Shocking revelations: The dark legacy of the GDR homes in Dresden

Shocking revelations: The dark legacy of the GDR homes in Dresden

Last week, the Dresden Municipal Clinic made an urgent appeal to affected women from the dark times of the GDR. The aim is to come to terms with the traumatic experiences that many women have suffered in so-called “gonorrhea castles”. The stories of survivors like Jana Mendes-Bogas, who once escaped from a children's home in the GDR, shed light on the extent of the abuse that took place under the regime. MDR reports that From her personal experience, Jana says that many women who ended up in these facilities had to endure horrific gynecological exams - often for no medical reason at all.

As Christine Wöldike, a long-time employee at the Friedrichstadt Hospital, describes, many of them were in a pitiful condition. Women who were classified as “anti-social” were not only oppressed in these homes, but also used as cleaning services, with many of them turning into prostitution. The decisions of the youth welfare office were all-encompassing and the influence of parents was often largely ignored.

Life in GDR children's homes

In order to correctly understand the picture of this time, it is important to look at the different types of children's homes in the GDR. In addition to homes for orphaned children, these also included permanent homes for small children and special homes for young people who were considered difficult to educate. Time clicks describes that in the 1960s the number of places in permanent homes increased, from which many children were never released. Life in these institutions was regulated and the children's individual needs were often not taken into account. Instead, the aim was to educate young people to become “socialist personalities”, which in many cases had traumatic consequences.

Kerstin Gueffroy, another contemporary witness, impressively described in her book “The Hell of Torgau” what children and young people had to go through in these homes. Her experiences are sometimes so disturbing that she suffers not only from the physical abuse, but also from the emotional isolation and the strict disciplinary measures. The educational methods used here were often cruel and degrading. Deutschlandfunk highlights that these special homes, especially in the 1980s, were increasingly under the influence of the Stasi, which collected information about the children in the home and was often associated with invasive practices.

The current processing

In view of this difficult and often secretive story, the Dresden Municipal Clinic urgently appeals to women to come forward so that they can come to terms with what happened together. Jana Mendes-Bogas emphasizes how important it is to come to terms with one's own past and to understand that despite all the atrocities experienced, one should not give up.

Rediscovering this history is essential not only for those affected, but also for society as a whole. The stories of the survivors are a powerful reminder that we must not forget the dark chapters of our past and that they represent a valuable lesson for the future.