Cherche-Midi prison
Encyclopedia
The Cherche-Midi prison was a French military prison
located in Paris
, France
. It housed military prisoners from 1851 until 1947.
Construction on the prison began in 1847, when the former convent of the Daughters of the Good Shepherd was demolished on Rue du Cherche-Midi in Paris. The prison was modeled after the Auburn prison in Auburn, New York
, and consisted of 200 solitary confinement
cells. The prison population consisted of military personnel convicted of crimes by military tribunal, draft dodger
s, deserters and occasional political prisoners
. Prisoners were not permitted to talk to each other during the day and were kept isolated in their cells at night.
On June 12, 1940, immediately prior to the German occupation of Paris, the prison was evacuated and prisoners sent to an internment camp
near Mauzac
. From 1940 to 1944, the prison was used to house political prisoners by the German occupation army. After the liberation of Paris
, the prison was used to hold German prisoners of war
.
In 1947, all prisoners were transferred to other facilities and the prison was used as a military courthouse until 1950. In 1950, the building was placed under the control of the Ministry of Justice
and abandoned. The dilapidated prison was razed in 1966, and in 1968 the École des hautes études en sciences sociales
opened on the site of the former prison.
Famous detainees at the prison include Adolphe Feder, Kurt Gerstein
, Henri Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves
, Alfred Dreyfus
and Agnès Humbert
.
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
located in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It housed military prisoners from 1851 until 1947.
Construction on the prison began in 1847, when the former convent of the Daughters of the Good Shepherd was demolished on Rue du Cherche-Midi in Paris. The prison was modeled after the Auburn prison in Auburn, New York
Auburn, New York
Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 27,687...
, and consisted of 200 solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
cells. The prison population consisted of military personnel convicted of crimes by military tribunal, draft dodger
Draft dodger
Draft evasion is a term that refers to an intentional failure to comply with the military conscription policies of the nation to which he or she is subject...
s, deserters and occasional political prisoners
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
. Prisoners were not permitted to talk to each other during the day and were kept isolated in their cells at night.
On June 12, 1940, immediately prior to the German occupation of Paris, the prison was evacuated and prisoners sent to an internment camp
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
near Mauzac
Mauzac
Mauzac may refer to:* Mauzac , a grape variety mainly grown in the Gaillac region southeast of Bordeaux in France* Mauzac, Haute-Garonne, a commune of the Haute-Garonne département in France...
. From 1940 to 1944, the prison was used to house political prisoners by the German occupation army. After the liberation of Paris
Liberation of Paris
The Liberation of Paris took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the surrender of the occupying German garrison on August 25th. It could be regarded by some as the last battle in the Battle for Normandy, though that really ended with the crushing of the Wehrmacht forces between the...
, the prison was used to hold German prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
.
In 1947, all prisoners were transferred to other facilities and the prison was used as a military courthouse until 1950. In 1950, the building was placed under the control of the Ministry of Justice
Minister of Justice (France)
The Ministry of Justice is controlled by the French Minister of Justice , a top-level cabinet position in the French government. The current Minister of Justice is Michel Mercier...
and abandoned. The dilapidated prison was razed in 1966, and in 1968 the École des hautes études en sciences sociales
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
The École des hautes études en sciences sociales is a leading French institution for research and higher education, a Grand Établissement. Its mission is research and research training in the social sciences, including the relationship these latter maintain with the natural and life sciences...
opened on the site of the former prison.
Famous detainees at the prison include Adolphe Feder, Kurt Gerstein
Kurt Gerstein
Kurt Gerstein was a German SS officer and member of the Institute for Hygiene of the Waffen-SS. He witnessed mass murders in the Nazi extermination camps Belzec and Treblinka...
, Henri Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves
Henri Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves
Henri Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves was a French Navy officer, reputed "first martyr of Free France" and one of the major heroes of the French Resistance.-Early life:...
, Alfred Dreyfus
Alfred Dreyfus
Alfred Dreyfus was a French artillery officer of Jewish background whose trial and conviction in 1894 on charges of treason became one of the most tense political dramas in modern French and European history...
and Agnès Humbert
Agnès Humbert
Agnès Humbert was an art historian, ethnographer and a member of the French Resistance during World War II.- Early life :...
.