House of memorial of victims of communism

The Sighet prison, located in the city of

Sighetu Marmației Sighetu Marmației (, also spelled ''Sighetul Marmației''; german: Marmaroschsiget or ''Siget''; hu, Máramarossziget, ; uk, Сигіт, Syhit; yi, סיגעט, Siget), until 1960 Sighet, is a city (municipality) in Maramureș County near the ...

Maramureș County Maramureș County () is a county (județ) in Romania, in the Maramureș region. The county seat is Baia Mare. Name In Hungarian it is known as ''Máramaros megye'', in Ukrainian as Мараморо́щина, in German as ''Kreis Marmarosc ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...

, was used by Romania to hold criminals,

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

, and

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their politics, political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, al ...

s. It is now the site of the

Sighet Memorial Museum The Memorial of the Victims of Communism and of the Resistance ( ro, Memorialul Victimelor Comunismului și al Rezistenței) in Romania consists of the Sighet Museum (often confused with the Memorial), located in the city of Sighetu Marmației, Mara ...

, part of the

Memorial of the Victims of Communism The Memorial of the Victims of Communism and of the Resistance ( ro, Memorialul Victimelor Comunismului și al Rezistenței) in Romania consists of the Sighet Museum (often confused with the Memorial), located in the city of Sighetu Marmației, Mara ...

History

The prison in Sighetu Marmației (often referred to just as "Sighet") was built in 1897, when the area was part of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with t ...

, as a prison for criminal offenders. Between 1897 and 1945 here was a wonderful garden. After 1945, at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the repatriation of Romanians who had been

and deportees in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

was done through Sighet. Starting in August 1948, Sighet Prison was set aside for political opponents of the government. At first, it held students, pupils, and peasants from the Maramureș region. The first batch of such detainees consisted of 18 students from , accused of demonstrating against the

communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Com ...

; they were brought in on 29 August, and were released in May 1949. On the night of 5 May 1950, over one hundred former dignitaries from the whole country were brought to the Sighet penitentiary (former ministers and other politicians, as well as academics, economists, military officers, historians, and journalists), some of them sentenced to heavy punishments, and others held without any form of trial. The majority were over 60 years old. Many important figures of inter-war Romania died in custody, including the leader of the

National Peasants' Party The National Peasants' Party (also known as the National Peasant Party or National Farmers' Party; ro, Partidul Național Țărănesc, or ''Partidul Național-Țărănist'', PNȚ) was an agrarian political party in the Kingdom of Romania. It w ...

and former

Prime Minister of Romania The prime minister of Romania ( ro, Prim-ministrul României), officially the prime minister of the Government of Romania ( ro, Prim-ministrul Guvernului României, link=no), is the head of the Government of Romania. Initially, the office was s ...

Iuliu Maniu Iuliu Maniu (; 8 January 1873 – 5 February 1953) was an Austro-Hungarian-born lawyer and Romanian politician. He was a leader of the National Party of Transylvania and Banat before and after World War I, playing an important role in the U ...

. In the fall of 1950, about 45 Greek Catholic bishops and priests were brought in. Among those who died at Sighet were bishops Ioan Suciu, Tit Liviu Chinezu, Valeriu Traian Frențiu, and Anton Durcovici. Between 1950 and 1955, no death certificates were issued and the families of the deceased were not notified.Inchisoarea ministrilor
, Jurnalul.ro, published August 21, 2006; retrieved August 3, 2015. After Romania joined the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

in December 1955, the prison reverted to being a detention center for usual convicts, though some political prisoners were still held there until the 1964 general amnesty. In 1977 the prison closed; the building was turned into a depot, run by the town hall, and slowly fell into disrepair. In the aftermath of the

Romanian Revolution The Romanian Revolution ( ro, Revoluția Română), also known as the Christmas Revolution ( ro, Revoluția de Crăciun), was a period of violent civil unrest in Romania during December 1989 as a part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred ...

of 1989, that saw the dismantlement of the communist regime, poet Ana Blandiana presented in January 1993 to the Council of Europe a project to transform the former prison into a museum, called the "Memorial to the Victims of Communism and Resistance." On June 20, 1997, the first halls were opened and a prayer and silence space was inaugurated in the small prison courtyard, meant as a tribute to all political prisoners who died in detention in

Communist Romania The Socialist Republic of Romania ( ro, Republica Socialistă România, RSR) was a Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist state that existed officially in Romania from 1947 to 1989. From 1947 to 1965, the state was known as the Romanian Peop ...

