During the first days of the seminar, the participants and the project leaders dealt with the topics of the GDR, the SED and the Ministry for State Security (MfS / Stasi). A common knowledge base was created. It was discussed what the abbreviations GDR (German Democratic Republic) and SED (Socialist Unity Party of Germany) mean and when they should be classified historically. What kind of country was the GDR and under what political-ideological conditions did people live in it? What role did the SED and the Ministry of State Security play for the citizens of the GDR on the one hand and for the migrants in the GDR on the other?

The background knowledge was acquired using multimedia and culminated in a visit to the exhibition of the Stasi archives in Erfurt. There, the project group was given a guided tour of the building.