Ever wondered where former East German leaders served time? Here at Justizvollzugsanstalt des offenen Vollzugs, JVA Hakenfelde, some did.
This is not your typical high-security prison. The Justizvollzugsanstalt des offenen Vollzugs, JVA Hakenfelde, is a low-security facility. It stands in the Hakenfelde district of Berlin.
The Justizvollzugsanstalt des offenen Vollzugs, JVA Hakenfelde, opened on March 1 1978. Back then, Berlin was divided. The prison started as a branch of Düppel Prison in West Berlin. It became an independent institution in 1991.
Between 1995 and 1998, the old barracks were replaced. Modern prison buildings took their place.
But here’s a twist. The Justizvollzugsanstalt des offenen Vollzugs, JVA Hakenfelde, as it exists today, is the result of mergers. In 2010, several Berlin prisons for men in open custody merged. This created the Justizvollzugsanstalt des Offenen Vollzuges Berlin or JVA OVB.
JVA Hakenfelde is one of four locations of the JVA OVB. The main facility is located at Niederneuendorfer Allee. Other locations include Kiefheider Weg, Kisselnallee, and Robert-von-Ostertag-Straße. In total, the JVA OVB has 908 places.
The Justizvollzugsanstalt Hakenfelde started as a branch of Justizvollzugsanstalt Düppel on the park-like area between Niederneuendorfer Allee and Waldsiedlung Hakenfelde. It was in 1978. In 1991, it became independent.
From 1995 to 1998, the prisoners were housed at a replacement site in Berlin-Heiligensee. This later became the JVA Heiligensee. The old barracks were from the 1940s. They were built as accommodation for forced laborers. The old barracks were torn down. Stone buildings with pent roofs replaced them. Prison operations resumed fully on February 1 1998 at Niederneuendorfer Allee.
In 2000, the facility expanded to include an area on Kisselnallee. On July 1 2008, JVA Hakenfelde and JVA Heiligensee merged. They kept the name JVA Hakenfelde. On July 1 2010, this merged with JVA Düppel. It became the Justizvollzugsanstalt des Offenen Vollzuges Berlin with four locations.
Egon Krenz, Günter Schabowski, and Heinz Keßler served time here. These were former communist leaders of East Germany. Even actor Karsten Speck spent some time here. From May 19 2007 to July 18 2008, former football referee Robert Hoyzer was incarcerated here.
Before the 2010 merger, JVA Hakenfelde had three sections. These were Hakenfelde-Hauptanstalt, Kisselnallee, and Kiefheider Weg. Hakenfelde-Hauptanstalt had 248 places. Kisselnallee had 170. Kiefheider Weg had 240. With 658 places, JVA Hakenfelde was Germany’s largest self-reporting facility.
When it merged to become Justizvollzugsanstalt des Offenen Vollzuges Berlin in 2010, JVA Düppel became Robert-von-Ostertag-Straße. It added 258 places.
So, as we stand here, remember this seemingly ordinary place. The Justizvollzugsanstalt des offenen Vollzugs, JVA Hakenfelde, carries a weighty past. It has housed both political figures and those who have stumbled on their path. It’s a reminder that history often resides in unexpected places.