During the First World War, the Evangelisch-Kirchliche-Hilfsverein (Evangelical Church Relief Association) erected an imposing villa at what is now Leistikowstraße 1. Until 1945, it contained a parsonage and the head office of the Evangelische Frauenhilfe (Evangelical Women's Relief Society).
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The former home of the Evangelical Church Relief Association was converted for use as the central remand and transit prison for Soviet military counterintelligence. The people imprisoned there were mostly citizens of the Soviet Union, with numerous Germans and a few people of other nationalities.
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Apart from the headquarters of the Soviet secret service (KGB) in the Karlshorst district of Berlin, the secret service base "Military Town No. 7", as the German headquarters of Soviet military counterintelligence, was the most important intelligence outpost at the interface with Western Europe.
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A highly committed network of volunteers grew up at the former prison site in the latter half of the decade, with the support of the property’s owner (Evangelical Church Relief Association) and the active participation of former inmates. Its members came to open the building for visitors.
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The foundation is funded in equal parts by the German government and the federal state of Brandenburg.
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