Pankrác Prison, Prison in Nusle, Czech Republic.
Pankrác is a correctional facility in Nusle, a district of Prague, holding both convicted prisoners and those awaiting trial, with a total capacity of 1,105 inmates housed in different cell configurations. The complex combines detention, judicial proceedings, and a public museum documenting the history of Czech incarceration.
The institution opened in 1889 as a replacement for St Wenceslas Prison and grew into one of the main detention centers in Bohemia. During World War II, the Gestapo used the building as a central location for interrogations and executions of political prisoners.
The museum on site preserves artifacts spanning multiple eras of Czech justice, offering visitors insight into how the penal system changed over decades. The original execution chamber remains as evidence of a time when death sentences were carried out within these walls.
An underground passage connects the facility directly to the High Court in Prague, allowing secure inmate transport to judicial hearings without using public streets. Visitors to the museum should note that access to certain historical sections is available only through guided tours.
The institution expanded in 2008 to include a separate section for female inmates, marking a notable shift in its operational structure. This change allowed both male and female prisoners to be housed within the same complex, though in distinct areas.
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