Vladimir Central Prison

Vladimir Central Prison is a maximum security facility in the Russian city of Vladimir, whose massive brick walls enclose several cell blocks. The complex is designed to house more than twelve hundred inmates under the strictest security conditions.

Catherine II ordered the construction of this facility in 1781, which opened two years later under architect Nikolai von Berg. Since then, the complex has undergone several transformations from an imperial penal institution to a modern maximum security prison.

The facility appears in many Russian songs and stories that portray life behind these walls. Many visitors come because of the literary and musical references that have anchored the place in Russian popular culture.

The grounds are located about 160 kilometers (100 miles) northeast of Moscow in the city of Vladimir and currently house individuals serving sentences between ten years and life imprisonment. Visitors can tour the attached museum, which documents the history and development of the facility.

A museum within the grounds opened in 1996 and displays exhibits from different eras of prison history. The collection includes objects from the tsarist period to the present day and provides insights into the changes in the penal system.

Location: Vladimir

Inception: 1783

Official opening: 1783

Address: Vladimir Central Prison, Vladimir, Vladimirskaya oblast', Russia, 600020

GPS coordinates: 56.14104,40.43428

Latest update: December 15, 2025 13:08