. The larger courtyard features the statuary group called "Sacrifice Parade," made by the sculptor .

Notable inmates

* Constantin Argetoianu, former

, died at Sighet in 1955 * Victor Bădulescu, economist, academician, died at Sighet in 1953–54 * Ioan Bălan, Greek-Catholic bishop of

Lugoj Lugoj (; hu, Lugos; german: Lugosch; sr, Лугош, Lugoš; bg, Лугож; tr, Logoş) is a city in Timiș County, Romania. The Timiș River divides the city into two halves, the so-called "Romanian Lugoj" that spreads on the right bank and t ...

* Dinu Brătianu, politician and historian, committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

in prison in 1951 *

Gheorghe I. Brătianu Gheorghe (George) I. Brătianu (January 28 1898 – April 23–27, 1953) was a Romanian politician and historian. A member of the Brătianu family and initially affiliated with the National Liberal Party, he broke away from the movement to ...

, politician and historian, leader of the

National-Liberal Party-Brătianu National Liberal Party may refer to: Active parties * National Liberal Party (El Salvador) * National Liberal Party (Lebanon) * National Liberal Party (Moldova) * National Liberal Party (Romania) * National Liberal Party (UK, 1999) Defunc ...

, died at Sighet in 1953 *

Radu Budișteanu Constantin-Radu Budișteanu (October 11, 1902–1991) was a Romanian lawyer and activist of the Iron Guard. Born in Târgu Jiu,Philippe Henri Blasen, "The Roman Catholic Bishopric of Iași and the Jews (1941-1944)", in ''Archiva Moldaviae'', vol. ...

, lawyer, politician, and activist of the Iron Guard *

Ion Cămărășescu Ion Cămărășescu (January 27, 1882 – March 25, 1953) was a Romanian politician. Born in Bucharest into a family that owned large estates, he studied at the University of Paris, taking a degree in law. After returning home, he practiced la ...

, politician, died at Sighet in 1953 * Nicolae Carandino, journalist and politician * Tit Liviu Chinezu, bishop of the

Greek-Catholic Church The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually. The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine Ca ...

, died at Sighet in 1955 of hypothermia * Daniel Ciugureanu, Prime minister of the Moldavian Democratic Republic, died at Sighet in 1950 *

Tancred Constantinescu Tancred Constantinescu (18 May 1878–14 January 1951) was a Romanian engineer and politician. He was born on 18 May 1876 in Cahul, at the time in Moldavia, Romanian Principalities, now in the Republic of Moldova. He studied civil engineering at ...

, engineer, former minister, died at Sighet in 1951 *

Corneliu Coposu Corneliu (Cornel) Coposu () (20 May 1914 – 11 November 1995) was a Christian Democratic and liberal conservative Romanian politician, the founder of the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party ( ro, Partidul Național Țărănesc Cre ...

, former secretary to

, leader of the

after 1989 *

Ioan Dragomir Ioan Dragomir (11 October 1905—25 April 1985) was a Romanian bishop of the Greek-Catholic Church. Born into a peasant family in Ariniș, Maramureș County, he attended high school in Zalău and Baia Mare. Dragomir then studied theology ...

