Lepoglava prison
Lepoglava prison (officially Lepoglava penitentiary, Croatian: Kaznionica u Lepoglavi) is the oldest prison in Croatia. It is located in Lepoglava, Varaždin County, northern Croatia, southwest of Varaždin prison.
History
Lepoglava prison was formed in 1854 in a monastery formerly owned by the Pauline Fathers, which was transformed by the authorities into a penitentiary (this order would wait until 2001 for a part of its property there to be returned to the bishopric).
The prison was subsequently used by Austro-Hungary, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Independent State of Croatia and Communist Yugoslavia, before its current role as the main penitentiary in the Republic of Croatia.
During the 20th century, the prison was a home for numerous "unwanted" groups and often held political prisoners. This occurred during the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918-1941), when Communists and revolutionaries were incarcerated there, with notable people including Josip Broz Tito, Moša Pijade, Rodoljub Čolaković, Milovan Đilas, Petko Miletić, Radivoje Davidović, and Mihajlo Javorski.[1][2]
The Independent State of Croatia (1941-1945) held dissidents to the then Croatian regime at the prison. These include Ante Vokić who attempted a coup in 1944. The prison was used to incarcerate and liquidate over two thousand anti-fascists.
During Communist Yugoslavia (1945-1991) many Croatian dissidents were imprisoned here. Immediately after the war, notable prisoners included Alojzije Stepinac and Ivo Tartaglia. On July 5, 1948, three prisoners, including three political prisoners, were killed by the prison authorities.[3] After the Croatian Spring, prisoners included Šime Đodan, Dražen Budiša, Vlado Gotovac, Ivan Zvonimir Čičak, Hrvoje Šošić, Marko Veselica, Dobroslav Paraga and future Croatian president Franjo Tuđman.[1] A memorial to the victims was erected in 2005.
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Coordinates: 46°12′35″N 16°2′35″E / 46.20972°N 16.04306°E