Taganskaya prison, or "Taganka" - this name has long been a household name and left a significant mark in contemporary art. Many townsfolk today do not even know where the correctional facility was located and how it was officially called. Especially for you, the full and true story of "Taganka", as well as unique facts and historical evidence of contemporaries in our article.
The beginning of the history of the Moscow provincial criminal prison
The deprivation of liberty as punishment for the criminal acts committed in Russia began to apply even under Tsar Ivan the Terrible. The peak of activity of construction and the organization of corrective opinions fell during the reign of Catherine II. In 1804, Emperor Alexander I issued a decree on the construction of the Moscow provincial criminal prison. As a place for the arrangement of such an institution, the outskirts of Moscow were chosen. Today it is the street of Small Masons. Not far away is Novospassky Monastery and Taganskaya Square. It was by her name that she received her prison "Taganka" among the people. Initially, the institution was classified as a "prison workhouse", here permanently lived and worked prisoners.
Who was and was re-educated in the legendary prison?
Initially, "Taganka" was intended for criminals. However, already in the XX century it received the status of "transit", and in the XXI century. There were also political prisoners. The explanation for such changes is the simplest. Other prisons in Moscow - Butyrka and Matrosskaya Tishina - did not always have enough places for new prisoners. Since its inception, the Moscow provincial criminal prison has had a huge number of workshops. Without work, none of the prisoners remained, and if the convict did not have any profession, he was also trained while serving his sentence. Directly on its territory Taganskaya prison had forging-blacksmith-mechanical, tailoring, turning, printing and binding workshops. Already in 1921 the newspaper Pravda praised the competent organization of the re-education of convicts with labor and highly assessed the importance of the work of prisoners for society and the country. Meanwhile, in 1920 in the "Taganka" contained only about 1200 convicts, and a little less than 200 people were employed.
Conditions of detention
Even today, many Russian prisons can not boast of good conditions for convicts and the humane organization of their labor. In past centuries, things were no better. Overcrowded cells and common areas, meager and monotonous food, and also hard labor literally. If you believe the testimonies of contemporaries, and the prison itself made a depressing impression - dull yellow walls, bars on the windows. But at the same time, international standards have always been respected here. In the 1920s Taganskaya prison even hosted foreign delegations, sometimes parcels from the Red Cross came here.
Legends and facts
A lot of broken fates and people condemned unfairly was seen by the Taganskaya prison. The history of this correctional institution is full of various legends and facts, which it is not easy to believe in. At one time, the head of the prison was Menzhinsky's brother, and surprisingly, he liked convicts very much. It is said that when he was informed of the planned arrest of Patriarch Tikhon, he personally came to his Holiness and, asking for his blessing, announced his detention. However, maybe all this is just a beautiful myth. Still, someone in Taganskaya Prison was very well off. After the Revolution, V.F. Dzhunkovsky - former governor of the Moscow region and head of the police, found himself in the "Taganka" already as a prisoner. The attitude towards this prisoner was very lenient. The whole point is that Dzhunkovsky was a well-educated and intelligent man, on an exceptional basis, he was allowed to educate minors, and also to breed rabbits, soon, however, he was completely released. An interesting story is the life of Maxim Zhizhilenko - the son of a prosecutor, who worked in the correctional facility as the chief doctor. Taganskaya prison for him really became a home native. After the death of his wife, he led the life of an ordinary prisoner - he lived in a simple cell and ate food prepared for the prisoners.
Taganka in the 20th century
After the revolution of 1917, all Russian prisons were overcrowded with a "new" type of criminals - political prisoners. The next wave of arrests touched religious figures. Interestingly, the "Taganka" was built church (1894), but in 1922 it was closed. Then the believing prisoners received for their meetings the premises of the communist school. Praying was relied on in front of the portraits of Trotsky and Lenin, there were volunteers from the staff willing to protect the prisoners during this event. Another interesting fact: in 1940 the prison "Taganka" was the place of detention of 4,120 prisoners, and the staff numbered less than 800 people. In 1946, an unusual execution took place right in the courtyard of the legendary penitentiary. General Vlasov and his followers accepted death by hanging, there is evidence that the condemned ones themselves asked to be traditionally shot "like a soldier".
