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Weekend Tips: What to Do This Weekend in Berlin
August 14 to 16, 2026: Events, festivals, exhibitions and more things to do for your perfect weekend in Berlin. more
Im Epizentrum der Spionage
Date details
- Date Thursday, 15/October/2026 19:00
- Venue Deutsches Spionagemuseum
- Address Leipziger Platz 9, 10117 Berlin-Mitte
Public transportation
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Train (S-Bahn)
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S+U Potsdamer Platz Bhf
- S1
- S2
- S25
- S26
-
S Anhalter Bahnhof
- S1
- S2
- S25
- S26
-
S+U Potsdamer Platz Bhf
-
Underground
-
Bus
-
S+U Potsdamer Platz Bhf
- 200
- M48
- M85
- N2
- 300
- M41
- RB10
-
S Potsdamer Platz Bhf/Voßstr.
- M41
- M48
- M85
- S7B
-
Leipziger Str./Wilhelmstr.
- 200
- M48
- N2
- 300
-
Varian-Fry-Str./Potsdamer Platz
- 200
- M48
- M85
- N2
- 300
- M41
-
Abgeordnetenhaus
- M41
-
U Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Str.
- M48
- 300
-
S Anhalter Bahnhof
- M41
- M29
-
Wilhelmstr./Kochstr.
- M29
- N6
-
Philharmonie Süd
- M41
- 300
-
Kulturforum
- M48
- M85
- N2
-
Behrenstr./Wilhelmstr.
- 300
-
U Mendelssohn-Bartholdy-Park
- M29
- N1
-
U Stadtmitte
- 200
- N2
- N6
- U2
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Schöneberger Brücke
- M29
-
Philharmonie
- 200
-
U Kochstr. (Checkpoint Charlie)
- M29
- N6
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S+U Potsdamer Platz Bhf
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Train
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S+U Potsdamer Platz Bhf
- RE3
- RE5
- RE4
- FEX
- RE8
- RE20
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S+U Potsdamer Platz Bhf
At the Epicenter of Espionage
New Sources Debunk Myths
During the height of the Cold War, intelligence agencies across Europe—but especially in Austria and Germany—drew thousands of people into the fray by recruiting them as couriers or informants. A newly published book now turns the spotlight on precisely these individuals.
The book breaks away from purely political history and describes in detail how espionage unfolded at the micro level—including the immediate dangers faced by the spies themselves, their families, and friends. It refutes the common assumption that spies were driven solely by money and operated without awareness of the risks involved. Using intelligence models such as the MICE model (Money, Ideology, Coercion, Ego), the book shows that cooperation almost always resulted from a complex combination of material benefits, ideological views, coercion, and a personal desire for recognition.
The book is based on the latest research findings and debunks myths about espionage. By analyzing a broad range of sources—some of which are being used here for the first time—the book offers entirely new insights into the real and often deadly practices of intelligence agencies. A striking example is the analysis of the CIA’s “Redsox” operation, which failed disastrously because it did not take into account the realities in the USSR and because inadequately trained agents were knowingly sent into the hands of Soviet counterintelligence. In addition, the book critically examines how intelligence agencies and the media constructed their own fictions and espionage narratives.
COLLABORATION WITH THE LEISTIKOWSTRASSE MEMORIAL IN POTSDAM
PARTICIPANTS
Dr. Ines Reich Director of the Leistikowstraße Memorial in Potsdam, Author
Prof. Dr. Bodo Hechelhammer BND, Author
Prof. Dr. Siegfried Beer Historian, Author
Dieter Bacher Historian, Author
MODERATOR
Prof. Dr. Helmut Müller-Enbergs Political scientist, authorTranslated with DeepL
During the height of the Cold War, intelligence agencies across Europe—but especially in Austria and Germany—drew thousands of people into the fray by recruiting them as couriers or informants. A newly published book now turns the spotlight on precisely these individuals.
The book breaks away from purely political history and describes in detail how espionage unfolded at the micro level—including the immediate dangers faced by the spies themselves, their families, and friends. It refutes the common assumption that spies were driven solely by money and operated without awareness of the risks involved. Using intelligence models such as the MICE model (Money, Ideology, Coercion, Ego), the book shows that cooperation almost always resulted from a complex combination of material benefits, ideological views, coercion, and a personal desire for recognition.
The book is based on the latest research findings and debunks myths about espionage. By analyzing a broad range of sources—some of which are being used here for the first time—the book offers entirely new insights into the real and often deadly practices of intelligence agencies. A striking example is the analysis of the CIA’s “Redsox” operation, which failed disastrously because it did not take into account the realities in the USSR and because inadequately trained agents were knowingly sent into the hands of Soviet counterintelligence. In addition, the book critically examines how intelligence agencies and the media constructed their own fictions and espionage narratives.
COLLABORATION WITH THE LEISTIKOWSTRASSE MEMORIAL IN POTSDAM
PARTICIPANTS
Dr. Ines Reich Director of the Leistikowstraße Memorial in Potsdam, Author
Prof. Dr. Bodo Hechelhammer BND, Author
Prof. Dr. Siegfried Beer Historian, Author
Dieter Bacher Historian, Author
MODERATOR
Prof. Dr. Helmut Müller-Enbergs Political scientist, authorTranslated with DeepL
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