The Stasi had their beady eyes everywhere, sometimes surreptitiously and sometimes not.

The watchtowers are associated with the Berlin Wall of course, but there’s also one in Weißensee, far from the former border, overlooking a derelict building with a dirty secret in the basement – this is where the Stasi had a shooting range to sharpen their shooting skills.

Scroll down for a video tour of the basement.

Photos from April 2026.