442:, whose favorite punishment was whipping. There was one political prisoner per each cell, kept under constant surveillance. Once or twice a week, individual prisoners were allowed a twenty-minute walk in the yard, head down and away from the windows. A doctor visited weekly; otherwise, an assistant was on hand to provide injections directly through the pants, or to push pills into the cell with his boot. More serious cases could be hospitalized, but this might be refused, or approved when the prisoner was already dead. Cold was a constant feature from September until May or June. The beds were kept near the open windows, which freely allowed cold air to enter. As detainees had to sleep facing the door, they would wake up with their heads covered in snow, in the event of a winter storm. Despite the prohibition, prisoners found ways to communicate, for example via a Morse Code during their walks: a single cough would represent a dot, a double, a dash. By such means, they were able to keep reasonably well informed about the situation inside the walls.
431:
the evening. Prisoners awoke at five in the morning and the lights were turned off at ten in the evening. During this time, they were not allowed to stay in bed, but had to stand or sit on a chair facing the cell door. Approaching the window, communicating with other prisoners or making noise were forbidden. Visits by personnel had to be in pairs, to prevent any discussion. Violations were punished by removing the mattress and halving the rations for around ten days. Serious offenses, such as causing loud noises, were met with beatings and blows, especially by warden
188:
24:
450:, entered a hunger strike in July 1959, in order to gain admittance to a hospital. He was force-fed through a hose. The administration finally agreed to his demand, but before approval was obtained, he died in his cell in November. Deceased prisoners were buried secretly at night in mass graves at the edge of a cemetery. Prisoners deemed not sufficiently “re-educated” upon expiry of their sentences were forced to live in
446:
in March 1963, his voice was heard daily, protesting against his treatment and lack of medical care. He was permanently beaten by Vișinescu and an aide; sometimes, guards would enter in the middle of winter, throwing a bucket of water on him. Jenică Arnăutu, a soldier and PNȚ member who had fought against the
Communist regime in
238:
visited the inmates in their cells, pardoning three of them. It had a ground and an upper floor with 35 small cells fitting up to four prisoners each, and six large rooms with a maximum capacity of 130. The cells and the rooms were in separate wings. In the cell wing, the ground floor had sixteen and
445:
In late 1958, Mihalache, old and sick, entered into confrontation with the prison administration, refusing to leave his bed at five in the morning. Guards, often joined by the warden, would enter his cell, beat him viciously, throw him on the floor and remove the bed. From that point until his death
430:
The majority of survivors agree that food rations were at hunger and extermination levels, never exceeding 500-600 calories per day. A common criminal would leave rations at the cell door: typically, cornflour gruel in the morning, boiled vegetables with bits of gristle for lunch and a thin soup in
295:
Political prisoners were held at the prison from 1947 to 1963, in the individual cells, while common criminals inhabited the large rooms. The two groups were kept completely separate and forbidden from communicating. From 1947 to 1952, the number of prisoners varied between 80 and 200, with common
239:
the upper floor also sixteen, on both sides; in addition, three smaller one-man cells were located on the left side of the upper floor. From the time of its establishment until 1938, the prison held common criminals with sentences of six months to two years. In 1907, peasants arrested during the
277:. It was a military prison during World War II, holding soldiers charged with various offenses, such as desertion, failure to enroll or cowardice. In June 1944, there were 63 military prisoners. Examples of their rations include meat and potato soup, bean soup, cabbage with tomatoes and
316:
government and the benefits of “people’s democracy”, reading progressive brochures together and leaving
Marxist books in their cells. Until 1952, it was a transit prison, holding detainees for several months until they were moved to other prisons or to the
296:
criminals forming the majority. The first political prisoners, who arrived in the second half of 1947, were “saboteurs”: peasants who were unable to hand over quotas of livestock and grain, as well as members of non-communist parties from
948:
454:
for one to five years. Coposu, Diaconescu and others were sent there in 1962, not allowed to leave the village, on pain of a fifteen-year sentence. In April 1963, the final prisoners still at Râmnicu Sărat were sent to
866:
906:
1056:
227:
834:"Narrating Communist Repression in and Outside the Courtroom: The Case of Former Prison Commander Alexandru Vișinescu and its Resonance with (Societally) Available 'Narrative Worlds'"
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325:, part of the torturers were brought to Râmnicu Sărat for interrogation. Until 1955, most of the political prisoners there were Iron Guard members, among them
1021:"Mărturiile ultimului supraviețuitor al atrocităților de la închisoarea din Râmnicu Sărat: "De multe ori nu puteam dormi. Înghețam. Și apa în cană îngheța""
949:"Infernul torturii comuniste, Închisoarea Tăcerii de la Râmnicu Sărat, va deveni obiectiv turistic. Care este istoria celui mai dur penitenciar din România"
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prisons, was convicted of crimes against humanity for his treatment of detainees in 2015, and sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment.
