Modelo prison - Barcelona Spain - Retired Prisons on Waymarking.com

The infamous Modelo Prison was built in 1904 and in use until 2017. The walls now are pained over with graffiti in places.

It was hailed as a "Hailed as a symbol of reform and progress when it opened, in its lifetime it became a symbol of political and ideological oppression."

The panopticon tower | © Canaan
A controversial past

Yet if the Modelo prison is famous today it’s not so much for its visionary design and promising origins, as its somewhat controversial role during the Spanish Civil War and subsequent dictatorship. In fact, the prison at times has held both supporters and opponents of the Franco regime....

In the early days of the civil war, the prison was seized by local anarchists who released all the prisoners and left the prison empty. However it was soon after used to incarcerate supporters of Franco’s coup, which at least initially had failed in Barcelona. The prison, designed to house some 800 inmates, reached a peak occupancy of over 13,000 inmates during the conflict.


(visit link)

Open to the public: Yes Web link: [Web Link] Address: Not listed Hours: Not listed Fees?: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   03/13/2025 Hopehope visited it