Lepoglava Penitentiary (),
also referred to in English as Lepoglava prison, is a
maximum security prison in northern
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
administed by the Croatian
Ministry of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
. It is located in, and named after, the town of
Lepoglava,
Varaždin County
Varaždin County () is a county in Hrvatsko Zagorje. It is named after its county seat, the city of Varaždin.
Geography
The county contains the city of Varaždin, the towns of: Ivanec, Ludbreg, Lepoglava, Novi Marof and Varaždinske Top ...
.
Lepoglava prison served as one of the main
political prisons for opponents and seditionists of various ruling regimes throughout its history.
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). Prior to becoming one of the major Croatian penitentiaries, the prison saw widespread use in
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
, the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...
, the
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...
and
Communist Yugoslavia.
In 1878, Lepoglava warden Emil Taufer introduced the Irish rehabilitation system and opened a number of workshops for penal labor. Literacy classes were provided for younger offenders. Over time, the system largely turned into a direct exploitation of inmates' nearly free labor. This was particularly pronounced during World War I, when working up to 15 hours a day in an unsafe working environment and poor overall conditions contributed to high mortality among the prisoners.
During the twentieth century, the prison was a home for numerous "unwanted" groups and political prisoners. This occurred during the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941), when Communists and revolutionaries were incarcerated, along with such notables as
Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 unti ...
,
Moša Pijade,
Rodoljub Čolaković
Rodoljub "Roćko" Čolaković ( sr-cyr, Родољуб Чолаковић; 7 June 1900 – 30 March 1983) was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav politician and writer who served as the 1st Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina#Prime ...
, and
Milovan Đilas
Milovan Djilas (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Милован Ђилас, Milovan Đilas, ; 12 June 1911 – 20 April 1995) was a Yugoslav communist politician, theorist and author. He was a key figure in the Partisan movement during World War II, as well ...
.
[History of the Penitentiary](_blank)
; accessed 4 March 2014.
The Independent State of Croatia (1941–45) held dissidents at the prison, including
Ante Vokić who
attempted a coup in 1944. The prison was used to incarcerate and liquidate over 2,000 anti-fascists. On 12–13 July 1943, the
partisans attacked and temporarily captured the facility, freeing around 800 inmates.
Following
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, notable prisoners included suspected Axis collaborationists such as
Aloysius Stepinac and
Ivo Tartaglia. On 5 July 1948, three prisoners were killed by prison authorities after a failed escape attempt.
After the
Croatian Spring
The Croatian Spring (), or Maspok, was a political conflict that took place from 1967 to 1971 in the Socialist Republic of Croatia, at the time part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. As one of six republics comprising Yugoslavi ...
, prisoners included
Šime Đodan
Šime Đodan (27 December 1927 – 2 October 2007) was a Croatian politician, a two-term Member of Parliament who also briefly served as the 3rd Ministry of Defense (Croatia), Minister of Defense of Croatia in 1991.
Personal life
Šime Đodan ...
,
Dražen Budiša
Dražen Budiša (born 25 July 1948) is a Croatian politician who used to be a leading opposition figure in the 1990s and a two-time presidential candidate. As president of the Croatian Social Liberal Party through the 1990s he remains to date the ...
,
Vlado Gotovac,
Marko Veselica,
Dobroslav Paraga and
Franjo Tuđman
Franjo Tuđman (14 May 1922 – 10 December 1999) was a Croatian politician and historian who became the first president of Croatia, from 1990 until his death in 1999. He served following the Independence of Croatia, country's independe ...
. A memorial to the victims was erected in 2005.
See also
*
Political prisoners in Yugoslavia
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
*
{{coord, 46, 12, 35, N, 16, 2, 35, E, type:landmark, display=title
1854 establishments in Europe
Prisons in Croatia
Prisons in Yugoslavia
Lepoglava prison
Monasteries used as prisons