison started it’s life in 1932 as the new building for the headquarters of the departmentstore Karstadt AG. But they already sold the whole complex in 1934 to the Reichsfinanzministerium because it was too big for them. And after some reconstruction work the Statistische Reichsamt used the building from 1935 and, in the course of the censuses of 1933 and 1939, provided the data for the expropriation and persecution of German Jews
During the second world war major parts of the building were destroyed by bombs.
The reconstruction of the building complex began in 1947 and on October 16, 1948, the Präsidium der Volkspolizei Berlin, the Volkspolizei-Inspektion Berlin-Mitte and the fire brigade moved there. Between 1949 and 1951 a prison was constructed in one of the wings of he building.
Between the years 1951 and 1988 the prison was changed, renovated and modernized again and again. And the GDR volkspolizei used this prison till 1990.
After the reunification of Germany the building was used as a location for film productions most of the time. And from 2019 the building is used as a educational facility.
Deutschland video:
Parts of the video for the song Deutschland have been shot at this former prison.