Wronki Prison
Wronki Prison (Polish: Zakład Karny Wronki) is the largest prison in Poland, holding over 1400 prisoners. It was founded in 1889 in the town of Wronki in Greater Poland (then part of German Empire, Prussian partition of Poland).
History
Wronki Prison, three four-story buildings in a cross formation, was designed to accommodate 750-800 prisoners, accompanied by buildings housing the guards and other auxiliary personnel, was built in 1889 by the Prussian government in Prussian partition of partitioned Poland and brought into use in 1894. It was modeled on contemporary American prisons (the Philadelphia System). Prisoners were employed in production of stockings and in other tasks.
On 30 December 1918 the prison was taken over by Polish insurgents of the Greater Poland Uprising. The prisoners were set free while the prison became a temporary barracks for the insurgents. The prison resumed operations in late July 1919 as part of the new prison system of the Second Polish Republic. In interwar Poland the prison was used as a site for political prisoners.
Wronki
Wronki [ˈvrɔŋki] (German: Wronke) is a town in the Szamotuły County, western-central Poland, situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Piła Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is located close to the Warta River to the northwest of Poznań, and has a population of approximately 11,000. The town's name comes from wrona, the Polish word for a crow, which is also reflected in the town's coat of arms. It has also been spelled Wronke at times during its history, specifically during the years when it was part of Prussia/Germany (1772–1919).
The town contains Wronki Prison, the largest prison in Poland.
