Schwarzau Prison

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Entrance gate to the Schwarzau prison
Portal view of the former hunting lodge, today the Schwarzau prison

The Schwarzau Prison is an Austrian penal institution for female prisoners in Schwarzau am Steinfeld in Lower Austria . The institution is the only prison in Austria that mainly accommodates women, as they only make up 5 percent of all prisoners in the entire Austrian penal system.

Conception

In general, all prison sentences are carried out on women in the Schwarzau Prison, which exceed a sentence of 18 months and can last up to life . In addition, female juvenile offenders and female prisoners in the execution of measures against mentally abnormal law breakers who need to be weaned, as well as against dangerous recidivists, can also be accommodated in Schwarzau . These are detained in separate wards. In addition, 22 men who are currently being released can be billeted in the Schwarzau Prison as part of the relaxed prison system . In addition to the prisons in Garsten , Graz-Karlau and Stein , which are exclusively aimed at the execution of long-term prison sentences, the prison in Schwarzau is the only Austrian prison facility in which life sentences are carried out as a rule.

A total of 193 places are available in the prison - 171 for women and 22 for men - of which only 147 were occupied as of August 30, 2007. This makes the Schwarzau Prison, with a total occupancy rate of 80.83%, the weakest prison facility in all of Austria. Most other prisons are struggling with massive overcrowding. The entire area of ​​the prison covers 24 hectares.

Up until November 2003, the prison was attached to an estate with around 70 hectares of agricultural arable land, on which the prisoners were used to work. This agricultural area has meanwhile been sold. For the care of children of prisoners and for the care of the children of prison services officers is an institution's own kindergarten available. There is also a special mother-child section in which up to 10 prisoners with children under 3 years of age can be accommodated separately. Another form of loosening the prison system is an outdoor building that is separate from the rest of the prison system and can accommodate up to 24 inmates who work outside the institution during the day.

About every second inmate has to serve a term of more than 5 years, every sixth was convicted of homicide . In April 2008, the detention center held five prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment.

history

The Schwarzau Prison is housed in the Schwarzau Castle building. This castle was originally an imperial hunting lodge and was donated to the aristocratic Wurmbrand family between the 13th and 16th centuries, which can no longer be precisely dated . Wilhelm Graf von Wurmbrand and Stuppach finally had the basic shape of the current building erected in 1567. The baroque building that still exists today was built in 1697, and on August 27, 1889, it became the property of Duke Robert von Bourbon-Parma . This changed the castle grounds through numerous modifications and additions.

The castle made history when, on October 21, 1911, it became the place of the wedding of the future Emperor Karl of Austria and Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma . Shortly after the end of the First World War, the castle was rededicated by the owners as a sanatorium and hospital. After the end of the Second World War, Schwarzau Castle was occupied by the Russian occupying forces. On November 24, 1951, the sole owner, Elias von Bourbon-Parma , sold the castle and the property to the Republic of Austria.

It was not until December 1957 that the building was put into operation in its new use as the "Schwarzau women's penal institution". In the years from 1993 to 1999, a general renovation of the palace complex was carried out with the assistance of the Federal Monuments Office, which brought the prison conditions into line with modern prison standards. In 2008, a long-term visitor room for family visits was set up in the Schwarzau Prison .

Trivia

Street view of the Schwarzau prison
  • Although the castle at the entrance portal is expressly marked as a cultural monument , the prison management and the Ministry of Justice do not allow entering the outside area of ​​the extensive castle complex including the manor. Since 2011, civilians have only been allowed to enter some rooms at a few events. As the castle is surrounded by numerous tall trees, the architectural gem remains hidden from interested visitors.
  • A prominent prisoner was the serial killer Elfriede Blauensteiner, who went down in Austrian criminal history as the “black widow” .

literature

Web links

Commons : Schwarzau Prison  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Yvonne Widler: A castle for criminal women. In: Courier . January 22, 2018, accessed January 22, 2018 .

Coordinates: 47 ° 43 ′ 50 ″  N , 16 ° 10 ′ 2 ″  E