prison Keyword
The Rock
I was pretty excited to see Alcatraz and it didn’t disappoint. Sitting in the fog of the bay Alcatraz Island has had a long and interesting history. The limestone island was first used as the bedrock for a lighthouse, which is now the oldest lighthouse on the west coast and from there it has been a military installation, site of Indian rights protests and most (in)famously a prison.
Alcatraz’s prison history dates back to around 1861 where it was used a military prison. It quickly grew in population but it wasn’t until 1934 that the island became the Alcatraz we all know. It remained operation as a prison hosting some of the States most notorious criminals for 29 years.
Due to its geographics and the technology used in the prison Alcatraz was considered inescapable and it is easy to see why. The island sits tantalisingly close to the mainland but the water is freezing and currents churn the bay constantly. The buildings are imposing and there isn’t many places to hide outside the prison walls.
I spent around 3 hours on the island, listening to the audio tour and checking out the ruins of the prison. I took way too many photos but I loved the old run down buildings. There’s only one way to get to the island, Alcatraz Cruises. For $26 you get your ferry there and back, and the audio tour. My time on the Rock was worth every penny.
Terezín
Located in the Czech Republic, Terezín is a small garrison town and fortress with history dating back to the 18th century.
Originally created as garrison point for potentially 11,000 soldiers the fortress covers around 3.8 square kilometers. During WWII Germany took control of the town and its fortress and used it as a Jewish Ghetto. Here around 150,000 Jews were interned with around 90,000 people being processed through the concentration camp there, housed in the “Small Fortress”.
I did a tour of the prison which acted as a forced labour camp while we did a quick stop in the area. The guide was very informative and had an hilarious accent. It was mildly disturbing to wander around such a beautiful site knowing it was a place of much torment and sadness. I wonder if the inmates ever saw as beautiful weather was we did that day.