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 Interactive map of Lukiškės Prison | |
| Location | Vilnius,Lithuania |
|---|---|
| Status | Closed |
| Security class | detention center |
| Capacity | 1,000 |
| Opened | 1837 |
| Closed | 2019 |
| Website | lukiskiukalejimas.lt |
Lukiškės Prison[a] is a former prison in the center ofVilnius,Lithuania, near theLukiškės Square and was operational from 1837 until 2019.
Until the late 19th century the main form of punishment in Russian-held part ofpartitioned Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was thekatorga, or forced resettlement to a remote area to heavylabour camps orprison farms. This was true for both criminal and political prisoners alike. TheRussian Penal Code of 1845 further strengthened the notion.[1] Furthermore, prior to theEmancipation reform of 1861 the serfs, who constituted most of the society in contemporary Russian-held Europe, could be incarcerated by their master rather than in state-run prisons. Because of that, for most of the 19th century the small criminal prison at Vilnius' suburb of Lukiškės, converted from an earlier Roman Catholic monastery in 1837, was enough to suit the needs of the Russian authorities.[1] Most prisoners spent only a short period in the prison before being either released, sent to the gallows or sent to distant regions of Russia for penal servitude.
However, the 1874 revision of the criminal code of Russia introduced two additional penalties: a short-term prison confinement (up to 1.5 years) and long-term prison confinement (up to 6 years).[1] Meanwhile, the old prison became dilapidated and severely overcrowded.[1] It was clear that a new prison complex was needed. Because of that in 1900 G.A. Trambitski, the official architect of the Main Prison Authority, was tasked with designing a modern, high-security prison complex.[1] Instead of moving it out of the city, the tsarist authorities decided to demolish the old prison and build the new one in its place. One of the reasons for it was the site's proximity to the newly built Provincial Court building (todayMuseum of Occupations and Freedom Fights).
The project was inspired byJeremy Bentham's idea ofPanopticon, and was based on the design ofKresty Prison inSaint Petersburg, which in turn was modelled afterMoabit Prison in Berlin and theHolmesburg Prison andEastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia.[1] In 1901 construction work began and the old prison was closed down and demolished.[1] The works were supervised by GeneralAnatoliy Kelchevskiy.[1] The plot of land occupied by the old prison was too small to accommodate a modern prison. Because of that an adjoining plot of land previously occupied by aLipka Tatar cemetery was bought for the price of 20 thousandroubles.[1]
The new complex covered the entire block. It included a penal prison with cells for 421 inmates, a detention centre for 278 inmates, as well as several other buildings.[1] Those included an office building, kitchen, bakery, baths, ice cellar and a laundry.[1] In addition, there were family apartments for the warden, his four deputies and 37 officers, and 24 smaller flats for single officers.[1] One of the most distinctive buildings in the complex was the OrthodoxSt. Nicholas Church, one of the finest Orthodox churches in Vilnius.[1] However, as most of the inhabitants of theVilna Governorate were Catholics or Jews, a separate Catholic church and a small synagogue were also built into one of the prison blocks.[1] The new prison had its own water supply and had its own sewage system.[1] The complex was surrounded with a stone wall.[1]
The prison complex was the most expensive building constructed in the region in the early 20th century.[1] The cells were fully equipped, heated and ventilated, and constructed entirely of non-combustible materials (except for window frames and doors).[1] The prison block containing the churches alone cost 504,000 roubles.[1] The building of the detention centre cost 285,000 roubles,[1] while the administrative building with offices and apartments for the staff cost approximately 180 thousand roubles.[1] Despite its complexity, the project was finished in 1905, a full year ahead of schedule.[1]
The prison is located in a prestigious area, next to theSeimas Palace andMartynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania.
In the interwarSecond Polish Republic, the prison was used by Polish authorities to hold numerous notableWest Belarusian political prisoners, for example: writersMaksim Tank,Maksim Haretski,Michaś Mašara,Uladzislau Pauliukouski, teacherBarys Kit, musician and composerRyhor Šyrma, ballet dancerJanka Chvorast. The largest group of prisoners during the interwar years were communists and socialists, and theCommunist Party of Western Belorussia frequently attempted to hold protests against the prison, calling it a place of "fascist terror."[2]
Following theSoviet occupation of the Baltic states in 1940, the prison was equally used as a temporary holding detention for prisoners who were then deported to theGulag.Menachem Begin, who later served assixth Prime Minister of Israel, was notably held in the prison after his arrest in September 1940. In June 1941, during theGerman invasion, theNKVD shot prisoners at Lukiškės Prison (seeNKVD prisoner massacres).[3]
The prison became more notorious during theNazi occupation of Lithuania, when it was used by theGestapo and LithuanianSaugumas as a holding cell for thousands of Jews from theVilna Ghetto and Poles, picked up inłapankas (roundups) in reprisals for actions by thePolish resistance. The majority were taken to the outskirts of Vilnius andexecuted at Ponary (Paneriai).[4]
When Soviets reoccupied the territory in 1944, the prison was returned to the NKVD who detained thousands of Polish activists and partisans ofArmia Krajowa.[5][6]
The prison was the site of Lithuania's last execution in 1995.[7]
As of 2007, it housed approximately 1,000 prisoners and employed around 250 prison guards.[8] Most prisoners there were under temporary arrest awaiting court decisions or transfers to other detention facilities, but there was also a permanent prison with about 180 inmates; about 80 of whom were serving life terms.[9] After more than a century of continuous service, the prison suffered from overcrowding and was in need of improvements.
In 2009, theEuropean Committee for the Prevention of Torture reported "several allegations from prisoners concerning physical ill-treatment inflicted by staff" and that conditions in the parts of the complex that had not been recently renovated had "deteriorated to the extent that they could be described as deplorable."[10]
According to a 2014 plan, the prison was to be relocated toPravieniškės by 2018.[11] The prison was officially closed on 2 July 2019.[12] After its closure, it became open to the public for tours.
Following the closure of the prison, the complex was turned into a cultural centre. In 2020, it was used as filming location for thefourth season ofStranger Things.[13] Later that year, the Lithuanian government announced that part of the complex would be sold.[14] In 2022, the Vilnius tourism agency announced that a Stranger Things-themed cell in the complex would be available to rent on Airbnb.[15] This drew controversy from various groups who felt that it overlooked the prison's role in WWII.
Currently the prison complex is popular for concerts and movie screenings. Food court and a bar is also operating and open to citizens and city guests. Guided tours are available in various languages.[16]
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)Арыштаваны ў 1928; зняволены ў віленскай турме Лукішкі.
Media related toLukiškės Prison at Wikimedia Commons
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