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273:. In September 1939, a further thirteen Guardists incarcerated at Râmnicu Sărat were killed in reprisal for the assassination of
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921:""Închisoarea Tăcerii" de la Râmnicu Sărat devine din 2026 obiectiv turistic. A primit autorizaţie pentru renovare"
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489:. By 2026, the facility will be transformed into the "Prison of Silence" Memorial and Educational Center.
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867:"Torționarul Vișinescu, condamnat definitiv la 20 de ani închisoare pentru crime împotriva umanității"
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374:
1242:
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262:
251:
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497:
This is a partial list of inmates at Sărat Prison; the symbol † indicates those who died there.
603:
466:
Vișinescu, the warden of the prison from 1956 to 1963, and previously a political officer at
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985:(in Romanian). Institutul de Investigare a Crimelor Comunismului în România. Iași:
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978:
907:"Torționarul Alexandru Vișinescu a fost condamnat la 20 de ani de închisoare"
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The former prison is included in a restoration and enhancement project, with
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and then elsewhere. The prison was shut down and used as a deposit until the
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886:"Brutal Romanian Prison Warden, 90, Loses Appeal of 20-Year Sentence"
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The prison is located in the southern part of the city, close to the
364:, were sent to Râmnicu Sărat, followed by more political prisoners:
447:
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members as political prisoners, including the movement’s leader,
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179:
234:. Its existence was first attested in October 1901, when King
312:” involved lecturing prisoners about the achievements of the
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983:
Dicționarul penitenciarelor din România comunistă: 1945–1967
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321:. After the end of the experiment in “re-education” at
336:. That year, the surviving defendants tried alongside
254:. In late November, he and thirteen other cadres, the
230:. It was built in the late 19th century following the
287:, the prison reverted to holding common criminals.
865:Claudia Spridon, Ionel Stoica, Mihaela Cojocariu,
356:. In 1957, in the aftermath of a hunger strike at
806:"In Trial, Romania Warily Revisits a Brutal Past"
704:"Lista Monumentelor Istorice 2010: Județul Buzău"
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308:joined the ranks. In 1948-1949, an effort at “
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1057:
487:National Rehabilitation and Resilience Plan
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96:Political prisoners (1938-1940, 1947-1963)
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216:Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs
1305:Buildings and structures in Buzău County
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804:Higgins, Andrew (September 29, 2013).
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481:9 million in funding provided by the
98:Common criminals (to 1941, 1944-1963)
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243:were taken there for short periods.
80:Closed, listed as historic monument
13:
1315:Historic monuments in Buzău County
696:
14:
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1325:1963 disestablishments in Romania
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360:, the strike leaders, among them
300:. Starting in 1949, opponents of
1150:Transylvania, Crișana, Maramureș
1335:Political repression in Romania
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919:Bunilă, Iulian (May 10, 2023).
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269:, but strangled on the way, in
1320:1901 establishments in Romania
1019:Toma, Mihai (10 August 2021).
