Butyrka prison, Federal detention center in Tverskoy District, Moscow, Russia.
Butyrka is a federal detention center in the Tverskoy District of Moscow, consisting of several multistory cell blocks. High fortress walls surround the grounds, with watchtowers standing at each of the four corners.
Architect Matvey Kazakov designed the current building in 1879, converting the earlier fortress into a central transit point for prisoners. Over the following decades, authorities adapted the facility repeatedly to meet new demands in the penal system.
A museum on the grounds displays objects and documents covering more than two centuries of Russian detention history. Visitors can trace how conditions for inmates shifted through different eras.
The facility sits near Savelovskaya metro station and is easily recognized from street level by its high walls. The museum section opens to visitors by prior arrangement, while other areas remain closed.
Harry Houdini performed his escape act at Butyrka in 1908, freeing himself from a metal prisoner transport box in 28 minutes. This event remains one of the few recorded public performances inside an active detention facility.
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