page_title: Stasi
section_title: District Departments and Area Precincts
hierarchical_section_title: Stasi / Organization / Ministry for State Security / District Departments and Area Precincts
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Strafvollzugseinrichtung (StVE) Bautzen - "Gelbes Elend" (Bautzen I)
context_page_description: The Ministry for State Security or State Security Service, commonly known as the Stasi, was the official state security service of the German Democratic Republic. It has been described as one of the most effective and repressive intelligence and secret police agencies ever to have existed. The Stasi was headquartered in East Berlin, with an extensive complex in Berlin-Lichtenberg and several smaller facilities throughout the city. The Stasi motto was Schild und Schwert der Partei, referring to the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany and also echoing a theme of the KGB, the Soviet counterpart and close partner, with respect to its own ruling party, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Erich Mielke was the Stasi's longest-serving chief, in power for 32 years of the GDR's 40 years of existence.
  One of its main tasks was spying on the population, primarily through a vast network of citizens turned informants, and fighting any opposition by overt and covert measures, including hidden psychological destruction of dissidents. It arrested 250,000 people as political prisoners during its existence.
context_section_description: District Department for State Security Berlin (Bezirksverwaltung für Staatssicherheit Berlin (BVfS-Berlin))
  11 Area Precincts for State Security (Kreisdienststellen (KD)): KD Friedrichshain, KD Hellersdorf, KD Hohenschönhausen, KD Köpenick, KD Lichtenberg, KD Marzahn, KD Mitte, KD Pankow, KD Prenzlauer Berg, KD Treptow, KD Weissensee
  District Department for State Security Cottbus (Bezirksverwaltung für Staatssicherheit Cottbus (BVfS-Cottbus))
  14 Area Precincts for State Security (Kreisdienststellen (KD)):
  1 city precinct: KD Cottbus
  13 rural precincts: KD Calau, KD Finsterwalde, KD Forst, KD Guben, KD Herzberg, KD Hoyerswerda, KD Jessen, KD Bad Liebenwerda, KD Luckau, KD Lübben, KD Senftenberg, KD Spremberg, KD Weißwasser
  District Department for State Security Dresden (Bezirksverwaltung für Staatssicherheit Dresden (BVfS-Dresden))
  16 Area Precincts for State Security (Kreisdienststellen (KD)):
  2 city precincts: KD Dresden-Stadt, KD Görlitz
  14 rural precincts: KD Dresden-Land, KD Bautzen, KD Bischofswerda, KD Dippoldiswalde, KD Freital, KD Großenhain, KD Kamenz, KD Löbau, KD Meißen, KD Niesky, KD Pirna, KD Riesa, KD Sebnitz, KD Zittau
  Location Precinct Technical University and Other Institutions of Higher Education (Objektdienststelle Technische Universität / Hochschulen) - surveillance of university professors and students for dissenter tendencies
  District Department for State Security Erfurt (Bezirksverwaltung für Staatssicherheit Erfurt (BVfS-Erfurt))
  13 Area Precincts for State Security (Kreisdienststellen (KD)):
  2 city precincts: KD Erfurt, KD Weimar
  11 rural precincts: KD Apolda, KD Arnstadt, KD Eisenach, KD Gotha, KD Heiligenstadt, KD Langensalza, KD Mühlhausen, KD Nordhausen, KD Sömmerda, KD Sondershausen, KD Worbis
  District Department for State Security Frankfurt (Oder) (Bezirksverwaltung für Staatssicherheit Frankfurt (Oder) (BVfS-Frankfurt (O)))
  13 Area Precincts for State Security (Kreisdienststellen (KD)):
  3 city precincts: KD Frankfurt (Oder), KD Eisenhüttenstadt,  KD Schwedt
  8 rural precincts: KD Angermünde, KD Beeskow, KD Bernau, KD Eberswalde, KD Bad Freienwalde, KD Fürstenwalde, KD Seelow, KD Strausberg
  District Department for State Security Gera (Bezirksverwaltung für Staatssicherheit Gera (BVfS-Gera))
  11 Area Precincts for State Security (Kreisdienststellen (KD)):
  2 city precincts: KD Gera, KD Jena
  9 rural precincts: KD Eisenberg, KD Greiz, KD Lobenstein, KD Pößneck, KD Rudolstadt, KD Saalfeld, KD Schleiz, KD Stadtroda, KD Zeulenroda
  District Department for State Security Halle (Saale) (Bezirksverwaltung für Staatssicherheit Halle (Saale) (BVfS-Hale (Saale)))
  23 Area Precincts for State Security (Kreisdienststellen (KD)):
  3 city precincts: KD Halle,  KD Halle-Neustadt, KD Dessau
  20 rural precincts: KD Artern, KD Aschersleben, KD Bernburg, KD Bitterfeld, KD Eisleben, KD Gräfenhainichen, KD Hettstedt, KD Hohenmölsen, KD Köthen, KD Merseburg, KD Naumburg, KD Nebra, KD Quedlinburg, KD Querfurt, KD Roßlau, KD Saalkreis, KD Sangerhausen, KD Weißenfels, KD Wittenberg, KD Zeitz
  District Department for State Security Karl-Marx-Stadt (Bezirksverwaltung für Staatssicherheit Karl-Marx-Stadt (BVfS-Karl-Marx-Stadt))
  22 Area Precincts for State Security (Kreisdienststellen (KD)):
  3 city precincts: KD Karl-Marx-Stadt/Stadt, KD Plauen, KD Zwickau
  19 rural precincts: KD Annaberg, KD Aue, KD Auerbach, KD Brand-Erbisdorf, KD Flöha, KD Freiberg, KD Glauchau, KD Hainichen, KD Hohenstein-Ernstthal, KD Karl-Marx-Stadt/Land, KD Klingenthal, KD Marienberg, KD Oelsnitz, KD Reichenbach, KD Rochlitz, KD Schwarzenberg, KD Stollberg, KD Werdau, KD Zschopau
  District Department for State Security Leipzig (Bezirksverwaltung für Staatssicherheit Leipzig (BVfS-Leipzig))
  13 Area Precincts for State Security (Kreisdienststellen (KD)):
  1 city precinct:  KD Leipzig-Stadt
  12 rural precincts: KD Leipzig-Land, KD Altenburg, KD Borna, KD Delitzsch, KD Döbeln, KD Eilenburg, KD Geithain, KD Grimma, KD Oschatz, KD Schmölln, KD Torgau, KD Wurzen
  District Department for State Security Magdeburg (Bezirksverwaltung für Staatssicherheit Magdeburg (BVfS-
caption: Bautzen prison
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