Robben Island - Prison Museum in South Africa

59RC+XF Robben Island, South Africa

The prison is located in South Africa, on Robben Island, opposite Cape Town. Seals once inhabited these waters, but then the island was settled, and for 400 years it alternately served as a penal colony, a leprosarium for the mentally ill, and a maximum-security state prison for political prisoners. It was here that the hero of Africa's liberation movement, Nelson Mandela, was held in chains, which is why Robben Island gained its grim notoriety in the global public eye.

World: Prison Islands, Active and Historical

The prison is located in South Africa, on Robben Island, opposite Cape Town. Seals once inhabited these places, but then the island was settled, and for 400 years it alternately served as a penal colony, a leprosarium for the mentally ill, and a maximum-security state prison for political prisoners. It was here that the hero of Africa's liberation movement, Nelson Mandela, was held in chains, which is why Seal Island gained its grim notoriety worldwide.

Besides its prison past, the island is also known for being deadly to sailors. The ocean surf constantly crashes against its shores, and any ship that runs aground near the island is immediately broken apart by the waves. Therefore, Robben and the neighboring islands are not only seal islands; they can safely be called the Islands of Shipwrecks.

It is famous for being the place where the first black president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Robert Sobukwe, and other fighters for rights and freedoms were imprisoned for 27 years.

The last political prisoner left the island in 1991, but Robben Island remained a prison for another five years. It had been a place of isolation since the 17th century: political criminals from Dutch colonies were brought here, the prison was used as a leprosarium and as a psychiatric hospital. The last political prisoner left the prison walls in 1991, and the prison operated until 1996. It is now a museum.

The museum is a popular tourist attraction, as is the island itself. The guides in the museum include former prisoners who once sat behind its walls, as well as former prison guards. They show the cells where prisoners used to be held, including Nelson Mandela’s cramped solitary cell, which didn’t even have a bunk. The future president of South Africa had to sleep on the floor.

Sources:

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robben_Island

https://saspecialist.southafrica.net/ru/ru/topics/entry/ru-ru-robben-island

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