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All Spain Madrid Carabanchel Prison
Carabanchel Prison is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

Carabanchel Prison

Infamous and now demolished panopticon prison built by its former inhabitants.

Madrid, Spain

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ser flac
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The panopticon of Carabanchel prison   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabanchel_P...
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Banner claiming for justice and barbed wire   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
Surprisingly, years after the demolition, this prison entrance is still standing   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
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Communist leaders, union leaders, monarchists, and activists made up a significant amount of the clientele at Carabanchel Prison. Opening up for business in 1944, Carabanchel was one of the biggest prisons in Europe and was very busy during the Franco era.

Following the panopticon design created by Jeremy Bentham in the late 1800s, Carabanchel was inescapable, and the political prisoners kept there knew it all too well, as they were the ones who built it. Notoriously brutal, the prison began housing your run-of-the-mill criminals, social deviants, and terrorists after General Franco's regime ended in 1975 and closed its gargantuan doors for good in 1998.

Once empty of criminals, thieves, and deviants, the building was looted, and criminals, thieves, and squatters moved in. Some of these free-range troublemakers happened to be amazing artists as well, and Carabanchel got a makeover that included some very impressive graffiti and mural work.

The building was scheduled to be demolished and turned into apartments and a hospital, despite the fact that many locals wanted it preserved as a memorial to victims of Franco. Despite protests, legal maneuvers, and public outrage, in 2008 the complex was torn down in the middle of the night to avoid confrontation with opposers.

Update: The prison has been demolished.

Related Tags

Abandoned Prisons Crime And Punishment Ghost Towns Ruins Crime

Community Contributors

Added By

serflac

Edited By

hrnick, Rachel, Xavixavir

  • hrnick
  • Rachel
  • Xavixavir

Published

April 19, 2012

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Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabanchel_Prison
  • http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/news-10-creepiest-abandoned-prisons-earth?image=9
  • https://www.google.com/maps/place/40%C2%B022'53.4%22N+3%C2%B045'19.1%22W/@40.3812342,-3.7565918,696m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d40.3815!4d-3.7553
Carabanchel Prison
83 Calle de Monseñor Oscar Romero
Madrid, 28047
Spain
40.381491, -3.754814
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