Prison H19

An abandoned prison somewhere in Germany.

According to the plans of the architect Carl Ferdinand Busse, the prison was built in 1848 in an English Neo-Gothic style.

It replaced the old city prison, built around 1780 that was mostly used as a place of execution.

The facility was put under construction in 1853.

The facility housed up to 456 inmates and had 80 cells.

In the following decades the prison was expanded several times.

In 1861 a hospital, a camp, an economic building and a kitchen with bakery were added.

In 1893 a psychiatric department was added.

By that time the prison was fully functional.

It is said that 8 murderers were executed between 1892 and 1934 in the prison.

During time of National Socialism, the prison, which could only house 605 prisoners, was escalated up to 1100 inmates. So the prison was overcrowded...

In 1944, an allied air strike hit the prison.

The prisoners were at that time moved to a shelter at the district hospital in the area.

But the building was hit.

Also a second wing was hit, parts of the church and the administrative building were destroyed during air raids.

The attack claimed 36 deaths.

On the 2nd of November 1944, 12 prisoners died in another bomb blast.

The prison also housed prisoners of the SS and the Gestapo.

They had to be very well guarded, because there were a lot of murder attempts...

It is said that on March 29, 1945, shootings were carried out on the grounds.

Gestapo employees managed to kill 17 Soviet war prisoners and buried them in bomb shells. 

At the end of WO II, war and political prisoners were freed the buildings were quickly rebuilt.

Since the 1990's the penitentiary housed up to 550 inmates both men and women. 

In 2010 construction plans were made to add a new building that could house up to 760 inmates extra.

But the costs were to much and the constructions would've taken to long, especially because the prison is located in the city centre and surrounded by suburbs. 

So they decided to build a new facility outside the city centre and move everything there.

In 2012 the prison was abandoned and became a hotspot for vandalism and I even saw children playing in the courtyard.

 

A birds eye view when the prison was still functional.