, bishop of the

* Anton Durcovici,

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

bishop of Iași, died of forced

starvation Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy intake, below the level needed to maintain an organism's life. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, dea ...

at Sighet in 1951 * Valeriu Traian Frențiu, Greek Catholic Bishop of the

Eparchy of Oradea Mare The Greek Catholic diocese of Oradea Mare is the Eparchy of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church for the area of Oradea. It was founded in 1777, followers of the Greek Rite having been up to that time under the jurisdiction of the Latin bishop ...

, died at Sighet in 1952 * Stan Ghițescu, Vice-President of the

Chamber of Deputies of Romania ); – Committee for Industries and Services ( ro, Comisia pentru industrii și servicii); – Committee for Transport and Infrastructure ( ro, Comisia pentru transporturi și infrastructură); – Committee for Agriculture, Forestry, Food Indu ...

(1926), former Minister of Labor, died at Sighet in 1952 * Constantin C. Giurescu, historian, professor at the University of Bucharest, Royal Governor 1939, Lower Danube Province, Minister of Propaganda 1939–1940 *

Ion Gruia Ion V. Gruia (November 14, 1895–November 14, 1952) was a Romanian jurist who briefly served in government in 1940. Born in Roman, he obtained a doctorate in law and practiced as a lawyer. He was also a professor of constitutional and admi ...

, professor of Constitutional Law at the

University of Bucharest The University of Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea din București), commonly known after its abbreviation UB in Romania, is a public university founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princ ...

, former Minister of Justice, died at Sighet in 1952 *

Pan Halippa Pantelimon "Pan" Halippa (1 August 1883 – 30 April 1979) was a Bessarabian and later Romanian journalist and politician. One of the most important promoters of Romanian nationalism in Bessarabia and of this province's union with Romania, he wa ...

, president of

Sfatul Țării ''Sfatul Țării'' ("Council of the Country"; ) was a council that united political, public, cultural, and professional organizations in the greater part of the territory of the Governorate of Bessarabia in the disintegrating Russian Empire, ...

when it voted union of

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of ...

with Romania in 1918 * Emil Hațieganu, former

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...

Iuliu Hossu Iuliu Hossu (30 January 1885 – 28 May 1970) was a Romanian Greek-Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Cluj-Gherla. Pope Paul VI elevated Hossu to the rank of cardinal ''in pectore'', that is, secretly, in 1969 but did not publish ...

, Greek-Catholic bishop of Cluj-Gherla * Alexandru Lapedatu, professor of History at the

University of Cluj A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, former Cults and Arts Minister and State Minister, former president of the

Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its by ...

and of the

Senate of Romania ) is the upper house in the bicameral Parliament of Romania. It has 136 seats (before the 2016 Romanian legislative election the total number of elected representatives was 176), to which members are elected by direct popular vote using party-li ...

, died at Sighet in 1950 *

Ilie Lazăr Ilie Lazăr (born December 12, 1895, Giulești, Maramureș County - d. November 6, 1976 Cluj-Napoca) was a Romanian jurist and politician, a leading member of the National Peasants' Party in the interwar period and the right-hand man of Iuliu Mani ...

, leader of the

Ioan Lupaș Ioan Lupaș (9 August 1880 – 3 July 1967) was a Romanian historian, academic, politician, Orthodox theologian and priest. He was a member of the Romanian Academy. Biography Lupaș was born in Szelistye, now Săliște, Sibiu County (at the time ...

, professor of History at the

, former president of the History Section of the

, former Minister of Health and of Culture and Arts * Gheorghe N. Leon, economist and politician, former Minister of Economy *

Ion Macovei Ion Macovei (August 25, 1885–October 12, 1950) was a Romanian engineer who briefly served in government in 1940. Born in Nereju, Vrancea County, he attended a polytechnic institute in Germany and became an engineer. Cicerone Ionițoiu"Victim ...

, former head of the Romanian Railroads, former Minister of Public Works and Communications, died at Sighet in 1950 *

, leader of the National Peasants' Party, former

, died at Sighet in 1953 *

Mihail Manoilescu Mihail Manoilescu (; December 9, 1891 – December 30, 1950) was a Romanian journalist, engineer, economist, politician and memoirist, who served as Foreign Minister of Romania during the summer of 1940. An active promoter of and contributor to f ...

