Brandenburg New Prison

In 1931 the Old Prison in Brandenburg – Görden was closed and replaced with a new one. After the Nazis took power, they immediately began using the new prison for political purposes by imprisoning critics of the regime. But in addition to imprisoned critics of the regime, the prison also housed ordinary criminals. Between 1933 and 1945, about 4,300 people were incarcerated on political grounds. In 1940, the prison became a central place for the execution of death sentences issued by the Nazi People’s Court (Volksgerichtshof). The death penalty was carried out in an adjacent garage where a guillotine and several gallows had been set up. More than 2,700 prisoners were executed between August 1940 and April 1945. For others such as gypsies, Russians and Jews, the prison often became a station on the way to a concentration camp. The prison was taken intact by the Red Army on April 27, 1945, and they liberated about 3,600 prisoners, of whom just under 200 were awaiting the death penalty.