Prison jargon and "criminal romance"
An interesting fact: the first dictionary of prison jargon in Russia was drawn up in Taganka. V. Trakhtenberg carried out a tremendous work, which resulted in a unique collection of "translation" of thieves' slang into the Russian literary language with explanations and comments. The popular version is also that the word "bald" also appeared in this prison. Legend has it that once in the local kitchen worked a cook with the name Balandin, who managed to cook almost inedible food for prisoners. As a result, his creations were called "balancing", and the cook himself was cooked in a saucepan with another inedible soup.
Famous prisoners
For a century and a half history of this correctional institution, it was visited by a huge number of famous and simply outstanding people. At different times here were: N. Bauman (Bolshevik-revolutionary), VF Trakhtenberg, Savva Mamontov, Porfiry Ivanov (the famous healer), Osip Shor (the prototype of Ostap Bender), Kravets TP (academician) and many others . In fact, this list can be continued indefinitely. It should be noted that life in prison was often the same for all. Intellectuals, politicians and religious figures lived in conditions created for criminals, often involved in hard work.
End of the story: the demolition of Taganskaya prison
In 1938, the NKVD is reforming, as a result of which the No. 1 prison of the OMK of the Moscow Region becomes the Taganskaya prison of the GUGB. Accordingly, the correctional institution moves from the department of the NKVD Administration to the Main Department of State Security of the NKVD. In 1939 Taganka officially changes its status and becomes a transit prison. In 1946 the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR was formed. Accordingly, after several reforms in the merger and distribution of powers between this ministry and the KGB, the correctional institution becomes subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The last official name of "Taganka" is the Central Taganskaya transit prison of the Eighth Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR. The history of this correctional facility ends in 1958. The legendary prison was demolished by order of Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev.
What is today on the place of "Taganka"?
Most of the prison buildings were quickly demolished. Very soon, in the place where the Taganskaya prison was located, a kindergarten was set up, intended for the children of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and several residential five-story houses - typical "Khrushchevs". From the correctional institution to this day only one administrative building and a laundry room have been preserved. In the first structure today there are various offices, and where there was once an active washing, housing department is located. The base of the prison wall is also preserved - it is a parapet about one and a half meters high, stretching along the modern Novospassky Lane. However, perhaps this is another legend. But everyone can look at the administrative building, which once had Tagansky prison. Address of the house: Malye Kamenshchiki street, possession 16.
Legends from the vicinity of "Taganka"
If you find yourself in the former territory of the correctional institution, without knowing the history of this place, it is impossible even to assume that it was once there. Few prisons in Moscow are as famous as Taganskaya, but despite this fact, today this area resembles a typical sleeping area. Riot of greenery, ordinary houses, and yet people still live here who personally remember the state buildings behind high fences. Among the inhabitants of the districts there are legends about prison dungeons and tunnels dug by zeks. Some argue that they personally saw how during earth-moving work, human bones were extracted from the trenches to the surface of the earth. Particularly impressionable citizens talk about strange visions and not the most pleasant dreams in which they see life in prison or its prisoners.
Mentions in art and mass culture
This prison is not for nothing called legendary, even today, when more than half a century has passed since the demolition, a truly popular song "Taganka" can be heard on the radio or found in collections of popular hits. What is remarkable, the poet and composer of this work is not established. However, the song has already been performed and recorded by many popular artists of various years, and, interestingly, they continue to sing it today. He sang about Tagansky prison and V. Vysotsky, just listen carefully to the lines of the song: "Hey, chauffeur, take me to Butyrsky farm". In addition, the prison is mentioned in the memoirs of its prisoners and various encyclopaedic-historical collections. It was shot about "Taganka" several documentaries and information television programs. Let the prison itself be demolished in 1958, it entered the history of Russia forever. Interestingly, many lay people regret that the historical correctional institution was demolished, it would be much more interesting to visit a museum open within its walls.