Hoa Lo Prison among leading historic prisons worldwide

Hoa Lo Prison was originally built by French colonists to jail Vietnamese political prisoners. The prison, also known as the Hanoi Hilton, is most notable for its torture, starvation, and even murder of local inmates. The majority of the prison was demolished in the mid-1990s and the site is now used as a museum.

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Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in the United States tops the list. Alcatraz was home to some of the most notorious criminals of bygone eras, including gangsters such as Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly. Perched upon a rocky island surrounded by the freezing water of San Francisco bay, Alcatraz was considered to be inescapable. (Image credit – Wikimedia/Don Ramey Logan)

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In second place is the Tower of London, a site which served as a prison from 1,100 to the middle of the 20th century. Indeed, the phrase “sent to the Tower”, meaning imprisoned, became a famous saying in England due to the important role that the tower played in British history. (Image credit – Wikimedia/Steve Collis)

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Devil’s island comes third in the list. It was first opened in 1852 under the reign of Emperor Napoleon III, with this historic prison housing everyone from political prisoners to hardened criminals during the 94 years it was in operation for. (Image credit – Flickr/chumlee10)

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Here are some other places to make the list. Famous for being used as a setting in the novel “The Count of Monte Cristo” written by Alexander Dumas, Chateau d’If in France was used as a dumping ground for religious and political prisoners from 1634 until the end of the 19th century. (Image credit – Wikimedia/Padrecardu)

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Better known as the House of Slaves, The Maison des Esclaves now serves as a museum and memorial to the Atlantic slave trade on Gorée island in Senegal. Before France abolished the slave trade in 1848, thousands of slaves would pass through Goree island on their way to be sold on the other side of the Atlantic. (Image credit – Wikimedia/TSGT JUSTIN D. PYLE, USAF)

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Located just off the coast of Cape Town in South Africa, Robben island was used to isolate political prisoners from the end of the 17th century. These days, Robben island is a popular tourist destination and can be reached by ferry. (Image credit – Wikimedia/Witstinkhout)

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Elmina castle in Ghana is the oldest European building in existence below the Sahara. Originally built in 1492, the site served as a detaining area for people who had been captured and sold into slavery for over three hundred years. (Image credit – Wikimedia/Nkansahrexford)

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Port Arthur is a small town and former convict colony located on the Tasman peninsula on the island of Tasmania in Australia. The area serves as one of the most historic and famous prisons in the world. (Image credit – Flickr/Andrew Braithwaite)