Doftana Prison, Romania

Doftana Prison is a vast fortress-like penitentiary, located in Romania’s Prahova Valley. Built in the late 19th century, it housed inmates during some of the most turbulent periods in Romania’s history. Today, it stands derelict and partially collapsed, its long corridors and empty cells slowly melting into the surrounding landscape.

After skipping this location on my 2017 trip, I finally made the time to visit during my 2024 Romania Tour. Despite being a ruin, exploring the long interconnecting corridors provided ample opportunity for atmospheric photos. The walkways in the atrium wings (originally wooden, I presume) had long ago collapsed. These areas could only be photographed from the main corridor loop. Happily, I was also joined by some roaming goats! I kept hearing a gentle “tink tink tink” of their bells as they circled the perimeter and milled around in the central courtyard.

History of Doftana Prison

Doftana Prison was constructed in 1895 to house military offenders. Over time, its role evolved into a facility for political prisoners. Its location near the Carpathians offered both isolation and natural fortification, making it an ideal site for locking up high-security offenders.

During the 1920s and early 1940s, the prison earned a reputation as one of the harshest in Romania. It was used to suppress political dissent and those threatening to the monarchy (including communists and left-wing activists). Conditions were harsh for those incarcerated here. Cells were unheated in the cruel Romanian winters. Food was basic, and punishments were severe.

Following the rise of the communist regime in 1947, Doftana Prison was decommissioned. Interestingly, it was later turned into a museum and spun by the propaganda machine as the harsh forging ground of Romania’s future leaders. In 1989, with the fall of the communist regime, the museum closed and has remained abandoned ever since.

The architecture and layout of Doftana Prison

A massive and imposing defence wall surrounds Doftana Prison, with seven guard towers providing cover. These features reflect both military influences during its construction and early usage, as well as providing a visually imposing site of punishment and control.

Within the walls, the prison has a radial layout, forming a closed horseshoe shape that encircles a central courtyard. The outer ring holds 308 cells, divided into 8 cell blocks running from A to H. Not all cells were equal in Doftana; depending on your crimes or political leanings, you could “look forward” to disparate conditions of confinement. Some cells had windows; the luckier inmates enjoyed natural light. Other cells were windowless and reportedly had no furniture (Cell Block H, housing 40 cells). These were reserved for those who were deemed rebellious or just in need of some harsher treatment.

The Ruinous Prison Today

The prison is now in ruins, with parts of the roof missing and vegetation growing within the wall. The prison’s ruinous state is largely the result of geology and weather. A large earthquake struck the region in 1940. Doftana Prison was severely damaged, 78 inmates were injured, and 21 were killed. Subsequent earthquakes, including one in 1977, have rocked the prison and damaged its fabric. Heavy snowfall in 2011 caused several areas of roof collapse, further deteriorating the prison’s structure. Fragments of broken tile and timber now cover many corridor floors.

Notable Inmates in Doftana Prison

Doftana is perhaps best (or most infamously) known for its role in the early lives of Romanian Communist Party leadership. Among those imprisoned here were:

• Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej. Imprisoned in the 1930s as a communist activist, he later became the leader of the Romanian Communist Party from 1947 to 1965.
• Ilie Pintilie. R railroad worker and communist activist, arrested in 1936 and later served time at Doftana. He was killed in the earthquake of 1940.
• Ștefan Foriș. He was imprisoned at Doftana as a communist journalist in the early 1930s. Later became General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party. On the orders of fellow communists, he was kidnapped and murdered in 1944 for being a traitor.
• Gheorghe Pintilie. A Soviet agent imprisoned at Doftana, he formed ties with Gheorghiu‑Dej and later became head of the Securitate (the secret police).
• Emil Bodnărăș. He served as a communist politician, an army officer, and a Soviet agent.
• Nicolae Ceaușescu. In his youth, he spent time here as a communist agitator, and he went on to govern Romania from 1965 until his downfall in 1989.

Nicolae Ceaușescu at Doftana

Nicolae Ceaușescu was imprisoned at Doftana from 1936, during his early years as a member of the banned Romanian Communist Party. He was still a teenager at the time of his arrest. Senior party members serving time here reportedly mentored Ceaușescu during his imprisonment. Within these walls, Ceaușescu became immersed in the ideology and rhetoric of revolutionary communism.

The communist regime later mythologised Doftana as a place of ideological perseverance under harsh prison conditions. Ceaușescu’s link with Doftana was a regular feature of early state propaganda, portraying him as a committed revolutionary forged in adversity.