Berlin's memory keeper: 65 years after the Wall, Frank Ebert keeps DDR opposition alive

A life shaped by the Wall

Frank Ebert was not yet born when the Berlin Wall went up in 1961, but growing up in East Berlin, the barrier still divided his city. Born in Halle, now 56, he has lived in Berlin since 1981. Already in school he pushed back against state paternalism. His motto in the DDR was "stay in the country and resist daily," which meant not ducking away, not swallowing everything, even when consequences followed. By the time the Wall fell, Ebert was a young man and a veteran of the DDR opposition.

From conscientious objector to archivist

Ebert refused military service in the Nationale Volksarmee in 1987. The following year he began working at the Umweltbibliothek Berlin, housed in the community building of the Zionskirche, where opposition figures gathered around peace and environmental causes. In the pivotal year of 1989, Ebert was arrested multiple times after protesting electoral fraud in the May local elections. In October he co-organized a vigil at the Gethsemanekirche in Prenzlauer Berg, which became a key gathering point for the DDR opposition. In September 1990 he joined the second occupation of the Stasi headquarters, aimed primarily at preventing the destruction of Stasi files.

Since 1991 Ebert built up the Matthias-Domaschk-Archiv, transferring it in 1993 into the Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft. It formed the foundation for today's archive of the DDR opposition.

Commissioner since March 2023

Ebert has served as Berlin's commissioner for reckoning with the SED dictatorship since March 2023. In that role he advises Stasi victims and represents their concerns in the state parliament. He also studies the history of the DDR and in particular the Ministry for State Security. He presents an annual activity report to the Abgeordnetenhaus, flagging what he sees as shortcomings. In early July 2026, his latest report criticized Berlin authorities for partially ignoring the concerns of politically persecuted DDR citizens for years, with applications for victim pensions left unprocessed.

Ebert also publishes texts on the history of the DDR opposition, including but not limited to the citizens' movement he himself belonged to. He wants these topics to reach the broadest possible public rather than remaining confined to specialist circles.

A forum for opposition and resistance

Ebert advocates for the "Forum Opposition und Widerstand 1945–1990" as a central memorial site on the grounds of the former Stasi headquarters in Berlin-Lichtenberg. He also pushes for a freedom exhibition on the history of the Peaceful Revolution to be housed in the Humboldt Forum.

For me, coming to terms with the SED dictatorship is a lasting task

He frames the planned exhibition as a place of encouragement for people living under dictatorships today, whether in Venezuela or Iran.

I want to make clear that you can be successful when you do something against dictatorships

He explicitly links the work to contemporary society, not only the past. He wants to bring the value of freedom closer to people, a value he says is in constant danger of being forgotten. He also seeks to prevent the beautification of history.

One should not forget, not everyone in the DDR was in the opposition, they were the fewest. But it is also only a small minority that wants the DDR back or says everything was better there.