Dumbrăveni Prison

Dumbrăveni Prison was a prison located in Dumbrăveni, Romania. Construction of the prison began in 1909, under Austria-Hungary. It was linked by a corridor to the courthouse, built simultaneously. A surrounding fence was added in 1942. During the interwar period, the prison housed common criminals, especially thieves and abortionists. It had a separate section for political prisoners, both men and women. It became a center of indoctrination for Romanian Communist Party cadres, among them Olga Bancic and Liuba Chișinevschi; at one point, they wrote a letter protesting against conditions. Ana Pauker spent time at Dumbrăveni, where she was allowed visits from fellow detainees, with whom she would hold long conversations; a woman came every day to prepare her food. She organized a school, offering courses in French, German, Marxism–Leninism, and political economy. Communist prisoners could have contacts on the outside and receive packages. As a result, the warden, Bazgan, was fired, despite protestations by General Ioan Topor of the Romanian Gendarmerie, and, on March 5, 1940, all communist prisoners were transferred to Râmnicu Sărat Prison, on orders from General Ioan Bengliu. In 1942, male communists were sent to Dumbrăveni. A bombardment by German aviation on the night of 8–9 September 1944, following the August 23 coup d'état, created a panic. At least 64 prisoners escaped, alt

Prison data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).