Butyrka Prison (currently Detention Center No. 2 of the Federal Penitentiary Service) was founded in 1771 by order of Catherine II. Provincial prison castle was designed by architect Kazakov. According to the initial idea, the structure was to be a hexagonal elongated ensemble. In the corners, it was planned to build 4 round battlements connected by brick high walls. What, what, but this project was implemented. There are 4 towers in Butyrsky Castle: Chasovaya, Pugachevskaya, Police and Severnaya. In the center of the buildings was a church. And today, prisoners can visit the temple in Butyrka prison without hindrance.
Rise of Pugachev
At the end of 1774, the tsarist forces suppressed the revolt of the peasants under the leadership of Yemelyan Pugachev. Runaway militias were taken to the Butyrka prisoner under heavy guard, chained and shackled. The instigator himself, Emelka, was sent to Moscow in a cage, and then also chained. One of the towers (South) was even named in honor of the famous prisoner: in 1775, before execution, he was chained to a wall in the basement of this building. Now she is Pugachevskaya.
Instruments of torture
In those days, the Butyrka prison was extremely cruel. In the imperial dungeon, there were many tools for the burden of prisoners: pads, slingshots, handcuffs, chairs, clamps ... Prisoners could be chained even for a minor offense. A slingshot is a special metal collar that did not allow the prisoner to lie. The chains in the prison used three types, they were worn on the arms, legs and neck. Sometimes criminals were additionally chained to the wall. Chairs were used to prevent shoots. They were made of oak blockhead weighing up to 25 kg and were chained with steel hoops. A collar was fastened to the prisoner's neck. The prisoner had to even go to the bathhouse and toilet.
Prison expansion and regime change
In 1878, the royal prison was rebuilt and expanded. As a result, the premises could accommodate up to 2.5 thousand criminals. In 1879, the Main Prison Building was erected. The main entrance was the gate near the Pugachevskaya tower.
In 1889, the dietary standards for prisoners were introduced. After the revolution of the beginning of the 20th century, the Butyrka prison created a penal department of a particularly cruel regime, where the death penalty was used.
Famous personalities "Butyrki"
Within the walls of this Moscow prison in the 19th - early 20th centuries. many famous personalities visited: Bauman, Schmidt, Voroshilov, Dzerzhinsky, Makhno, as well as many participants in the 1905 uprising. Since 1906, the Butyrka prison became known as the Provisional Center. They began to introduce an extremely harsh regime, and even flogging was introduced as a punishment. The “fruits” of the new regime were not long in coming: epidemics of various diseases began, a wave of suicides swept. In the years 1910-1911. up to 400 prisoners died per day (mainly due to consumption). Under the head of Kudryakov (in 1908), the former imperial prisoner turned into hell: flogging became commonplace, and especially naughty were sent to punishment cells.
Relaxation mode
After the revolution of the 17th year, chains, shackles and other tools were canceled. They were also allowed to approach the windows, see relatives and receive programs. The Butyrka Church was liquidated, and a forge and a hardware workshop were set up in its building. Organized a library and allowed to arrange concerts. In 1920, F. Chaliapin spoke here.
since 1983, female prisoners have been transferred to a separate building. In 1996, all the criminals who were in other pre-trial detention centers were sent here. It is also worth noting that numerous conversions and rebuilds were carried out independently, without receiving any technical documentation. Therefore, many buildings do not meet current building codes.
The fate of Butyrki after 2000
In 2001, repairs were carried out throughout the Butyrka. The regime buildings have been completely renovated. The Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been restored and is still operating today. Since 2003, the department of narcology and psychiatry has been operating in remand prison No. 2 for advanced training and retraining of medical personnel.
Many are interested in: where is the Butyrka prison? Address of pre-trial detention center No. 2 of the Federal Penitentiary Service: Moscow, ul. Novoslobodskaya, 45 (it is 4 km from the center of the capital). Now the institution is protected by the state as a unique architectural monument.
Butyrka will become a museum?
Soon, Butyrka may turn from a prison into a museum. State Duma deputies have already considered the demand to close the detention center several times, but so far no results have been achieved.
Residents of neighboring houses were constantly asked to consider closing the prison. Firstly, the view from their windows is depressing - barred windows. Secondly, there is a sharp smell of treasury in the courtyard. And thirdly, along the porches there is always a queue to the reference center of the pre-trial detention center. In addition, there is another important point. In the area where the Butyrskaya prison is located, it is impossible to sell an apartment at a market price, which is understandable.
