The Barnimstraße women’s prison existed from 1868 to 1974. Barnimstraße runs parallel to Mollstraße just north of Alexanderplatz.
It was initially called the Royal Prussian Women’s Prison and had a maternity ward and a mother-child ward. Great consideration was given to imprisoned mothers. They could live in a “mother cell” together with their children, where toys were available and flowers were allowed to be placed. A doctor checked on them daily.
The socially committed Käthe Kollwitz visited the prison repeatedly. Here, for example, she created “Weibergefängnis” (Women’s Prison) in 1912, one of two drawings she contributed to an exhibition to improve prison conditions for women.
Women’s fates form an important focus in the work of Käthe Kollwitz. She also visited prisons, as the charcoal drawing “Weibergefängnis” shows. The occasion for this sketch was the Berlin exhibition ‘Die Frau in Haus und Beruf’. Kollwitz worked on two drawings: a woman giving birth in prison and the admission of a woman with her children to the general room.
Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Graphische Sammlung, C 1954/GVL 44 / CC 0 Public Domain
During the imperial era, prostitutes were imprisoned here, as were women who had had abortions or who had campaigned for fair wages or women’s suffrage. The most famous political inmate was Rosa Luxemburg, who served prison sentences there in 1907 and 1915/16. Between 1933 and 1945, more than 300 women resistance fighters against National Socialism were imprisoned, for many it was the last stop before execution in Plötzensee. In 1974, a new prison for women was built in Köpenick, and the building on Barnimstraße was demolished.
Today, the site is home to a youth traffic school. The tall poplars that line it stand on the former foundation walls. A memorial plaque commemorates the prison. An audio tour of remembrance has been available for several years. An actress tells the story of five inmates who served time during five different political systems. Visitors can borrow iPods and headphones for free from the groundskeeper at the entrance on Weinstraße, the prison’s former main entrance. The Weinstrasse formerly led to two vineyards at Volkspark Friedrichshain; it has borne the name since 1830 and is now a pedestrian path. Vine plants still entwine around the fence of the traffic school.
