Taganka Prison (Russian: Таганская тюрьма) was built in Moscow in 1804 by Alexander I, emperor of Russia.[1] It gained notoriety for its use as a prison for political prisoners, both by the ruling tsars and during the years of the Soviet Union, by the Communist Party.[1] During the Great Purge, the prison housed foreign enemies of the state, such as the German communist, Gustav Sobottka, Jr., as well as Russians. The prison became immortalized in poems and songs dating from before the October Revolution in 1918. The prison was razed in the 1950s.[1]
Vladimir Vysotsky memorialized the prison in a ballad.[1] "Taganka, night full of fire.
Taganka, why have they ruined me?
Taganka, I am your permanent prisoner
Killing the youth and talent in your walls"[1]