After complaints from Muscovites, many deputies suggested relocating the prisoners to the pre-trial detention center on Vilyuiskaya Street, where, incidentally, the conditions of detention are much better. But in Butyrka you can simply open a prison museum. However, so far this issue has not been resolved. Some officials believe that there is a risk of criminals escaping during transportation. And there are more “exotic” proposals - to transfer the mausoleum to Butyrka.
Significant Events
Butyrka prison saw in its walls famous writers, politicians, scientists, etc. The most significant event of recent times was Gusinsky’s short imprisonment. He had the thieves' place here - a bunk at the window on the first tier, they even put a television in his cell.
However, now the TV can be seen in every camera. Butyrka also has a library with a good selection of thrillers, classics and science fiction.
In their free time, prisoners are engaged in a wide variety of activities. They make tattoos, make knives from cans and mugs, some even manage to make a homemade gun. The usual entertainments of "convicts" are dominoes, backgammon, chess. Playing cards in prison is prohibited. For this, of course, they’re not being shot today, but they can put me in a punishment cell. There are no problems with food. Although just a couple of years ago it was much worse. By the way, since 1996, women are no longer placed here.
Sensational shoots
What just did not happen in pre-trial detention center No. 2, Moscow is still full of some rumors. Butyrka Prison has seen many talented shoots over its long history. There are still legends about Lieutenant Lantsov, who was constantly engaged in hooliganism. He was put into the Butyrka more than once, but each time he managed to get out of there. They also say that one of the prisoners escaped directly from the investigator’s office. And hiding before the Second World War.
They also tried to escape in the post-Soviet era. In 1992, two cellmates pulled out a metal net on a walking patio, climbed onto the roof, jumped from the height of the third floor and disappeared. True, they were detained a few days later.
In 1996, the girl decided to escape. She posed as a prisoner, who really had to be released, and calmly left the territory of the pre-trial detention center. They detained her after 3 days.
In 2000, a Georgian citizen managed to escape. However, they caught him after 5 days. In the same year, three especially dangerous criminals fled from death row, digging spoons for a couple of days in a cement floor. Two of them were found after 3 weeks, and the third was caught only in April 2003.
But the most spectacular escape from Butyrka prison was made by the 26-year-old prisoner Vitaly Ostrovsky (Belarus). It happened on April 22, 2010. He jumped over the high fencing of the detention center during the escort. To this day, it has not been possible to find him. Inspired by Ostrovsky’s escape, two days after his “feat”, Vitaly Loktev, 24, convicted of child abuse, escaped. The man squeezed out the window grill and jumped from the roof of the insulator. But this attempt was, fortunately, a failure - he was found on the same day.
Museum "Butyrki"
Since 1971, a museum has been operating here, but getting into it is not so simple. Visiting it is allowed only at the request of a legal entity. But if it still succeeds, then the excursion to Butyrskaya prison will be remembered for a long time. In the museum, for example, you can see many amazing exhibits extracted from the stomachs of convicts: scissors, bolts, spoons. And one of the prisoners even swallowed 28 pieces of domino chips at a time. They had to get them surgically. Various homemade tools are also impressive: knives, pistols, tattoo machines.
"Butyrka" in art
- According to the plot of the comedy “Mimino”, the protagonist Valiko Mizandari gets into the 8th chamber of “Butyrka”. He personally reports this upon admission to pilot courses.
- In 2001, the Butyrka group was founded. The musicians gave this name to the band after an attempt to escape the prisoners in 2001. There is another group that performed a song about pre-trial detention center No. 2 - “The Cross Ace”. Butyrka prison, thanks to their compositions, has become even more famous, and far beyond the borders of Russia.
- The prison scenes of the series “Seventeen Moments of Spring” were filmed here. Rumor has it that when artists in the uniform of the SS and Gestapo soldiers paced along the prison corridors, some prisoners from among the servants jokingly exclaimed: “Oh, ours have come!”
- Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke also visited “Butyrka” in order to get used to the image in the film “Iron Man 2”.
So, it's time to take stock. Butyrka prison is considered one of the most famous prisons in Russia, the address of which, by the way, may change in the near future. True, so far, despite the fact that the isolation ward has long failed to meet many requirements and sanitary standards, they are not in a hurry to resettle the prisoners. But even if this happens, then the building of pre-trial detention center No. 2 will terrify people for many years to come.