Lepoglava prison
Prison in Croatia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lepoglava Penitentiary (Croatian: Kaznionica u Lepoglavi),[1] also referred to in English as Lepoglava prison, is a maximum security prison in northern Croatia administrated by the Croatian Ministry of Justice. It is located in, and named after, the town of Lepoglava, Varaždin County.
- Lepoglava, Ulica Hrvatskih Pavlina 1
- 46°12′35″N 16°02′33″E
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 Interactive map of Lepoglava Penitentiary | |
| Location |
|
|---|---|
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Maximum |
| Population | 500+ |
| Opened | 1854 |
| Managed by | Croatian Ministry of Justice |
Lepoglava prison served as one of the main political prisons for opponents and seditionists of various ruling regimes throughout its history.
History
Lepoglava prison was formed in 1854 in a monastery formerly owned by the Pauline Fathers, which was transformed by the authorities into a penitentiary (this order would wait until 2001 for a part of its property there to be returned to the bishopric). Prior to becoming one of the major Croatian penitentiaries, the prison saw widespread use in Austria-Hungary, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Independent State of Croatia and Communist Yugoslavia.
In 1878, Lepoglava warden Emil Taufer introduced the Irish rehabilitation system and opened a number of workshops for penal labor. Literacy classes were provided for younger offenders. Over time, the system largely turned into a direct exploitation of inmates' nearly free labor. This was particularly pronounced during World War I, when working up to 15 hours a day in an unsafe working environment and poor overall conditions contributed to high mortality among the prisoners.[2]
During the twentieth century, the prison was a home for numerous "unwanted" groups and political prisoners.[clarification needed] This occurred during the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941), when Communists and revolutionaries were incarcerated, along with such notables as Josip Broz Tito, Moša Pijade, Rodoljub Čolaković, and Milovan Đilas.[3][4]
The Independent State of Croatia (1941–45) held dissidents at the prison, including Ante Vokić who attempted a coup in 1944. The prison was used to incarcerate and liquidate over 2,000 anti-fascists.[clarification needed] On 12–13 July 1943, the partisans attacked and temporarily captured the facility, freeing around 800 inmates.[5]
Following World War II, notable prisoners included suspected Axis collaborationists such as Aloysius Stepinac and Ivo Tartaglia. On 5 July 1948, three prisoners were killed by prison authorities after a failed escape attempt.[6] After the Croatian Spring, prisoners included Šime Đodan, Dražen Budiša, Vlado Gotovac, Marko Veselica, Dobroslav Paraga and Franjo Tuđman. A memorial to the victims was erected in 2005.[3]