National prison museum, Prison museum in Fontainebleau, France.
The National Prison Museum occupies a former detention facility built in 1845, featuring two floors with 45 cells arranged in a panoptic layout.
The building served as a detention center from 1855 until its transformation into a museum in 1995, including a period of German occupation during World War II.
The museum displays over 10,000 documents and artifacts spanning three centuries of French penal history, including inmate crafts and institutional equipment.
Visits require advance reservations through the Fontainebleau tourist office, with guided tours conducted by professional speakers for groups only.
The facility closed in 2010, and its collections were transferred to the National School of Prison Administration in Agen for preservation purposes.
Location: Fontainebleau
Inception: 1995
Official opening: September 17, 1995
Website: http://musee-prisons.justice.gouv.fr
GPS coordinates: 48.40981,2.70339
Latest update: June 23, 2025 11:06
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