Lost in Moscow’s urban landscape flows the Budayka. But it is not the waterway I want to talk about. Instead, let me tell you about Butyrka Prison. It stands as a stark reminder of Russia’s tumultuous past. This prison has witnessed centuries of rebellion, revolution, and repression.
Butyrka’s story starts in 1771. It replaced an older prison-fortress. Architect Matvei Kazakov built the original fortress during Catherine the Great’s reign. The towers once held rebellious Streltsy. Later, they housed participants of the 1863 January Uprising in Poland.
At the end of the 18th century, Butyrka became known as “Butyrka prison fortress.” It was rebuilt into a real castle with four towers and a fortress wall. Butyrka then became a transit prison. Each year, 30000 convicts passed through. They were on their way to country jails and exile.
One group of exiles marched from Butyrka to the central railway station. Count Leo Tolstoy walked alongside them. He later described this journey in his novel “Resurrection”.
Harry Houdini, the great illusionist, visited Butyrka in 1908. He wanted to show off his skills. Stripped bare and in manacles, he was shut in a metal box. This box was used to transport convicts to Siberia. Twenty-eight minutes later, Houdini emerged.
In 1917, Felix Dzerzhinsky was held in Butyrka. He was a dangerous revolutionary. He was cut off from the outside world in a solitary cell. He did not know about the ongoing revolution. Later, Dzerzhinsky became the head of the Soviet State Security forces. He made sure Butyrka was well-guarded.
Conditions in Butyrka were appalling. One investigation officer recalled entering a cell. He commanded everyone to stand in the opposite corner. Inmates would bombard him with lice otherwise.
In the 1920s, prisons filled with educated people. Members of the intelligentsia and dissident communists arrived. They loved art and entertainment. They continued to pursue their passions in the cells. Former Tsarist colonels lectured on World War I. Even a prison theater was organized.
Before the 1980 Moscow Olympics, authorities tried to conceal Butyrka. An apartment building was built around it. Still, the prison’s presence was always felt.
In 1996, Natalya S. swapped places with her cellmate. She walked freely out of the prison. It was the first breakout by a woman in Butyrka’s history. She was caught three days later.
Mickey Rourke visited Butyrka in 2009. He was preparing for his role in “Iron Man 2”. Rourke tasted the prison soup and bread. He tried on an 18th-century torture device. It was a spiked metal collar.
Butyrka remains the largest of Moscow’s remand prisons. Overcrowding is still an ongoing problem. The walls of Butyrka Prison hold countless stories. They whisper of hardship, resilience, and the enduring human spirit.