767:
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265:, were ordered transferred to
210:. The building is listed as a
198:is a former prison located in
100:Military prisoners (1941-1944)
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1300:Socialist Republic of Romania
1252:Western Moldavia and Bukovina
971:
28:Entrance to the former prison
7:
955:(in Romanian). May 26, 2024
291:During the communist period
10:
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1310:Defunct prisons in Romania
838:Social & Legal Studies
644:Victor Rădulescu-Pogoneanu
492:
354:Victor Rădulescu-Pogoneanu
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1210:
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909:, Mediafax, July 24, 2015
850:10.1177/09646639221144001
662:Nicolae Scarlat Stoenescu
616:Constantin Titel Petrescu
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342:National Peasants' Party
539:Corneliu Zelea Codreanu
252:Corneliu Zelea Codreanu
151:53 Ion Mihalache Street
108:End of the 19th century
1115:Danube–Black Sea Canal
319:Danube–Black Sea Canal
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191:Interior of the prison
516:Alexandru Cantacuzino
370:Alexandru Alexandrini
246:In 1938, it received
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61:45.38333°N 27.05528°E
626:Gheorghe Plăcințeanu
298:Râmnicu Sărat County
196:Râmnicu Sărat Prison
17:Râmnicu Sărat Prison
894:, February 10, 2016
875:, February 10, 2016
731:Muraru, p. 442, 444
639:Mihail Polihroniade
483:European Commission
461:Romanian Revolution
433:Alexandru Vișinescu
304:and of the nascent
222:Before World War II
134:Alexandru Vișinescu
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891:The New York Times
811:The New York Times
794:Muraru, pp. 451-52
785:Muraru, pp. 449-51
764:Muraru, pp. 446-49
743:Muraru, pp. 444-46
722:Muraru, pp. 439-42
599:Constantin Pantazi
522:Liuba Chișinevschi
392:Constantin Pantazi
381:Alexandru Constant
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66:45.38333; 27.05528
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1074:Communist Romania
996:978-973-46-0893-5
649:Mihail Romniceanu
565:Gheorghe Jienescu
418:Gheorghe Jienescu
344:(PNȚ) affiliates
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1031:. Retrieved
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931:. Retrieved
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884:Kit Gillet,
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204:Buzău County
195:
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170:Buzău County
1136:Ocnele Mari
1110:Brăila Pond
1076:(1945–1967)
1072:Prisons in
817:February 6,
665: [
652: [
629: [
602: [
583:Vasile Luca
568: [
554:Ion Gigurtu
525: [
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436: [
421: [
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384: [
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358:Aiud Prison
338:Iuliu Maniu
330: [
314:Petru Groza
143:(1956–1963)
137: [
64: /
39:Coordinates
1294:Categories
1279:Târgu Ocna
1192:Lead mines
1177:Dumbrăveni
1089:Caransebeș
1026:Libertatea
972:References
611:Ana Pauker
350:Ilie Lazăr
271:Tâncăbești
248:Iron Guard
93:Population
52:27°03′19″E
49:45°23′00″N
1243:Văcărești
1211:Wallachia
1141:Târgu Jiu
1094:Timișoara
1005:297531689
340:arrived:
260:Decemviri
1259:Botoșani
981:(2008).
926:Adevărul
872:Adevărul
448:Bukovina
280:mămăligă
256:Nicadori
85:Capacity
1274:Suceava
1238:Târgșor
1228:Pitești
1182:Făgăraș
1131:Craiova
1124:Oltenia
1103:Dobruja
987:Polirom
959:July 9,
933:July 9,
493:Inmates
236:Carol I
208:Romania
180:Romania
176:Country
118: (
1264:Galați
1223:Mislea
1218:Jilava
1202:Sighet
1197:Oradea
1187:Gherla
1162:Brașov
1003:
993:
472:Mislea
468:Jilava
457:Jilava
416:, and
352:, and
267:Jilava
241:revolt
166:County
129:Warden
113:Closed
105:Opened
77:Status
1082:Banat
707:(PDF)
681:Notes
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633:]
606:]
572:]
529:]
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452:Rubla
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1269:Iași
1167:Cluj
1157:Aiud
1035:2022
1001:OCLC
991:ISBN
961:2024
935:2024
819:2021
470:and
258:and
156:City
120:1963
116:1963
1172:Dej
846:doi
88:300
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