, former Foreign Minister, died at Sighet in 1950 *

Nicolae Marinescu Nicolae Marinescu (15 December 1906 – 1977) was a Romanian fencer. He competed at the 1936 and 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Ga ...

, general and former Minister of Labor and Health * Ioan Mihail Racoviță, general and former Minister of Defense, died at Sighet in 1954 * Ion Manolescu-Strunga, economist, former Minister of Industry and Commerce, died at Sighet in 1951 *

Ion Mihalache Ion Mihalache (; March 3, 1882 – February 5, 1963) was a Romanian agrarian politician, the founder and leader of the Peasants' Party (PȚ) and a main figure of its successor, the National Peasants' Party (PNȚ). Early life A schoolteacher bor ...

, leader of the National Peasants' Party, former Minister of the Interior *

Ion Nistor Ion I. Nistor (August 16, 1876 – November 11, 1962) was a Romanian historian and politician. He was a titular member of the Romanian Academy from 1915 and a professor at the universities of Cernăuți and Bucharest, while also serving as Mini ...

, historian and former Minister of Cults and the Arts * Nicolae Păiș, naval officer, former minister, died at Sighet in 1952 * Nicolae Penescu, lawyer and politician, former Minister of the Interior * Constantin Titel Petrescu, leader of the Social-Democratic Party, who opposed fusion with the Communist Party of Romania * Ioan Ploscaru, bishop of the Greek-Catholic Church * Mihail Priboianu, engineer, former minister *

Ioan Rășcanu Ioan Rășcanu (October 1, 1878 – February 25, 1952) was a Romanian general during World War I. He held the post of Minister of War from September 27, 1919 to December 16, 1921. After entering politics, he was elected deputy in Parliament, and ...

, general and former Minister of Defense, died at Sighet in 1952 * Alexander Ratiu, author and priest in Giurtelecu Şimleului * Alexandru Rusu, Greek-Catholic bishop of

Baia Mare Baia Mare ( , ; hu, Nagybánya; german: Frauenbach or Groß-Neustadt; la, Rivulus Dominarum) is a municipality along the Săsar River, in northwestern Romania; it is the capital of Maramureș County. The city lies in the region of Maramure� ...

* Nicolae Samsonovici, general and former Minister of Defense, died at Sighet in 1950 * Ioan Gheorghe Savin, theologian within the

Romanian Orthodox Church The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; ro, Biserica Ortodoxă Română, ), or Patriarchate of Romania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchat ...

Joseph Schubert Joseph Schubert may refer to: * Joseph Schubert (composer) (1754–1837), German composer, violinist and violist * Joseph C. Schubert (1871–1959), mayor of Madison, Wisconsin * Joseph Schubert (bishop) (1890–1969), Romanian cleric and Roman ...

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox a ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

* Ioan Suciu, bishop of the

, died at Sighet in 1953 * Gheorghe Tașcă, economist, former Minister of Industry and Commerce, leader of the

, died at Sighet in 1951 * Gheorghe Tătărescu, leader of the National Liberal Party-Tătărescu, former Prime Minister of Romania * Alexandru Todea, Greek-Catholic bishop of the Alba Iulia Diocese

Gallery

File:Închisoarea Sighet - foşti deţinuţi.jpg, Former inmates File:Iuliu Maniu POD.jpg, The cell in which

died File:Memorial Wall - Museum of Arrested Thought - Sighet 2.jpg, Names of the victims written on the walls File:Cortegiul sacrificatilor.jpg, The statuary group "Procession of the Sacrificed", made by Aurel Vlad File:Sighetu Marmatiei Inchisoarea (1).JPG

References

External links

{{coord missing, Maramureș County 1897 establishments in Romania Socialist Republic of Romania Defunct prisons in Romania

Prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

Buildings and structures in Maramureș County Political repression in Romania