The Ministry for State Security was created in 1950. It saw itself as the ‘shield and sword’ of the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany. Comprised of 20 departments, it supervised the internal security and external intelligence services for the GDR. It employed almost 100,000 full-time staff in 1989, and over the course of its existence administered more than 600,000 informal collaborators to keep all segments of society under surveillance. The Ministry was renamed the Office for National Security in the system-changing months of 1989, and finally, in March 1990, dissolved.

Name:
- Ministerium für Staatssicherheit
Date of founding:
- 1950
Creator at:
- Stasi records

Ministry of National Cultural Heritage

The Ministry of Cultural Heritage was founded by Act No. XXXXVI/1998, its predecessor was the Ministry of Education. It operated as Ministry of Education and Culture from 2006, as Ministry of National Human Resources from 2010 and as Ministry of Human Resources since 2012.

Location:
- Budapest Szalay utca 10-14, Hungary 1055
Name:
- Ministry of National Cultural Heritage
Date of founding:
- 1998

Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland

Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage institutionally and financially supports various commemorative initiatives devoted to the democratic movement and cultural opposition. Ministry was one of the founders of European Solidarity Centre in Gdansk in 2007. The Ministry has also assisted cultural institutions in exile, providing archivists and librarians who process library and archival collections. The Ministry is a main operator of Norwegian Funds and European Funds when it comes to digitalization,preservation and promotion of Polish culture; it sponsors associations (eg. Archeology of Photography Foundation) and public institutions (eg. The Archives of the "Solidarity" Labour Union). In years 2012, 2013, and 2014 the Ministry financially supported the establishment of the Spichlerz Polskiego Rocka in Jarocin. The Ministry has financially supported the realization of the Museum of the Orange Alternative. The Ministry finances and supervises the Museum of the Modern Art in Warsaw. The Ministry supported the realization of the Jerzy Ludwiński Archive in Wrocław Contemporary Museum and the collection buliding by the Museum. In 2012, when KARTA Centre had serious financial problems, the Ministry donated 500 thousands zlotys (117 thousands euro) for the everyday functioning of the organization.

Location:
- Warszawa, Warsaw, Poland
Name:
- Ministry of Culture and National Heritage
Date of founding:
- 1989
Main actor of:

Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic

Pursuant to Section 8 of Act No. 2/1969 Coll., upon establishment of the ministries and other central State administrative bodies of the Czech Republic, as amended, the Ministry of Culture is the central State administrative body for the arts; cultural and educational activities; cultural monuments; matters relating to churches and religious societies; matters relating to the press, including publication of the non-periodical press and other means of information; the preparation of draft laws and other legal regulations in the area of radio and television broadcasting; implementation of the Copyright Act; production and trade in the area of culture.

Location:
- Maltézské náměstí 1, 118 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic
Name:
- Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic
Date of founding:
- 1969

Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of Hungary

The Ministry of Culture was established in 1980 after the two previously independent ministries of education and culture had been merged. It operated in this framework until 1990.

The Ministries of Culture and Education were the most important governmental organs of centralized cultural politics and financing. As such, these institutions had a crucial impact on the institutions and often also on the content of culture in Hungary.

Location:
- Budapest Szalay utca 10-14, Hungary 1055
Name:
- Ministry of Culture
Date of founding:
- 1957