All the listening/recording props in the film are actual Stasi equipment on loan from museums and collectors. The props master had spent two years in a Stasi prison, and insisted upon absolute authenticity, down to the machine used to steam-open up to 600 letters per hour.
When Georg Dreyman plays 'Sonata for a Good Man' on the piano, Sebastian Koch is actually playing. He practiced 4 hours a day for 6 weeks.
The film's budget, 1.6 million Euros (about $2 million), was possible only because the actors were willing to work for 20% of their customary salary.
In the cafeteria, Grubitz tells a joke about the difference between Honecker and a telephone. The punchline is a play on the words 'aufhängen' and 'neuwählen'. In terms of a telephone, it means hang up and redial, respectively. In terms of politics, it means hang somebody and elect someone new.
The film set a record in 2006 for getting the most nominations (11) for the German Film Awards ever.
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck: Heard on the letter opener's radio earpiece, announcing the fall of the Berlin Wall.