Tens of thousands of Germans continue to consult their files from the Stasi, the former East German state security agency, as the country prepares to mark 35 years since reunification on Friday, reported dpa.
The Federal Archives received 16,213 applications from citizens for access to files in the first half of 2025, a spokesman told dpa on Thursday. Some 28,571 enquiries were made in 2024.
"The Stasi records archive and other documents on the former East Germany in the Federal Archives bear witness to the repression of people and the disregard for freedom of the press and freedom of opinion in a dictatorship," said the archive's president, Michael Hollmann.
According to the Federal Archives, there have been more than 7.5 million enquiries since the Stasi files were opened in 1990, following efforts from East German citizens to ensure the documents were preserved following the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Almost 3.5 million requests have come from members of the public, while media, academia and authorities are also able to request access.
According to the statistics, the highest number of enquiries was in 2019 with 56,526 requests.
The documents have been part of the Federal Archives since June 2021, following the dissolution of the independent Stasi Records Office after three decades.
Among the millions of documents are files on the Stasi's mass espionage of the population, as well as photos and audio recordings.
On October 3, 1990, the states that made up East Germany were integrated into the Federal Republic of Germany – the formal name for West Germany – ending the long division of the German nation after World War II.
The date is a national holiday known as German Unity Day.
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
