Daugavpils Prison
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Daugavpils Prison, colloquially known as “The White Swan”, is a prison in Latvia, located in the central part of the city of Daugavpils in Gajok at: 18 November Street, 66A. It is an architectural monument of local significance and is protected by the state.[1]
The prison was built in 1863 on the outskirts of the city.[2] Initially, the façade of the prison building was red, and it was known as the “Red House”.[3] According to documents from the prison archive, the architect of the building was its first inmate.[4] Today the prison is a whitewashed ostrog fortress, surrounded by solid walls with watchtowers at the corners. The building is topped with a weather vane shaped like a white swan. This combination of white walls and a swan-shaped weather vane gave the prison its name.[5]
