Masses of other people face the same challenge -- deciding whether or not they want to look at their files, which were kept and refreshed right up until the last minute of the Communist regimes.

'They worked until the last day,' said Stefan Wolle, director of research at Berlin's DDR Museum, which focuses on life in then East Germany (the Deutsche Demokratische Republik).

Wolle, who worked as a historian in East Germany, viewed his files but found 'nothing exciting there'.

In many ways, it is a wonder that any of the files were saved. When it became clear to East Germany's Stasi that their regime was about to collapse -- East Germans stormed Stasi headquarters at one point -- they began shredding every document they could find.

When the shredders jammed, Stasi officers began simply tearing the paper by hand. To this day, employees of the federal office for the Stasi records are at work, restoring those torn documents.

By most accounts, Germany has the longest-running, most comprehensive system for accessing the files. Eastern German citizens insisted during talks to reunify the two Germanys that there be provisions for that access, said Wolle, who participated in the talks.

Under German law, the files are stored in a separate archive where any person can request access to his or her own file. Historians and journalists can also access files, usually redacted to protect people's private details.

But because of the massive number of files that still need to be repaired -- more than 15,000, according to the German federal offices -- locating particular documents can be difficult. It can take two to three years to fulfil a request, said Steffen Mayer of the federal Stasi records office.

Access to secret police files varies in other countries. The Czech Republic liberalised access to secret police files in 2004, making it one of the freest file-access regimes in the region, though historian Peter Blazek admits that 'the Polish and German archives are far better organised'.

But curiosity about the documents hasn't faded, said Planer-Friedrich. One area of new interest comes from the younger generation as its members seek to find out more about -- or clear the names of -- parents and grandparents, though access can be limited to relatives' files.

'There will still be requests in 10, 20 or 30 years,' he said.