Regierungsvierte in Berlin in Mitte, Germany — Northeast German Plain (The European Plain)
Haus der Demokratie
⎯⎯⎯
House of Democracy
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, August 27, 2025
1. Haus der Demokratie / House of Democracy Marker
-Volker Braun-
Vom Dezember 1989 bis September 1999 befand sich hier das „Haus der Demokratie“, Sitz der DDR-Bürgerinnenbewegungen. Heute steht das „Haus der Demokratie und Menschenrechte“ in der Greifswalder Straße 4, im Prenzlauer Berg. www.hausderdemokratie.de
Defeated as we are, we have tasted our strength, the power of the multitude. We have made a state disappear, we have opened the government offices. For a moment, we remembered the "future" — it did exist.
-Volker Braun-
From December 1989 to September 1999, the "House of Democracy," the headquarters of the GDR's civic movement, was located here. Today, the "House of Democracy and Human Rights" is located at Greifswalder Straße 4 in Prenzlauer Berg. www.hausderdemokratie.de
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics
this page online
Location. 52° 30.927′ N, 13° 23.337′ E. Marker is in Berlin, in Mitte. It is in Regierungsvierte. It is at the intersection of Friedrichstraße and Behrenstraße, on the right when traveling south on Friedrichstraße. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Friedrichstraße 165, Berlin 10117, Germany. Touch for directions.
Regionally, it is in Europe, the European Union, Atlantic Europe, Central Europe, the Schengen Area, Western Europe, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire and specifically also the Holy Roman Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Die Berliner Mauer - The Berlin Wall (within shouting distance of this marker); Leonhard Euler (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Carl Gotthard Langhans (about 120 meters away); Verein für die Geschichte Berlins / Berlin Historical Society (about 210 meters away); Deutscher Leichtathletik Verband / German Athletics Association (approx. 0.2 kilometers away); Russisches Haus in Berlin / Russian House in Berlin (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Governeurshaus / Governor’s Residence (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); König Willem I der Niederlande / King William I of the Netherlands (approx. 0.3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Berlin.
Also see . . .
1. HdDM - Our self-conception (HdDM). Excerpt:
In December 1989, the house at Friedrichstraße 165 was handed over by the Central Round Table of the GDR(Submitted on September 20, 2025.)from the assets of the SED parties to the East German citizens' movements. We renamed it the "House of Democracy". Almost ten years later - after a long dispute about the clarification of the property situation and after a political decision of the Party Property Commission against the house - the move to Greifswalder Straße 4 took place in autumn 1999 and the new beginning took place in the "Haus der Demokratie und Menschenrechte", which was twice the size. A thousand meters before Alexanderplatz, it is now located right on the border between the districts of Prenzlauer Berg, Mitte, and Friedrichshain.Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, August 27, 20252. Haus der Demokratie / House of Democracy Marker - wide viewThe marker is visible here between two windows to the left of the building entrance.
The founding organisations of 1989 and the subsequent groups in the House are united by the conviction that citizens' political self-determination must also be exercised and promoted outside the parties and party structures.
2. Haus der Demokratie (Berlin.de, in German). Excerpt (in translation):
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the House of Democracy became a symbol of protests against the SED regime and of the democratization efforts of civil society movements.(Submitted on September 20, 2025.)
The imposing corner building on Friedrichstraße had been the headquarters of democratic civil society movements since January 1990, including the Neue Forum (“New Forum”), Demokratie Jetzt (“Democracy Now”), the Vereinigte Linke (“United Left”), the Grüne Liga (“Green League”), the Unabhängige (“Independent Women's Association”), and the Initiative Frieden und Menschenrechte (“Peace and Human Rights Initiative”). The building had been reclaimed from its former tenant, the SED, at the Central Round Table, where opposition forces and representatives of the SED dictatorship met at the end of 1989 to debate the democratization of the GDR.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 20, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 19, 2025, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 63 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on September 19, 2025, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 2. submitted on September 20, 2025, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
