Carabanchel Prison

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The dome of Carabanchel prison as seen from one of the aisles
The dome of Carabanchel prison as seen from one of the aisles

The Prison of Carabanchel (Madrid, Spain), named after the neighbourhood where it was built, was constructed after the Spanish Civil War, between 1940 and 1944 by political prisoners. It was one of the biggest prisons in Europe until its closure in 1998. The structure followed the panopticon model devised by Jeremy Bentham in 1785. During General Franco's regime (1936-1975) the prison hosted a large community of political prisoners, which included relevant members of democratic and leftist political parties and union leaders. After Franco's death, only common criminals and terrorists belonging to the Basque separatist movement ETA and other terrorist groups remained.


After its abandonment[1], the building was heavily looted and it is now inhabited by marginal communities. Most of the prison walls are covered with graffiti, some of them very elaborate[2]. There is a debate going on between the neighbours from Carabanchel and Aluche, who want a hospital and other public facilities to be built in the area[3], and the local authorities, who want to privatize the land for housing development. The neighbours also want part of the prison to be preserved as a memorial to the struggle for democracy in Spain.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Photos from Carabanchel after the abandonment [1]
  2. ^ Graffiti in the prison of Carabanchel [2]
  3. ^ The neighbours' project for the prison lot [3]

[edit] References

Chance, C. (2005) Carabanchel: The Last Brit in Europe's Hellhole Prison. Mainstream.

Díaz Cardiel, V. (2007) "Algunos recuerdos de mis cuatro estancias en la cárcel de Carabanchel" El Rapto de Europa 11: 13-19.

Photos from the prison [4]

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